POLICY OUTLINED

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3262, 12 May 1943, Page 5

POLICY OUTLINED

aim of national party MR HOLLAND’S ADDRESS RECONSTRUCTION

The immediate policy of the National Party and its proposed treatment of post-war problems were outlined in a forceful address by the Leader of the Opposition Mr S. GHolland, to a large and attentive audience in the Regent Theatre, Paeroa, last evening. The Mayor, Mr Edwin Edwards, presided, and with him on the platform was Mr H. E. Waters, divisional chairman of the National

Party. It had been decreed by the Government that the year 1943 should be election year and it was imperative that. the . country, should be fully informed on the questions of the day, said Mr Holland. No one. he asserted, would envy the next Government its task. Mr Holland criticised the Government monopoly of the radio, which at certain sessions, he said, particularly on Sundays, was used purely for the dissemination of party politics. Such methods were an abuse of a public service.

Still Awaiting Reply

The control of paper supplies was another instance of this monopoly, said the speaker. He instanced a recent occasion when, realising that the radio was not available to his party for the dissemination of its views, he applied for a permit for paper m order to print those views, but after 10 weeks he was still awaiting a reply. A third advantage enjoyed by the Government was that of censorship which enabled it to quash the publication of the political opinions of those who were not in concord with the Government'.

Many people were desirous of a change but some were not sure that the Opposition Party was the right one and that was the reason he was present to-night, said Mr Holland. He would explain some of 'the aims and objects of the National Party. Firstly it would be .the aim of the party to grant the right to work to the people. They would strive to remove want and distress. It would be the duty of the Government to see that work was available for all. Another point the National Party would aim at was the right for each member of the House to vote according to their judgment and not according to the policy of the party. This had not been the position in the past. In his opinion it did not make foi good government to have party members tied up to party policy.

Cost of State Houses

The National Party was not going to . make any wild promises in an attempt to secure support. Such promises of something for nothing were worthless as had been , shown in the last four years. No Government could give to the people anything which first if all they had not taken from the people. The present Government had attempted to do this but had found it was impossible. He instanced theState housing which the Government had promi-sed would cost only £6OO and would be able to be rented for some fifteen shillings a week. However, although the Government had had complete control of finance the houses had cost over £l2OO and all knew the rents were nearly twice what the public had expected.

The Labour Government had promised to do away with Government by boards but what had happened? The present Government had passed 346 Acts and 1700 Orders in Council. None of these Orders in Council had been before the representatives of the people .before they became law.

No Need For Depression

He touched on the fact that Cabinet had committed New Zealand to another division in the Pacific without consulting the representatives of the people. New Zealand was not able to maintain two divisions in the field at the same time.

The need for native-born New Zealanders to govern the Dominion was stressed by Mr Holland, stating that the list of National Party candidates shortly to be released would disclose that h ! s parfy endorsed this view. Speaking of the period after the war he said he did not consider there would be a depression such as was experienced in 1932 to 1935. His reason for this was that the devastated countries of Europe would be clamouring for the foodstuffs which New Zealand was able to produce so readily.

-Science would play a big part in the future of New Zealand and he urged the need to regain the brilliant young men of the Dominion who were at pre&r'. unable to get employment

and were snapped up by other countries. Internal Marketing Touching on the Internal Marketing Department he asked had it increased the quantity of the products it had taken control of or had it increased the quality of the goods. There was too much stupid interference resulting in a definite fall in the production of goods.

To-day the dairy farmer was in the hands -of an unsympathetic Government. He compared the farmers’ position with that of other sections of the people. £378,000 had been taken out of the War Expenses Account to subsidise the coal mines he said.

When every other section of the community had its income stepped up to the limit except the dairy farmers, the Government introduced stabilisation. The Government was not giving the farmer a fair deal. Another problem which had to be dealt with was the drift of the people off the farms to the town. If the primary industries suffered the whole of New Zealand would suffer. There was, he said, a need for a progressive rural housing scheme. He asked why had houses been placed in the towns and cities instead of a portion in the country areas. It was also part of the policy of the National Party to extend all the latest appliances'/and amenities to the country areas as a national expense not as a special charge on that area. Training For Trades

He asked why if it had been possible to train the young men to become some of the best soldiers in the war it was not possible to train them in trades which were short of manpower. Many of the men coming back could be trained to build houses to assist in the erection of suitable homes for all the people of the country. This would find employment for at least 25,000 young men for the next ten years at least.

Another plank would be that the National Party would grant the freehold of homes and farms. Finance for up to 90 per cent of the cost of houses would be available to young people wishing to build their own home.

Touching on the hospital service, Mr Holland said the National Party’s policy would be prevention rather than cure. Instead of waiting until sickness developed steps would be taken, starting in the schools', for regular inspection so that disease could be discovered and checked before it became too serious. There could not be a better investment for the Government on behalf of; the people.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation would be a special duty of the National Party and if elected it was proposed to appoint a special minister and not load the job on to an already over-busy man. Pensions would also be reviewed while work would be made available to every man who came back. Training schools would be set up to train soldiers for any trade they wished to take up. Land settlement would also be part of the National Party policy. Soldiers would be settled on farms at the production value of the land, not at any old price

Local advisory committees would be set up to advise on the purchase of lands—men who knew the possibility of the farm in question with its local advantages and disadvantages which were only obvious to those who lived in the district. Men who had not had previous farming experience would be first given training so that they could make a success of their farm. The freehold would also be made available to these returned soldiers. Returned soldiers would also be encouraged to put part of their gratuity into homes and the Government would subsidise such a step.

Manpower Question

No conscientious objector would have any say in the rehabilitation of the men who returned from the war, stated Mr Holland, if the National Party was returned to power.

He also touched on the manpower question, urging an overhaul of the whole position.

In conclusion he gave his reason for resigning from the War Council, quoting the objections he had m a de regarding the way the war was being prosecuted in the Dominion, especially with regard to the spending of public money and the indignities to which he had had to suffer.

It would be the aim of the National Party to make New Zealand a free land in which people would be pleased to live and not one governed by dictatorial power.

Mr R. S. Carden moved a vote of thanks to Mr Holland for his interesting and instructive address and this was seconded by Mr P. R- Huobard and carried unanimously.