A POLICY OF HOPE.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 7, 1 October 1937, Page 4

A POLICY OF HOPE.

The outline given us to-day of the principles upon which the policy of the new National Party will be based wiil be read with a great deal of interest by the general body of electors, and probably not least by the many adherents of the Labour Party who are beginning to experience serious qualms as to where their poTitical leaders are likely eventually to land them, As Mr Hamilton is careful to point out, his statement is to be read not as anything in the way of an election manifest, but merely as an indication of the broad tenets to which members of the party will be expected to subscribe. It is, of course, as yet altogether too early fo enter into details. For one thing, it is quite impossible, in the present state of international disquiet, even to guess how greatly world conditions may change during the intervahbetween now and election time. This is a fact to which our present Government would seem to deliberately shut its eyes, proceeding as it does on the obvi'ous assumption that the spell of prosperity we are now, in common with the Old Country, so fortunately enjoying must continue indefimttely, when folks of any intelligence at all must see the grave chances there are of its being rudely interrupted. Bearing this in mind, as well as the normal fluctuations that occur in the realisation of our export products, on which the prosperity of the country and its people so largely depends, the intimations now given by the National , Ieader can scarcely but appeal to all thoughtful people who h^v^ the lasting, not merely ephemeral, welfare of the whole community at heart. Mr Hamilton does well in emphasising the fact that the LaboUr Party has no monopoly of humanitarian ideals in legislation, or, he might have added, in administration. With that aspect of Sociallsm, - as has been said said here more than once before, there can be no quarrel. There cannot, however, but be the very deepest apprehension as to the effect of the methods which our Labour Party has adopted for bringing those ideals into practice. It is manifest, indeed is admitted by the Labour leaders themselves, that the full fruition of their hopes depends entirely upon the preservation and promotion of the material prosperity of the country from which must be drawn the financial resources necessary to the .carrying out of these benevolent purposes. Thus, even from the humanitarian point of view, the question resolves itself into best ways of maintaining and extending that prosperity. It can be read- i ily seen that without it the heavy taxation our present Gov■bjmment is levyirxg on the pretext of applying it to social ser^^HfcLwould be hopelessly impracticable.

■|^he people of this country have therefore to consider ^Hj^ier our Labour Government is going the right ^^^^^Bcountry along towards establishing prosper^^^^^^■Ltions. The verdict of those who are giving ^ matter cannot but take the form of a

re would almost seem to be in |j±Le private enterprise and inentirely responsible for country and in that ^^^^^Mtofore enjoyed. Can

■A Labour s blind Be been develop^H^gr Governset for

Birty is Baway ^Klves