FAITHFUL TO PARTY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 961, 2 May 1930, Page 10

FAITHFUL TO PARTY

MR. BLOODWORTH SCOUTS INDEPENDENT IDEA LABOUR MEMBERS NOT TIED Claiming that only through his association with the Labour Party, and because of his belief in its policy, had he attained his present position in public life in Auckland, Mr. T. .Bloodworth, Labour candidate l'or the Parnell seat, last evening deprecated the suggestion he should have contested the by-election as an Independent. The candidate addressed a largely attended meeting, presided over by Mrs. E. W. Moore, at the Meadowbank School, and his interests were supported by Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., and Mr. Walter Nash, M.P. - “I could not be an Independent,” declared Mr. Bloodworth, ‘‘because I could not support the policy of any party other than Labour.” Tie contended there was no place for Independents in Parliament, and supported his assertion by pointing to the Hon. W. Downie Stewart and Mr. R. A. Wright, both of whom had been originally elected as Independents, but who, subsequently, had thrown in their lot with Reform. He maintained that not only should the personal records of the candidates be weighed up, but they should also be judged by the principles and practices of their parties. Reference was made by Mr. Bloodworth to Reform’s policy enunciated in 1914, the principles of which the latest manifesto declared the party vas still seeking to apply, but had not succeeded in doing it, although it had been 16 years in power. One principle was that people should receive a fair share of increased community created wealth, but this had not been carried out, Mr. Bloodworth said, in pointing to the fact that, although the Dominion’s v.; ilth had increased, the Arbitration Court had fixed the minimum wage to give the workers the 1914 standard of living. The Reform Government’s failure to undertake national dev .’opment had resulted in eight years’ depression. He proceeded to quote figures showing how the Reform Administration had failed to undertake land settlement of undeveloped lands, and so permanently to reduce unemployment. He applied to the two parties the dictum of the old philosopher, “If a man deceive you once, shame on him; if a man deceive you twice, shame on you,” and declared that both Reform and United had deceived the people of New Zealand. Mr. Bloodworth proceeded to answer the Reform candidate’s suggestion that Labour’s policy would stifle private enterprise and the energies of the nation. In refuting this suggestion, he pointed to the Auckland Power Board as a striking example of the socialisation of industry. The distribution of power was carried on by public enterprise. • He declared it was not the Labour Party the people had to be afraid of, but a continuation of the policy of the past and present Governments. “There is no party in this Dominion, or out of it, whose members have greater freedom of opinion,” declared Mr. Walter Nash, who supported Mr. Bloodworth. He said that the Labour candidate pledged himself to vote for the policy the party advocated, and at no time was a member of the party —outside of the policy—coerced on the way he wished to vote. “The statements that members of the Labour Party are tied and bound is deceiving every elector,” he said. Replying to a questioner. Mr. Bloodworth said he believed in equal pay for equal work, and he also upheld the principle of better pay for better work. Mr. Bloodworth said he did not think it a proper practice for typed questions to be brought to a meeting. and he considered that only questions arising from his speech should be put. “I don’t think it is quite playing cricket for other parties to send along questions typed in their offices,” he added. A vote of thanks was accorded the candidate.