NO MORE FREEDOM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 February 1939, Page 6

NO MORE FREEDOM

PEOPLE OF NEW ZEALAND PRISONERS 1 ACCORDING TO LEADER OF OPPOSITION. CONDEMNATION OF LABOUR POLICY. (By Telegraoh—Tress Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. “People is New Zealand are prisoners in their own country. Eyen their own money is locked up. Mr Nash is the warder and Mr Savage the gaoler. The old cry of ‘freedom under the Union Jack,’ does not mean anything in New Zealand today.”—This was the picture painted by the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon A. Hamilton, in an interview when he arrived from the south this morning. “The people of this country do not realise the seriousness of the import and export restrictions.” declared Mr Hamilton. “The real effect is that we are prisoners. If a New Zealand citizen today wants to take a holiday overseas, he has got to apply to the Government for a permit, and the Government will then decide how much of his own money he can take out of the country—Unless the man has money overseas. The old cry of freedom under the Union Jack did not mean anything in New Zealand today continued Mr Hamilton. The policy being pursued by the present Government was bound to bring its reactions. Already we had severe reactions in the form of these drastic, restrictive quotas. A brief reference was made by Mr Hamilton to the Social Security Act. There was little now that the National Party could do, he said. They had fought it tooth and nail during its passage through the House. All that was known at present was that the Government did not propose to operate the free' medical provisions of the Actin the meantime. That would mean a saving of two or three million pounds a year, but the whole tax was going on. The proposed importation from overseas of 1000 artisans indicated that the Government was not usefully providing for all New Zealand's own artisans, said Mr Hamilton. There must be plenty of men available. Many of them who were employed on public works were not prepared to leave their jobs to take a chance in the building trade. “I have noticed that the Government has been commended by some business men on its decision to review anomalies in land and income tax,” continued Mr Hamilton. “I am convinced that when the Act is reviewed, people will not be too happy about it. They will get a big surprise, for the review of anomalies is almost certain to mean increases."_______