“GHOST WALKING”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 October 1940, Page 6

“GHOST WALKING”

DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTV

MR J. A. LEE OUTLINE’S POLICY.

ADDRESS IN MASTERTON LAST NIGHT.

An attentive hearing was accorded Mr J. A. Lee, M.P., when he addressed an audience that almost filled the Masterton Opera House last night. Mr Lee, who dealt with the policy of the Democratic Labour Party and referred to his expulsion from the Labour Party, was accorded a vote of thanks for his able address and confidence was expressed in him and in the party he represented. The motion was declared carried by the chairman, Councillor W. White, Deputy-Mayor. Mrs Lee also briefly addressed the gathering. Referring to previous occasions on which he had spoken in Masterton, Mr Lee said he had taken quite an important part in 1935 in helping to win the Masterton seat for Labour, when Mr Robertson was ill. He went on to state that he had been expelled from the Labour Party for telling the truth and fighting for the policy for which the Labour Party had been elected to power. Within a month of his expulsion “the ghost started to walk.” The first branch of the Democratic Labour Party was formed in May last year and now there were 63 branches. The formation conference would be held at the end of this month in Wellington. The new party which had been formed, he said, and which would make its presence felt, stood for a policy absolutely in the interests of this country. No one had been able to point out any occasion on which he had voted against anything for which he had been elected. Referring to events leading up to his expulsion, Mr Lee said he believed it was the duty of a member to be loyal to the people who had elected him. He did not believe in a political “fuehrer,” whoever he might be, who refused to carry out the policy on which his party was elected. He had not the slightest doubt that the Democratic Labour Party would exercise a big influence on the future political life of this country. A PREDICTED SPLIT. Mr Lee said his party was going to split the Labour Party and Fraser was going to get the chip and the Democratic Labour Party the log. It would split the other party as well. On the subject of “the slumps that invariably followed war,” Mr Lee emphasised the permanent unemployment that resulted in an age that could produce abundance, because the democratic statesmen and people refused to face up to their responsibilities to make the abundance that was possible reach the people under standards of human comfort. Unless they could have humanitarian politics, wedded to the scientific technique of modern production, they could not get any progress. They had to build on the right foundations. He did not deny that the Labour Party had done some magnificent things. In 1938 the Labour Party, pledged to control, for the second time, barfleing and finance and to free the business man, farmer and the community from the shackles and burden of debt, but the party had refused to carry this out. The Democratic Labour Party was against the tendency that produced Fascism in New Zealand aswell as anywhere else. Referring to the Government’s policy. Mr Lee said they lived in a time when they wanted active development in the building of industry. In four years the Labour Party had advanced £50,000 for the development of new industry and in the same period £40,000,000 for public works. If new industry had been developed as it should have been, they would have been assured a higher standard of income. The Democrti’c Labour Party’s policy was a homemade one—it said the standard of life could be greater, the standard of culture could-be greater and industries more abundant. BANKING & INDUSTRY. The Labour Party, he said, had a good policy, one he had believed in and one which he had helped to create. He still believed in the policy on which the Labour Party had been elected, but which' it did not carry out. He wanted to see a State-owned Bank of New Zealand and that bank develop a stock and station department so that farmers might receive a lower scale of charges all the time. If they built on a money system that was the master of industry storms would come and the whole structure would fall. The Democratic Labour Party wanted to get Complete sovereign power over the present banking and finance industry. They wanted a pound that would always represent the same amount of purchasing value. At present there was no stability of purchasing power in their' currency unit. If debt increased three, times as fast as production, Mr Lee asked, what was going to be the final result? New Zealand would be crucified on a cross of private finance. The public debt for New Zealand had increased since 1891 by £288,000,000. The cost of the Maori War, £77,000, had still not been paid, though until 1939 £278,000 had been paid in simple interest on it. A sum of £13.600,000 of their taxation last year was for'interest charges. Referring to local body finance, Mr Lee said that in Auckland 17s 3ld in £1 out of ordinary rate went in interest charges. When depression occurred, the toiler must walk the streets and the people must suffer. This bond of debt was sacred. Making some reference to motherhood endowment payments, Mr Lee said the Democratic Labour Party believed that, regardless of the income of the parents, the endowment should be paid to all. The system of age benefits should also be altered. Social security should be given effect to in its entirety; the people were entitled to receive what they were billed for. The Democratic Party was inspired to build a greater and grander New Zealand. He asked his audience and others to interest themselves in things political. The democracy for which they fought was worth while, but it must be made real. The Democratic Labour Party would not be dominated by a few bosses. He expressed his thanks for the splendid attendance and for the very kindly reception the audience had given to the party. Replying to a question. Mr Les said he had not at any time said he would repudiate debt. Mrs Lee said it was a woman’s business to be interested in the government of her country. It was pleasing to see the largo number of young people who were paying attention to what was being said by the Democratic Labour Party. They dare not allow democracy to fail in this land of theirs. There were things she believed that women could do better than men could do in

the political world. Human welfare could only be obtained by an alert, informed mind in an informed democracy. That banner must be carried forward.