REAL ISSUE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 October 1938, Page 9

REAL ISSUE

SOCIALISM VERSUS PRIVATE ENTERPRISE. MR J. F. THOMPSON’S MEETINGS. Mr J. F. Thompson, National Party candidate for the Wairarapa seat ,has had good receptions at meetings in the Upper Hutt district this week. His meeting at Trentham on Thursday afternoon was very well attended. He said Labour speakers had put over in the election battle a barrage of different issues as a smoke screen against the real issue, which was Socialism v private enterprise. New Zealanders, living as they did in a sparsely populated country, were by temperament individualists and would not stand for regimentation and State domination. One word crystallised the National Party’s objective and that word was “Freedom.” Mr Thompson was loudly applauded at the conclusion of his address and a hearty vote of thanks was carried. The candidate addressed a well-at-tended meeting at Silverstream in the evening, and although there were some interjections from a small section of the audience Mr Thompson received a splendid reception. He vigorously urged the audience to halt the march toward supremacy of State and subjection of the individual when they came to make New Zealand’s most momentous decision on election day. Capital under the Socialist Government had been frightened from industry. Unemployed labour and unemployed capital meant stagnation to our country. At the conclusion of the address a supporter of the Labour Party, before asking a question, congratulated Mr Thompson on the gentlemanly and fair manner in which he had delivered his speech. A vote of thanks and appreciation to the speaker was carried with acclamation.