In Defence of Labour

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 62, 6 December 1937, Page 9

In Defence of Labour

AJAX.

Sir, — For downright crooked running and reasoning give me the letter.eigned "P,S." in your correspondence coiumns. 9 Col. Hargest did not "by innuendo try to suggest that the present Govern- . ment will not pay Public Service sai- J aries. at all" — yet "P.S." fcays hedid. The late Government did not xeduce * the standard of living; any reduction was due to a depression whieh was world- wide and not peculiar to New Zealand. "P.S." says that the reduction ot interest from 7% per cent. to 4 per eent did not help the wage-earner — whieh Shows that "P.S." has no idea of hqu low rates of interest reduce the cost of living, "P.S." ridicules the plank pf "rostoring the people 's liberty" and falsely aeserts that this only means liberty for big financiai institutions to straugle the wage-earneys. What absolutery crooked propaganda this is. The people) s liberty— that is, tho liberty of the wage-earner and man in the street— has been taken away by this Goyernment, Oue must join a trade union or risk losing one's jo.b one must contribute to political party funds, a WQTker, whether one likesi it or not; no-one may start in business without a Miister's permission; the farmers, and

now other people 's produce, ls commandeered at whatever price the Minister may decide; one has to wat-jh one's step in every direetion with do-. mineering inspectors swarming t'UQ eountry. If a man owns a cottage and has let it for a short term, he cannot get possession of it again. He may have j to put his wife and family -in a tent I but may not ask the tennnt to let uira have his cottage for his own nse. Good Heavens alivel The ueoDle's liberty is being whittled away all round, As to the "big institutions" your correspondent mentions, doesn't he know that these belong to thousands of smaU shareholders? Finally, in a conntry witn umversal suffrage it ia not only stupid, but wicked, to say (as he does) that uniess we introduee Fasoism the electora Qannot change the Government, I have answered "P,3," because I hope it may produce another letter of the same kind, Such exaggerated abuse is quite good apsietance to those who who eppqse this Socialistic and dictatorial Government.-rrYours, etc.,'

Hastings, December 3, 1937. Other letters have been held over till to-morrow.