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Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 October 1938, Page 7

1 : CON' i ADDRESt L SMALL IT (“Times-. “I am convince can only go forwa greater developme years if the Govern faith in and not fear clared Mr Ben Robd date for the WairL. when commending th. Labour Party to an am 400 in the King’s ’Thek last night. Mr Roberts •. as the health camps had L memorial to the late King■■ would the Social Security A< on the Statute Book by the Government be one of the best orials to commemorate a centra progress in the Dominion.

Mr Roberts dealt for two hours with Labour’s achievements and contrasted them with the administration of the National Government and the policy of the National Party. During that period applause endorsing his remarks was heard. When it came to question time, however, it was a different story. A small but persistent section of the audience directed a barrage of questions at him and when .the meeting became restive, the Mayor,'Mr D. L. Taverner, applied the “closure.” A vote of thanks to Mr Roberts for his address was obviously carried by a majority, but the hostile section voting against the motion made a surprising amount of noise. Mr Roberts said that prior to last election, nrooaganda and expressions heard were all to/.he effect that Labour was not fit to govern the country, that it had no legislative ability and that the party contained”no men capable of holding portfolios necessary for the legislative and administrative work of the country. During the last three years, however, Labour had justified itself and in a much more accurate fashion than ever before. By means of the radio, the peonle had been able to judge whether Labour members had debating, legislative or administrative ability comnarable with that shown by members of the Opposition. Broadcasts from Parliament had resulted in an awakening of the political -consciousness of the people.

PROGRAMME CARRIED OUT. After paying a tribute to members of the Labour Cabinet, Mr Roberts said it had been a long time since .any Government had been able to come before the electors and show that the twelve planks in its platform had been carried out in their entirety. The previous Government had dallied with the position during the depression and did not implement anything to alleviate unemployment or bring the people from poverty to prosperity. He was satisfied that the electors would be only too pleased to send Labour back to finish the job. Labour had restored salary and wage cuts, overcome unemployment, business men were more prosperous than ever before, factories were working at high speed and the country was in a wonderful state as compared with three years ago. The National Government had cut pensions. Labour had doubled them and had taken care of invalids to the tune of about £900,000. Secondary industries had been speeded up, a search for oil instituted, coal and iron industries developed, mortgages adjusted to the extent of about £4 millions, education attended to, training Colleges opened and great improvements effected to school buildings. And Labour had now completed the final plank in its platform, the National Health and Insurance Scheme. •CURRENCY AND CREDIT. Dealing with the control of currency and credit and the Reserve Bank, Mr Roberts said it had been a fight against the orthodox metb.ods of finance of the previous Government. Labour believed that the people of the New Zealand were the most important factor in the country and that the Reserve Bank should not be used to plunge people into poverty. Labour’s financial policy was not being used, as propaganda by the Opposition at this election. “‘The things they are frightening you with this time,” he said, “will be dissipated next election when they will have another set of political bogies. It is for you to decide where sincerity and honesty of political purpose lies today. Anything done by the National Government in the last year of its office was unconstitutional and undemocratic. Labour was democratic in all its legislation. We could have taken a fourth year but the Prime Minister remained true to his promise.” After touching on the Government’s housing scheme, Mr Roberts referred to the National Party proposal to give couples a loan of £lOO to buy furniture with. Labour would give them enough money in salaries and wages to enable them to buy their own furniture without getting into debt over it. “VOTED OLD GANG OUT.” The people might not have deliberately voted Labour into office last election but they certainly did deliberately vote the “old gang” out. Votes for the Democrats last time would this election go to Labour. It was silly and futile to try to fight the election on a basis of socialism versus private enterprise. A Government that did not take steps to safeguard its people against the ravages of a monopoly or a financial trust during a depression was not worthy of holding office. Discussing increased costs, Mr Roberts said that when a farmer was getting more for every 1001 b. he sent to the factory he was not surely going to adopt a “dog-in-the-manger” attitude because the factory worker received an increased wage. Labour would be returned to office because the National Party would have to reap the harvest of what they imposed on the people for five years. Labour could not be blamed for any shortage of farm labour. It was taking steps to remedy the position the same as was being done with regard to a lack of skilled tradesmen. The whole of the industries of the Dominion had been forgotten in the stalemate during the regime of the National Government. WORK FOR THE WAIRARAPA. Mr Roberts went on to refer in detail to what he had accomplished in the interests of his electorate during his three years in office. Much still ref mained to be done, but no one could be expected to accomplish in three years what had been left undone for twenty years. He concluded his address by referring to aspects of Labour’s financial and other policies and directing some criticism against the policy and proposals of the National Party.