In Defence of' Labour

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 58, 1 December 1937, Page 6

In Defence of' Labour

P.

S.

Sir, — The depths of inconsistent abuse to which Nationalist politicians will descend in their attempts to blacken the Labour Government are best illustrated by extracts from the speeehes of Colonel J. Hargest, M.P., at Havelock North and Otane. His admission that the fights between Reform and Uniteds" in previous Parliaments were only "sham ' fights "is sur.ely interesting. Our Reform and United politicians .were putting one over the ' electors," or in sporting parlance, "running a slinter." Furtiier on he admits .that the Na•'tionalist " Government '* "reduced "the people 's privileges ' and took away part of their incomes. He tries to justify this by . the statement tbat during the depression, some "Socialist" countries (unspecified) did not pay .Publie . jService salaries at all, • Thus, by innuehdo, he tries to suggest • that the present Government will not pay the Public Service salaries.- .What an underhanded argument — but oue that won.'t carry much weight with the publie sefvauts of this country, unless they have lost their me--mory, which I don't think they "have. As for restbring liberty and . privileges, did not the . Forbes-Coates . Government pass an Act of Parliament to stifle free speech by the membera of the Public Seryice so far as politics, were concerned?, - . Colonel Hargest says the Nationalists are not ^'wage-slashersf' or ' 'pensioncutters," and that they have no desire to reduce the standard of living. Well, they ceTtainly did tfiese things during their last term of government. But if they doh't iutend. to do them again, why-eritici'se. the present Government for maintaining liigh wages and high standards of living? In one part of his speeeh he condemns high wages; in another part he implies that the wages do not compensate for the high cost of living. But I don't find aiiy plan outlined as to how he would tackle the reduction in the cost of living. At the Otane meeting the colonel is reported as saying that "when the Nationalist Government reduced - the people 's wages they tried to force down the cost of living hy.reducing the overdraft rate of iiiterest from 7% to.4 per cent." A lot of help that was to the wage earner, as I venture to "say not one; wage earner in a thousand had an overdraft at a bahk. • Thi0 National Party's Itnain plank at the next election is to be the Restoration of the People 's Liberty. The Liberty he refers to will be the liberty enjoyed under, the Forbes — -Coates regime: Liberty for the big finaneial institutions to get a stranglehold on the farmers and wage-earners of this country. • . ; But don't worry,- it ■ will he many years yet before the Nationalists assume power; unless they do it by Fascist methods, and that is not beyond the bounds of possibility. — Yours, etc.

Hastings, Dec. 1, 1937.