LABOUR CANDIDATE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 September 1938, Page 8

LABOUR CANDIDATE

MR J. ROBERTSON ADDRESSES ELECTORS MEETING IN OPERA HOUSE LAST NIGHT “ISSUES CLEAR AND PLAIN” “The issues at the coming election are clear and plain,” declared Mr J. Robertson, Labour Party candidate for the Masterton seat, in an address in the Opera House last night. “We have a record of something accomplished, something done,” he added, “and we are prepared to go before a jury of the people and be judged on our deeds.” The Mayor, Mi’ T. Jordan, presided, and there was a large attendance. Mr Robertson was given a most attentive hearing throughout and there was an entire absence of anything in the nature of heckling. At the conclusion of his address he was loudly applauded and a motion was passed thanking him for his address and expressing confidence in him as the Labour candidate. Three cheers were also given for a “Labour victory in Masterton.”

Observing that the “fight is now on,” Mr Jordan appealed to the electorate to uphold the prestige of the district for good conduct and courtesy. There should be no aftermath of emnity, illfeeling or heat. Audiences should listen carefully, and allow others to listen also.

Mr Robertson said he had been a comparative stranger when he came before the electors three years ago carrying the message of Labour to the people of New Zealand, and in particular to the electors of Masterton. The result of that message had been am overwhelming victory for Labour at the polls. Labour’s aims and objects

had been placed before the people at a time when they. were looking for some way out of the evils that had overtaken them during the depression. PROMISES KEPT It had been freely stated that Labour had been elected on premises it had later failed to keep. No mention whatsoever had been made last election in the twelve points of Labour’s platform of a reduction in taxation. Labour had not only carried out the programme it had put before the people, but it had carried out the whole of its programme (applause). After dealing with the twelve points of Labour’s platform at last election, and stating in each case that effect had been given to the programme, Mr Robertson said then when he was elected there were about 305 registered unemployed men on Scheme No 5 in Masterton receiving just about enough to keep body and soul together. The able-bodied men now unemployed in Masterton could be counted on one hand. The thanks of the Unemployment Department were due to the Mayor and the Borough Council for their co-operation in finding work for men. It had been part of the policy of the Government to find work for seasonal workers. POVERTY TO PROSPERITY Since Labour took office a tremendous change had come over New Zealand, a change from poverty to prosperity. Viewed from every angle the same story was to be told. Production had increased amazingly, the standard of living had improved, wages had gone up, business firms were busier and right throughout New Zealand there were definite changes in the outlook and prosperity of the people as a whole. Every class of people who assisted to create wealth and commodities had benefited by the Labour Government. It had been said that the increased wages had been cancelled out by the increased cost of living. Commodities had certainly increased in price from the bankrupt levels of the depression days. Quite obviously they could not raise the price of the farmers’ produce without increasing the price of commodities. At the same time the income of the people had been kept ahead of the growth of the cost of living. The index figure for wages had increased since 1935 by 24 per cent, while the rise in the cost of living for the same period amounted to 12). per cent, which meant a net gain of Hi per cent in purchasing power. Low prices did not mean much to people without the money to buy the goods. In 1933 the total wage bill of the Dominion was £57 millions, and in April of this year it was £lOO millions, an increase of 75 per cent in the volume of wages. “PILED UP INDEBTEDNESS” After dealing at some length with Press criticism of Labour administration, Mr Robertson said the previous Government had borrowed hand over foot to pay the interest on the debts they had incurred. They had piled up indebtedness and had failed to pay tneir way year after year. “They call us spendthrifts,”, he said, “but their policy was to borrow, boom and bust. And yet they are the people who are asking you to put them back again. From the words of their own Finance Minister (the Hon W. Downie Stewart) we can condemn their financial policy and find justification for ours.” Overseas borrowing had ceased under the Labour Government. The National Government had £4O millions accumulated in London, frozen capital, while industry in New Zealand was at a standstill for lack of capital. Yet those people had the effrontry to say that Labour had embarked on a policy of reckless finance. Socialism had been a bogey in New Zealand for the past fifty years, but the people would not be fooled by it at this election. The record of Labour’s deeds could not be attacked or disputed. All they wanted to do was to put up their record and let the people be a jury to decide the issue. They did not want to look back, as Mr O. C. Mazengarb had said, to “the days of Seddcn and Liberalism, “but to look forward to another golden age of prosperity. Mr Robertson went on to dis-

cuss statements to the effect that Labour was controlled by the Trade Unions and to contrast what had been said in the Press along the same lines in the ’9o’s. In spite of what was said at that time the people kept putting the Government back, and he believed that they would put Labour back this year. PRIVATE ENTERPRISE. Labour had taken no steps to regulate private enterprise except in cases where the people engaged in private enterprise reguested action. There was no Government in the world but had to legislate along the lines of what Labour’s opponents called Socialism, which meant the regulation of private enterprise. Labour had been criticised for not giving tenants of State houses a chance of owning them. It was true that they were building State houses, but they were also advancing more money to persons to build their own homes, than had been done by any other Government in the past. For 1937-38 the number of State Advances for houses had increased by 1992 as compared with the 1934-35 figures. They were told that Labour, by its taxation, was imposing a crushing burden on the people and the country, but, in spite of that, business appeared to be thriving everywhere. It was not the aggregate amount of taxation that counted, but the capacity of the people to pay it. Judged on that basis we were more lightly taxed now than under the previous Government. The National Government had followed the old ormodox method of treating the patient. It had bled it until it was white. Then Labour came along and infused fresh blood into it by way of increased spending power, with the result that prosperity came again. Post Office Savings Bank deposits had increased by £l4 millions since Labour took office. In Masterton the total deposits amounted to £188,329, which was an answer to those who said that the cost of living had cancelled out the increases in wages. MASTERTOL- PENSIONERS Masterton had benefited by the Government’s pensions scheme. When he took office there were 625 pensioners in the whole electorate. Today there were 1162. Of these 320 were in receipt of the new Invalidity Pension. After referring to statements made by Mr Mazengarb in his recent Masterton address and dealing with “Socialism” and “Freedom,".Mr Robertson went on to give an account of his stewardship since elected. He claimed that right through the district there were a tremendous number of activities being carried out, showing that Masterton was moving towards progress and development. Referring to the Rimutaka tunnel and statements made in that connection by Mr J. F. Thompson, Mr Robertson said the National Government had the machinery and the men to do the job, but lacked the courage and the brains. SOCIAL SECURITY. “Think hard before you scrap the social security scheme,” observed Mr Robertson, who added: “It is the cheapest and most economical insurance that has been drawn up by any Government in any part of the world. The scheme is financially sound, but if our ■'pponents go back they will wreck it. As sure as I am on this platform I believe that if the Nationalists go back there will be another depression."