MODERATE LABOR AND POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 October 1919, Page 6

MODERATE LABOR AND POLITICS.

SPEECH BY MR. VEITCH. Maslcrton, Sept. 28. The political situation from the moderate Labor viewpoint was the subject of an address by Mr. W. A. Veitch', M.P., in the Municipal Hall to-night. Mr. .!. M. Coradine presided over a fairly large and attentive audience. Mr. Veitch dealt at length with' the preferential tariil'. He instances Australian tariffs as most detrimental to New Zealand industries in that they favored English markets only. Unless they could guarantee industrial peace the industries would have a very poor chance. The country's debt at present stood at £rlW per head, and that would require hard work to remove. Any Government which did not impose the duties of true citizenship on the population was not carrying out its own duty. It was time they set up in this | country an entirely new line of thought. He would not suggest that the Arbitration Court should be done away with, because it was most, necessary. What was wanted was the banishment of the idea that there was nothing in common between Capital and Labor, a doctrine that was being preached the world over. They heard the employer speak of his labor and his bricks costing more. That was an example of the idea of labor being regarded merely as a commodity. The employer placed his labor on the same footing as his bricks. He (the speaker) believed that the old system of workers' guilds was the only solution of the labor problem. Under that system the workers would have a, direct interest in the industries of New Zealand. Mr. Veitch also touched on a national insurance scheme, the Workers' Compensation Act, and the coal shortage. The speaker said that the position of the coal supply was that they were short of a thousand miners, and this could be easily remedied, by a scheme of house-building, because the miners would either buy or rent the dwellings at a fair price. While he was not in favor of the nationalisation of everything he did favor the idea being applied to the mines. A very serious house shortage while tho war was on had been accentuated since the return of the men from abroad, ft was absolutely necessary for the Government to enter on a comprehensive building scheme. He had always been a strong opponent of the present Government, but he would give them credit for having promised to (leal with the question. The conscription issue was the reason of the speaker's severance from the Labor Party. He would not be forced by any party to support what he believed to be contrary to the welfare of the country. He Would continue to stand for the course lie had taken. He had condemned the party system, which, lie had contended, allowed one man—the leader—to rule the country. Proportional representation was a necessary electoral reform. A State bank was a necessary institution which should have been created long ago. Mr. Veitch concluded with a reference to the needs of education, transport reform, and land aggregation. A vote of thanks to the speaker concluded the meeting.