LABOUR’S OBJECTIVE

Hokitika Guardian, 1 February 1924, Page 2

LABOUR’S OBJECTIVE

V\ EL LI No I UN, dan. ..at ; .At a meeting oi me exeueuve in 1 tile -New /.eulainl I-ai mers' i.inun, l lie pivsiueiiL, .in- U. J. I'olsuu, moveil : "l Hal tills executive welcomes me return ot the Prime Minister to New ■ /.calami, unit expresses ns appiveiamin i of his valuable services in me cause ot -me r.mpire, realising Ins sincerity aim patriotic desire to ilraw closer the bonds of Empire.” The Prime Alinis- ' ter, tie said, no doubt felt a certain amount of disappointment at the result of the British elections and the return Lo power of a party which had not shown itself as at all inclined to the establishment of preferential treatment between the dominions and outposts of the Empire and the Mother Country. “As a matter of fact,” continued Mr Poison, “the J.a hour Party, both here and at Home, was apparently going to lull us into a certain amount of sense of security. ’ ! heir object appeared lo be at present to put their foot on the soft pedal so that the public might say, “We think wo may safely trust them,” and then return them to power or allow them to come into jxiwor. Mr Poison said lie thought the whole object ot the Labour Party here and at Home was simply to obtain a certain amount ot support from other sections of the community with the intention ho had indicated. "But you have got to realise,’’ continued the .speaker, "that Socialism ami nothing hut Socialism is the bedrock objective ot the Labour Party as disclosed, not only by their platform at Home but also in New Zealand.” He said that because there had been an attempt on the part of the Lalxmr Party to capture the small farmers; the small farmers did not relaise that tho object ot tiie Labour Par tv was nothing hut Socialism. II in the near future they could succeed in their present object of Tolling us to rest,” then it would he a case of “look out.” He was satisfied that that was the position. In spite ot the work of stalwarts like Mr Massey ami Mr Bruce (Prime Minister of Australia. and others, the majority of the people of Britain recently declared themselves in favour ot the continuance of the f reel ratio policy. Thus our hopes ill regard to the adoption of preference had been somewhat dashed, (treat Britain had practically said to lis that wo should tin a- we liked ill this matter, subject L.> tin- Empire's interests nut being sacrificed, that we were free to make such commercial arrangements as we thought would benefit ourselves and assist in developing the outposts of the Empire. He thought that aspect of the matter was worthy of very much further inquiry than wo had given to it. We had here pinned our flag to preference, but there was another aspect of the question which should he further investigated. He knew that our statesmen probably would not agree with that view, but there was something lo he said for it in a freetrade organisation of this kind. Mr 0. Anderson (Pelorus), in seconding the motion, said that th more preference we gave to Britain the greater would be her prosperity, consequently the bigger would he her purchasing power for our primary products. It was, he thought, in the interests of New Zealand to do all the business she could with the Mother Country. The motion was carried unanimous-