LABOUR’S POINT OF VIEW.

Shannon News, 28 November 1922, Page 2

LABOUR’S POINT OF VIEW.

The Cosmos Theatre., Levin, held a large meeting on Wednesday, when Mr R. Semple spoke in tne interests of the Labour candidate lor Manawatu seat. Mr J. H. Taylor presided. -

Mr Semple, who was received wit.li applause, said we were living in one of the most interesting and tragic epochs in the history of • mankind. Change was succeeding change in many countries, and so stupendous were the problems presenting themselves that there was room lor the opinion of the humblest citizen in their solution. They should therefore judge men coming before them by the programmes they presented and the intelligence they exhibited. The La-

bour Party did not profess .fyo have solved these problems, but they did claim to be careful invesigatprs in. the field of political, social and economic science. They had searched the pages of the history of the human race and ventured to express, fearlessly but not dogmatically, the opinions they ; had formed: “I look on the Leader of the Reform Party as a capable, courageous gentleman,” said Mr Semple, “but 1 have a very serious quarrel

wiili the kind of politics he advocates. They are not the kind necessary to elevate the people of this country—to do away with hunger, unemployment and the housing problem.” The men who come out from behind the ancient screens of prejudice and custom with solutions of these things were assailed with cries of 1.W.W., Bolshevik, revolutionary. A hundred years ago, Hardy, the leaden of the Scottish weavers who demanded the right to vote, was hanged. To : da.y the Labour Party in Britain had, polled nearly five pillion votes. He dared to predict that in three years time, with tile education, organisation and ability of the party, there''would he a Labour Government in Britain. It was the only party that held out to , the people any hope of a brighter and better day; The daily press in New

Zealand had just discovered that these Labour men. were, moderate, reasonablet, orthodox, quite ‘ decent fellows. Before the election they were calling these men the same names that- Were applied to the Labour Party in New Zealand, but the press now feared the psychological effect of the British elections in New Zealand. Mr Semple produced a handbook marked “For personal use,” and said it contained speeches for the use of Reform, candidates. He read a passage which

bracketted the Labour Party of this country with the T.W.W., whom, it said, would .commit murder and arson to gain their ends. “Why, friends, l, served twelve months id this country -because 1 do not believe in murder,” • exclaimed die speaker. “Harry ilutdunu is one of the kindest men in this Dominion, a good lather' and Moving husband, and a mail ■.• of humanitarian views.” The balance oi his party were men of high intellect and character. .They .were assailed with foul abuse, hot scientific .economics, and the speaker would not degrade himself to-use such tactics towards Mr Massey or Mr Wilford. Such Labour men as Sidney Webb, one of the world’s greatest economists, E .D. Morel, who helped, to emancipate the slaves of the Congo, Ramsay McDonald and Philip Snowden had been elected, to the British Parliament. Morel was gaoled by Churchill during the war ior distributing pacifist literature, and now the people had shown what they thought by giving him a great majority over Mr Churchill.

Mr Seinplei said people wlro were able to render useful service to tlietr fellow men, and who refused to do it, and allowed others to sweat for them were Tio good to- the community.

Healthy work was a good thing, but drudgery was not. The conditions which condemned some to slavery while others lived in luxury, the presence of unemployment, lack of food and housing produced unrest, rebellion and crime ,and were visible in, our

day and generation. Mr Massey’s

policy tended to aggravate, perpetuate and develop those conditions. The wages cut in the Civil service and generally, represented seven milliajas sterling annually. The increase' in Customs duties added another two millions. That meant that the standard of living had been reduced to that extent; and that nine millions had been circulated; the small busi-

uesstnan and producer losing thereby. The first thing Mr Massey shun Id have done was to pay attention .to the higher-salaried people and put a stiff . graduated tax on unimproved lands.,

He could have looked to the shipping •> companies, insurance companies, j hanks and similar institutions for the j money required for war ■ liability, j These big institutions made millions j out of the blood and tears of the; world. Instead, .Mr Massey turned } round and gave rebates to these capi- ! tali sis. The Bank ol' \ T ew Zealand, j which made a profit of £734,200 in 1921, got a rebate of taxation of £51,578. The. Pukomiro Coal Company, whose balance-sheet he produced, made a profit of £47,849 in 1921 j on a capital of £OO,OOO. That was the year of the slump, when fhe demand

was less because the Government imported .huge quantities of coal. Yet this company got a rebate of £3274 in taxation. The Union Bank, with a profit of £536,261, had £29,325 remitted. Was that a fair way to run this country? The cut in the Civil service averaged to those in receipt of salaries between £3OOO and £§oo the sum of 17/11 per year, but the cut averaged £26 a year to those in .receipt of under £3OO a-year. It was simply class legislation, and he would lik* to have a look at the fellow who said it was not.

The public debt of the Dominion was £219,000,000 and the interest and sinking fund on it £10,875,000 per annum. The private debt was £231,000,000 which paid £12,000,000 in interest, ? rhat meant that 23 millions a. year was being paid by the people of the Dominion in interest. Instead of the money that was borrowed every year being used for development and reproductive work it was going to pay twentythree millions of interest on the money already borrowed.

Proceeding, Mr Semple qiioted statements from the Bankers’ Magazine, and strongly criticised a remark by a prominent Aemrican banker that the way out of financial difficulties was U> work harder and consume less, presumably while the parasites loafed harder and ate more. He also referred to another banker’s statement that people without homes would not. quarrel with their leaders. If, said Mr Semple, mankind had been so cowardly as to have yielded to the tyranny of the ages, there would have been no progress. It was man’s courage and determination that had brought civilisation to the position U held to-day. He went on to criticise Britain’s expenditure. Sixty-three per cent of the Na-

tional debt was incurred for war and preparations for slaughter, while only -j per cent went to old age pensions and 6 per cent to education. Mr Semple, who was listened to closely and frequently applauded, closed with an

exhortation to those present to support the representative of the Labour Party in Manawatu as the only party offering a better and brighter condition of things to the people. There were no questions, and on Mr Whibley’s motion, seconded by Mr

Averill, a vote of thanks was passed to Mr Semple. Mr Whlbley, as the candidate for Manawatu, added his personal thanks to Mr Semple for his as ststance.

l*l** wmUL.tr AT WERAROA. Mr F. Wihibley, the Labour candidate lor Manawatu, addressed a meeting of about. 100 electors- at Weraroa. on Friday. Air J. H. Taylor presided- Mr Whlbley spoke on the lines of his addresses in other centres, and gave a- good interpretation of the La-bour-platform. The meeting gave him a most cordial hearing, and he was frequently applauded. After answering two nr three questions, a unanimous vote of thanks was accorded the candidate amidst applause. Mr Whibley speaks in Levin next Thursday evening.