LABOUR’S POLICY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1954, 20 March 1919, Page 3

LABOUR’S POLICY.

ADDRESS BY MR. P. FRASER, M.P. There was a fair audience at the Town Hall on Tuesday night to hear an address hy Mr P. Fraser, Labour M.P. for Wellington Central. Mr Rowlatt, President of the Foxton branch of the New Zealand Labour Parly, occupied the chair, and briefly introduced the -speaker. Mr Fraser, in opening, said that at the present time the New Zealand Labour Party were engaged in a national campaign throughout New Zealand, prominent Labour leaders visiting practically every centre in the Dominion, and placing the aims and objects of the Party before the public. They considered that if they could put their platform and ideals before the thinking people of the community they would he able to get the support of these people.' All the speakers on behalf of (he Party had been well received everywhere, and the success that was attending their efforts was much greater than the most sanguine ever anticipated. The speaker said his object in appearing in Foxton that night was to place the aims of the party before the people, and if these met with the approval of his hearers, and he had no doubt they would, then the Lab-’ our Parly expected their support. The Party not only wanted their vote, but also wanted them to join the Party and assist it in every way in their power. There had been great changes throughout the world during the past four years, and democracy was now realising that it had a mission, and the dawn of a brighter future was at hand. Ho regretted that in some countries, where the people were uneducated and ground down, their uprising in some eases had unfortunately'been accompanied hy violence and bloodshed. Ho referred to the position in Russia, where want of education and the lack of proper constitutional methods had resulted in much loss of life. But in countries where the workers could bring about a change in a legal manner, they could substitute reason Jam violence, and thus bring about a much needed reform. The New Zealand Labour Party stood four square against anything in the way of violence, and would endeavour to bring about reform in (bis country with the assistance of reason and facts. In any country which was democratic in its electoral machinery violence could not be thought of. Mr Eraser „jud the Labour Party did not come forward with any fancy schemes, but had a definite policy and platform to lay before the electors. They did not waul t snatch a victory unless they had a majority ol the people behind them; they did not want to take advantage of the existing anii-National Government feeling; they did not want to gain power through a wave of sympathy, recognising that waves, like the tide, ebb and How. What they wanted) was for every vote that was east for Labour to he an expression of faith in Labour principles. They wore mil to convince the majority of the people that their aims and objects were in the interests of the majority and the country as a whole. Mr Fraser said that there was evidence throughout the world of (ho collapse of the capitalist system, and referred to the strides Labour was making in other countries. He made reference to the recent British elections, and said that although Labour lost some seats, an analysis of the votes cast showed that Labour polled no less tlflui 2,300,000 voles, a fourfold increase over the previous poll, and if they could only double their vote at the next poll there would be a Labour Government at the head of the British Empire. This same sentiment was in evidence everywhere. Political Economy, sakl the speaker, with the Labour Party was National Housekeeping, the utilisation of the resources of the country to the best advantage. The question was : How can this country he utilised to the Lest advantage of all the people in if? At the present time the resources were not being utilised in I lie right direction, and the Labour Party wanted to alter that, lie referred at some length to the menace of land aggregation, and quoted figures to show that this was increasing. He also referred to the increase in unimproved land values during the fifteen years, from 1902 to 1917. During that period the values had increased from £94,800,000 to £251,300,000, an increase of £156,500,000. All that wealth had been created by the community, and should belong to the community. Those that produce all should get all, and those that produce nothing should got wind they produce —nothing. The Labour Party stood for that. The speaker ridiculed the equal dividing up of the national wealth, as some people would try to make out that the Labour Party stood for. What the Parly really stood for was the nationalisation of the means of production, so that same could he extended and utilised to create more wealth for the benefit of the people and the country as a whole. The speaker spoke on the inereas dig cost of living, and quoted figures to show that on three ‘food groups alone the cost of living bad increased 50 per cent, during the past few years. Dealing with the Labour Party’s platform, Mr Fraser stressed the necessity of belter provision being made for widows and orphans. During the war period the Government should have entirely prevented anyone enriching themselves at the expense of the people.who had gone to fight. But what had happened? The exploiters had been allowed to pile up huge war profits. When Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward returned from

their visit to the Old Country they boasted in the 'Wellington Town Hall that (heir visit to England had been the means of squeezing a further at bs of a penny per pound for meat'out of the people of Great Britain. The Government of this country had, upon the outbreak of war, placed, at the disposal of the Empire 100,000 men, and they should have also placed the wealth of the country at the disposal of the Empire. But, no, they showed their regard for wealth, and their lack of regard for human life. Huge war profits had been made out of all New Zealand produce, and the people of the country had been exploited for the benefit of the few. Labour considered that the same principle that is applied to human life should, in all decency, bo nlso applied to wealth. The Labour Party stood for Proportional Representation, the Initiative, Referendum, and the Recall, the abolition of the Upper House, Education Reform and better housing conditions. The housing conditions in some of our towns were really terrible, and the speaker quoted instances (hat had come under his own personal notice in Wellington during the recent epidemic. They had heard about the terrible tragedies and atrocities of war, but a large number of epidemic workers had had brought forcibly before them the tragedies and atrocities of peace in the matter of the awful conditions under which some of the people of this fair country were forced to live. The Labour Party desired to improve these conditions.

In conclusion, Mr Eraser appealed to his audience to study the pintform of the Labour Party, to give its aims and objects their earnest consideration, and if they did this he felt confident they would be convinced that the interests of the country as a whole would be best served by a Labour Government.