WAR ADMINISTRATION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1941, Page 7

WAR ADMINISTRATION

ADDRESS BY OPPOSITION LEADER

CRITICISM OF THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT.

PRODUCTION AND LIVING STANDARDS

ißy Telegraph—Press Association.' PALMERSTON N.. February 5. Approximately 1000 people welcomed lite Leader of the Opposition, Mr Hoik.nd. tonight at the Opera House when he gave an address. He was nce< '-ded a very friendly reception. He criticised the Labour administration, declaring that there were 100 many people directing the affairs of the Government, whose only success in life had been in the destruction of the success of others. The National Party’• success, he said, would be measured in terms of the number of people who would be able to make their own derisions without let or hindrance from i dictatorial Government. "We seek to become the Government because we are confident; indeed, we ire certain, that under a system of private enterprise, with the right the people to own their own homes, then own farms and factories, the people will enjoy not only a higher standard of living, bitt also a greater sense of personal happiness, prosperity and contentment.” Mr Holland said. “We believe that New Zealanders do better, they work harder, they are happiest and better off when they are most free from State dictation and interference.

ENTERPRISE COMPETITION. “Wo believe in the enterprise system under which thousands of farms and businesses and tens of thousands of workers are constantly striving to produce more goods and services cf better quality for human use or consumption. We believe in the competitive system and we believe in incentive as an urge to efficiency to progress

New Zealand has made phenomena! progress under private ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, but I sometimes wonder how much of the progress would have been accomplished if our pioneers had been surrounded with today’s rules and regulations and the import restrictions. the licensing system, th? mass of permits for this and that, the millions of forms that must be filled in. and the army of inspectors to be maintained.

"I know what the pioneers would have done with a Government that clogged up progress in that wav. and I confidently believe that the people will catch something of the spirit of the pioneers at the next election and vote accordingly, MONEY &. REALITIES. "Much has been said and written on living standards, but the general public are now beginning to realise that money .itself, docs not mean goods and has no value in itself." Mr Holland said. "The standard of living consists of the goods and services we need in our everyday lives. What we get out of life depends on what we pul into life, and so it, is with the standard of living. What goods and services we use and consume depend entirely on what goods and services tire first produced.

All production comes from human labour and no manipulation of the monetary system will lessen the amount of labour required to produce goods Obviously, if we take some 40.0 M) to 50,000 men out of production, then we cannot expect to have the same amount of goods available for our use and consumption The obvious cruise is to work longer and produce moix

I v. .Hu to say, with -al! the emphasis at my command, that the Nmiomd Party is determined to stand 100 per cent behind New Zeakmds war etf.-r: Then is nothing we can do that, we will not do There is no servin' we can rentier that will be withheld, but ‘t is not subversive to state that there is much more that New Zealand can still do. NEED OF GREATER EFFORT. 'Ail! anyone say we are giving !00 per cent war e!R>rt while we refuse to let si.wmdlers eut timber "ti yia:urdays for making soldiers' huts, uuless we pay them one and .. half <>r double tune for all overtime worked? Can .-•nyoiK- say we are playing the gam.- when our Government refuse.' to permit engineers to make farm m - phe i.’it- to enable tlie farmers to produce f ‘odsttitfs for the brave lample •>! Britain io eat, and to produce linen llax for building aeroplanes to defe>< < de. : . Id England ’ I believe Mr Fraser quite m eaine-.t when he -i ; at nothing else matters but winning the war. but it is equally true that his colleagues m C abmet are at die same tune g'oiu for th.m !,'■*- oriel.smg Nev, Z< :ilan I as f..'-l they possibly can TH. tv... latest exanq i. , s Misti-j tmn. soul Mi Holland, were the Small; Farms Bill and the Industrial ElTsci-' s '', deg ti I;ions i fie National Party had sti'oHgiV ojipo' rd them md st was j niiu fightmg to i.-A., n - personal lib'.’ -■rf- to the re, j,’,.-. f or , h( . nBh . >r tt.e people to Lve their own l.vesj :: tar.; rV .; : .mJ f . U! . ' ~nd their farms as tX|,e.a bureau i,belated.