LYTTELTON SEAT

Hokitika Guardian, 22 August 1933, Page 2

LYTTELTON SEAT

LABOUR CAMPAIGN OPENS

(Per Press Association- Copyright.)

CHRISTCHURCH, August 21

11l opening the Labour Party’s campaign’ in Lyttelton by-election this evening, Mr H.' '£. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, paid a glowing tribute to the late member,' Mr J as. McCombs, and declared that Mrs McCombs was amongst the ablest of the women in public life in New Zealand.

Mr Holland said lie was confident that she would make history us the first woman to- sit in the Parliament of the Dominion.

The speaker outlined a policy of industrial rehabilitation, which included a comprehensive public works scheme, large scale land settlement, with planned production and guaranteed prices for primary producers, and with standard wages and shorter hours for the wage workers; and others. He also dealt extensively with the need for. safeguarding and developing the secondary industries of the Dominion, urging that these industries were now being menaced from at least two angles—the Ottawa agreements, and the cheap labour products of the East and elsewhere.

Mr Holland explained the Labour party’s finance proposals, which Included the nationalisation of the hanking system of the country. He Insisted that once industrial activity was resumed, the velocity of the circulation of .all money, botli cheque and legal tender, would be restored, and accelerated. Whatever new issue of money was found to be necessary for primary and secondary industrial purposes would be provided, but, in the first place l , he did not anticipate that a very large amount would be necessary. .There was now no less legal tender money in New Zealand than before the . stump, and the internal troubles largely grew out of the methods employed to meet the conditions arising otit of the overseas fall in prices. Any new issue of legal tender money wqlild be regulated strictly in line with output of goods and services which were the basis of credit in all countries. ..

Mr Holland said that, while no one would charge that the Government was responsible for tlie depression, even a novice in politics might have been expected to know that deflationary policy could never remedy, but would be certain to accentuate, the economic, evil of depression. .In their method of . approaching the situation, the Prime Minister and Mr Coates were not altogether unlike two very unsober visitors to London, who chose a wrong stairway in a Piccadilly tube station, and persisted in trying to climb an escalator, which was moving downwards. In that day’s cables, Mr Forbes was reported to have said that “President Roosevelt’s programme of reconstruction will lead the United States, and with it the rest of the world, to prosperity.” A statement of that character must have come as a shock to Mr Coates and the other members of the Coalition, for the United States President’s programme was the direct antithesis of that pursued by Messrs Forbes and Coates and their colleagues. Mr Roosevelt’s pronouncement was mainly in line with the minority report presented by the Labour party in connection with the special economic committee that was so abruptly ended by Mr Forbes. The United States proposal included dras- ■ tic reductions in working hours ‘and j heavy wage increases, I