N.Z. LABOUR POLICY

Hokitika Guardian, 15 May 1931, Page 2

N.Z. LABOUR POLICY

STATED BY LEADER.

iUnited Prsaa Anoociation — By fileotru Telegraph—Copyright).

DUNEDIN, May 14. Before an audience of approximately 2,500 people, Mr H. E. Holland, Lender of the Labour Thirty, opened his Dominion campaign in the Town Hall to-night. It was evident well before 8 pm. that the ball in which it was originally intended that Mr Holland should speak would be too small to hold the crowd, and it thus became necessary tp engage the maid Town Hall, which was virtually filled.

The Labour Loader, who, was greeted with prolonged applause, said that the Dominion, with other countries was passing through a temporary period of ecopomio depression, which wa.-* largely man-made, and for which it was erroneous to suggest that there was no remedy, They should use all the powers of State to keep the wheels of industry turning, and to keep the people employed, and see thnt the people reaped the reward of their labour.

The reduction of wages, said Mr Holland, reduced the purchasing power of the people by many millions, ana It remained for them to say whether tne reductions should exist. The day had come when Mr Forbes had accepted Mr Coates’s views, and never in the history of the country had there been such a complete dishonouring of promises as by the United Party. The United Party was elected on definite pledges and when it dishonoured these it should have gone to the country and discovered whether those reductions should be imposed or not, Mr Holland went on to deal with the passing of tlie Finance Bill, and said

lie believed that the actions of the Government, supported by the Reform Party, were going to awaken huge numbers of the wage enrnprs, Ml' Forbes said that there was deficit of £4.-500,000, and he was going to ask the Civil Service to pay one-third of this deficit, although the Civil Service numbered only one-ninth of the wage earners of this country. He (Mr Holland) thought that they could balance the budget bv a system of equality of sacrifice and lie favoured the system of income taxation. He did not believe that company taxation was scientific. He thought that individual taxation was more scientific. The amount of assessable income in the Dominion | for taxation had increased by £27,000H)0, but the tax assessed during that period was nearly £3,000.000 less ; here was a field for the Labour Pa try when it came into power. (Applause.,) The Labour Party also favoured land taxation, and the bringing into use of land whenever possible. It favoured tlie subdivision of tlfe large estates, the stimulation of the work of the Agricultural Department and the supply of fertilisers under favourable conditions to the farmers . Mr Holland said he believed in having a definite trade agreement between i\ew Zealand and Britain, making for the stabilisation of the position of the primary producers.

Tlip -Lal)oui' Party, if it got into power, would at once set out to coordinate the transport services, and to stop tlie waste tlwt was going on at the present time. xlie outstanding problem now, lie said related to unemployment. Me believed that there was work of economic value waiting to he done, and if it was of economic value, it should be paid for at the standard rate of wages. The Labour Party would take men from the ranks of the unemployed and place them under expert supervision on the preparation of Crown lands for settlement. The men who were employed on this work would be given the first chonce of settling on the land.

The Labour Party would improve the roads in the backblock areas, >vptajd pu more piep op ygilways construction work and would Rive libora] assistance to the loca} bodies in carrying out necessary works. Where there was a failure to provide work, it would give sustenance. It had never been tfte intention of Parliament, ho said, that the provisions of the Unemployment Bill should be carried out as they were being oarried out at present. One of the countrys greatest difficulties was that it did not produce a sufficient amount of goods, or the amount that it could produce, aho reason was that there was too much borrowing overseas, and then the 'Dominion had to take goods for the loans, 'j.he Labour Pary, said Mr Holland would not go overseas for its money, but it would raise a loan inside New Zealand. It would introduce a national banking .system, and would raise as much of the necessary money in New Zealand as possible,

The Labour Party would set out to strengthen and develop such industries ns already existed, and to encourage new ones.

The working class, said Mr Holland would have to organise for the next election, for to-day the workers were up against nil opposition never experienced before. To-day they were racing a combination from the Reform and United Parties, whose aofcioflSi, he confidently believed, had been taken at the behest of the financial institutions of the Old Country and of the Dominion. Unless they had a Labour victory this year, wage cuts would go on for the next three years! Every effort would be made to divide the forces of Labour. The moneyed interests would spare no expense to win the fight; but he felt confident that the Labour Party would secure victory this year and occupy the Treasury Benches in the new Parliament, Loud applause greeted the concfusion of the address, and a vote of thanks was accorded Mr Holland.