The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7th, 1925. THE LIBERAL PLATFORM.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 February 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7th, 1925. THE LIBERAL PLATFORM.

Tin-: sincere :iml solid suppoi ter of the Liberal fortunes in New Zealand, the “Lyttelton Times”, hits oh' the political prospects in a very clear and definite manner in an article under the above beading which we have pleasure in quoting because it bears out political beliefs which have been expounded in these columns I'mm time to time, and the confirmation will he of interest and satisfaction to many of our readers who dwell in a province which has been essentially Liberal in its political feelings since the earliest days when the miners of the goldfields espoused the cause of Sir George Grov, the statesman and shining light in the (olitieal firmament who expounded Liberalism fruit the first days of the struggle for manhood suffrage. The “Lyttelton Times’’ proceeds to remark: Those Conservative critics who have been trying t: convince themselves and other people that the Liberal Party is dead everywhere in the British Empire but particularly in New Zealand, have been inconsistent enough, in some eases, to twit t!iis alleged deceased party with having no policy. The gibe is one that shows a small sense of humour, since it is one of the commonplaces of modern politics that the role of Liberalism is to supply policies for the other parties—to the Conservatives because of their constitutional inability to produce any original legislative proposal, and to the Labourites because as soon as they get into office they find tliei; own ideas impracticable and inappropriate. It is one of life’s little in.me that Mr Massey, who spent the most strenuous days of his Parliamentary career in opposing and condemning the Liberal measures that were placing New Zealand in the van ol social progress, seems to find liis greatest pleasure in these davs in pointing to the benefits lavished upon the community by these very measures, now entrusted to him for administration. Tim difference beta eon the Liberals and the cuckoos who roost in the Liberal nest is that the Liberals always have some constructive plan for bettering an imperfect world, and that they are always able to give the people something they want. One of the things they propose to give the people of New Zealand is an honest electoral system, under which a minority regime, such as has muddled the post-war affairs of this country, would be impossible. They would put the public finances in order, chock the ever-increasing tide of expenditure, and revise the taxation system, which in recent abnormal years has been framed with a single eye to re-venue-getting and who no attention to equity of incidence. On the social side, they would explore ihe avenue towards industrial peace opened up h the Whitley councils, and they would apply to the development and build-i„<r-up of the secondary industries those principles of ■‘governmental paternal ism”—to borrow the term of reproach applied by those who afterwards l«>r- | rowed the principles—which have proved so successful in connection with the dairying and other primary industries. The education system would lie free of the fancy frills imposed upon it by faddists and tne marked latter-da\ trend towards centralisation of control would be checked. Land policy would be pursued on the well-known Liberal lines. The laws against aggregation would he revived and sincerely administered. and the cause of closer settlement would lie once more vigorously prosecuted. The great shipping and banking monopolies that at present exact so large a toll front the people of New Zealand would be required to justify their charges, with the threat of co-operative competition or State control of the monopoly as a moderating influence, The fiousing problem yw.l4

receive attention and an honest effort would be made to provide the funds whereby the desire for home-ownership could be effectievlv fostered and assisted, and the evils consequent on inadequate housing, both in city and country, minimised to the utmost possible extent There is never any lack of work for Liberals to do, and in New Zealand to-day they have several years of arrears to make up.