GOVERNMENT ATTACKED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 212, 2 May 1932, Page 5

GOVERNMENT ATTACKED

ROTORUA MEETING LABOtjR M's.P STKONGLY CRITICISE COALITION PARTY CALL TO RESIGN A streiiuous attack upon the present policy of the Goalition Government with an appeal to the electors to put their names to a national petition which is being circulated ealling upon the Government to resign was voiced last evening by Messrs C. Chapman (Wellington North) and F. Jones (Dunedin South) members of the Parliamentary Labour Party who addressed a well attended public meeting in the Gand Theatre. The Mayor, Mr, T. Jackson,, presided, and at the conclusion of the meeting, a vote of thanks and confidence in the Labour Party was carried by acclamation. Prefacing his remarks, Mr. Chapman said that the Labour Party had been forced to undertake its present national campaign by the fact that it was quite unable to obtain a fair hearing from the great body of the Press of the Dominion — particularly the metropolitan Press. Neither in Parliament nor out of it were Labour views fairly reported and represented and as a result, the party had decided to come to the people personally.

Fhce the Electors The -present session had been particularly strenuous and members were naturally not anxious to spend the only spare time available in ad~ dressing public meetings. However, that might be, the Labour Party felt that the position was so serious and the need for action so urgent, that its members would. very willingly give their time to the campaign. Their attitude in this direction was in marked contrast to that of the Government supporters, who in spite of challenges, .had refused , to f ace the electors and defend the policy which was now being enacted. In past days, it had been no -uncommon thing, when "important legislative proposals were before the House, for Government, or

any other members to place their views before the electors from the public platform. Members of the present Government however, appeared to be very reluctant.to do this, and in view of the nature of the legislation which they were inflicting upon the eountry, it was scarcely surprising. Flood Labour Market Proceeding* Mr. Chapman said that Labour did not for a minute deny the world-wide extent of the depression, but it did very definitely contend that so far as New Zealand was coneerned, its severity had been very greatly aggravated by the previous blunders of the Reform and United Governments. In this connection the speaker stringently criticised the Reform Government's immigration policy, which he said was part of a deep laid scheme to flood the Dominion labour market and undermine wages. Criticising the general prineiple of wage reductions, Mr. Chapman pointed out that despite the promises which were made concerning the remedial effects of the first 10 per cent. reduction, instead of improving the position, it had made it vastly worSe. Unemployment had doubled further hardships had been placed upon the great body of the people, bankruptcies were becoming the order of the day, and business generally, was jeopardised. Yet in spite of the calamitous effects Wbich had followed this first dose of the medicine, the Government now proposed to administer a further 10 per cent. and had ' practically abolished the Arbitraion Act, a measure. which had stood for years as the greatest safeguard for industrial peace ever erected.

Injiistice to Women The speaker contended that the Government had completely failed to . cope with the unemployment position, and further- than that, had imposed injustices on women and girls by requiring then to contribute. to the unemployment funds without affording them any commensurate benefit. As an antidote to the policy of wage reduction which the Government was imposing, and which the speaker contended was precipitating. . disaster and bankruptcy upon the eountry, the Lahour Party proposed so to control and regulate the currency that sufficient money would be made available to maintain wages and meet the needs of the people without imposing further hardships. Lahour proposed in the first place, an internal loan which would compel the banks to find the necessary finance at a * reasonable rate of interest, or alternatively, a fiduciary note issue secured hy the whole wealth of the eountry. In addition, Lahour proposed to establish a State Bank with the sole right of not© issue-, a measure which he contended would remove the "incubus of the financial institutions" from which the eountry was at present suffering. Mr. Coates's Extravagance Mr. Jones also dealt with the Government policy along similar lines and in very trenchant manner. He described as "a joke," the fact. that Mr. Coates, who he described as "New Zealand's most extravagant Prime Minister," had now been entrusted with the task of making eiconomies. Criticising the Arbitarition Amendment Bill, Mr. Jones said that New Zealand's arbitration system had come into being as a result of the disclosures of the Sweating Commission of 40 years ago. Conditions were then so terrible that it had'heen found that women and girls were working 60 and 70 hours a week for 10/6. Yet this Government, which had asked the people to present it with a blank cheque, had now swept away this carefully erected fabric. He described the pensions economies as "mean and paltry" and said that if an expression of opinion was taken, it would he found that the Government had forfeited the confidence of the eountry. Mr. Jones closed his address by appealing to the audience to support a national petition which he said would he circulated from one end of New Zealand to the other and which called upon the Government to abandon certain of its legislation or resign. Aften questions had been answered, a vote of thanks and confidence was put to the meeting and carried without dissent.