IN PEACE & WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 September 1943, Page 3

IN PEACE & WAR

LABOUR GOVERNMENT’S RECORD OUTLINE BY PRIME MINISTER. ADDRESS IN MASTERTON LAST NIGHT. A unanimous vote of thanks to the lion P. Fraser, Prime Minister, for his address and of confidence in the Labour Government was passed last night, when an attendance of about 300 elector's weathered the drenching rain to hear Mr Fraser in the State Theatre, Masterton. The Mayor, Mr T. Jordan, presided and also on the platform was Mr J. Robertson, Labour candidate for the Masterton seat.

Mr Fraser, who was greeted with applause and the singing of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” received an at- 1 tentive hearing throughout, without any interjections. After stating that the Labour Government appeared before the electors asking for an endorsement of its peace and war policy, Mr Fraser spoke of the efforts he had made to achieve political unity for the war period, which had ultimately led to the setting up of the War Administration and of how, following a proposal for a compromise to settle the Waikato mine stoppage, Mr Holland and subsequently other Opposition members had left the Administration and with them, all hope of unity had vanished. Now, said Mr Fraser, Mr Holland said that if the National Party were returned to office it would take the'best men of all parties and form a National Government. How could they do that, unless they accepted the democratic principle of majority rule? he asked. .To talk about a National Government at the present time, after what had happened, was to talk about something that was unattainable. CONDITIONS AFTER 1935, Mr' Fraser, referring to the conditions that prevailed when Labour came into office in 1935, said the Labour Government did not blame the National Government for the depression, but it did say that it had done the wrong thing. Instead of providing more work it had offered less work. He indicated how, under the Labour administration, unemployment had practically ceased in 1939 and spoke about the steps taken by the Labour Government to increase wages and provide work. He quoted figures to show the expansion of factories and increases in wagesi and salaries and in aggregate private incomes. Wages and salaries had gone up 2| times during Labour’s administration, and even after all taxes had been made, the people had nearly double the Incomes that they had had prior to Labour coming into office. It was advisable in the interests of everyone that as much as posisble should be saved and loaned to the war effort. He thanked those in the Masterton and the Wairarapa district who had helped in the raising of the Third Liberty Loan and those who had responded to patriotic appeals and had entertained visiting service men. What was, he said, convincing proof of the general well-being of the people under Labour’s administration was the fact that the people’s savings had nearly doubled during Labour’s term of office. EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES. Mr Fraser detailed what had been achieved in educational progress. He was certain, he said, that some of his predecessors had not known the conditions that had existed in some of the schools. Labour’s expenditure on education had been justified and in three years it had been nearly doubled. He did not believe money was ever spent to better purpose, though there was still a great deal to be done. When they saw the splendid Wairarapa College —a combination of technical and academic teaching facilities —they realised that the money had been spent in the right direction. Referring to the benefits of the milk in schools scheme, he stated that a pasteurising and bottling plant was to be set up in the Wairarapa to serve the children of the district. The scheme had been justified a hundred fold and the apples in schools scheme had also proved so beneficial that it would be retained. He ..spoke of the developments in the school dental service since Labour had taken office. HOUSING & PUBLIC WORKS. The Prime Minister said that during Labour’s term of office 16,000 State houses, besides quite a large number of others, had been erected. In six years of National Government, 13,000 permits for dwellings had been issued and in six years of Labour Government, 38,000 permits for dwellings. The most outstanding feature of the National Party’s manifesto was that they were promising things that had already been done. Mr Fraser said that 5,400 loans had been granted on the same or on a better basis than the National Party proposed. There was never a more enlightened Public Works policy than that of Labour and when war broke out the Department’s up-to-date machinery was sent overseas for urgent war work. There was, he said, no better indication of secure, solid and stable government than the amount the people invested in the industrial plants of the country. During Labour’s term of office that amount had gone up from £67,000,000 to £87,000,000. Labour’s point of view was not that industries should be concentrated in the cities but was that they should be spread all over the country, because, after all, they had to have a balanced economy. There would be an industrial survey for the purpose of seeing where industries could be properly and efficiently established. INCREASED PRODUCTION. Passing on to increased production, Mr Fraser said great tributes had been paid to the high efficiency of the New Zealand worker. He quoted figures to show how primary production had increased and referred to the great expansion in the of fertilisers, in spite of losses of the source of supplies through the war. The quantity of machinery on farms had also increased and that showed, he said, that not only had production gone up but prosperity had increased also. The farming community deserved great credit for the way it had carried on under difficult conditions. The whole question of manpower vzas under consideration at present and what could be done to strengthen industry, both primary and

secondary, with manpower would be done. Subsidies were paid in respect to farm produce, for the purpose of keeping down the cost of living. The policy adopted of using subsidies, he said, was a better one than allowing prices to go up because of mounting’ costs. The burden was spread over the whole community. SOCIAL SECURITY. After paying a glowing tribute to the work of President Roosevelt, Mr Fraser referred to the attention which New Zealand’s Social Security scheme had attracted overseas and to the opposition which had been raised to the scheme by the National Party. In 1938, he stated, the Opposition said they would not, if elected, put the scheme into operation, but at this election they said they would not interfere with it. He said that in 1933 the National Government had illegally gone back five weeks and had reduced pensions on r April 1 instead of May 10. This year, the Labour Government announced that it intended to increase war pensions and certain Social Security benefits and gave the increases two months earlier than it was possible to get legislative sanction. That was the difference in outlook of the two parties. Mr Fraser indicated the increased and new benefits which the Labour Government had introduced. The number of those who received benefits under the Social Security had increased three times. They had arrived at the time when health centres and health clinics must be established and they were asking for the co-operation of the medical profession for that extension. FINANCIAL MEASURES. Labour, said Mr Fraser, had produced the best Minister of Finance the country had ever had and every Labour Budget had shown a surplus. The Labour Government had taken control of the credit of the country. Under war legislation, all the banking institu-’ tions were under the control of the Government for the war period. Labour, when the time was opportune, would not hesitate to use the credit of the country for New Zealand’s benefit. Labour did not want inflation or deflation, but stabilisation. REPATRIATION PROPOSALS. Referring to the Servicemen’s Settlement and Land Sales Bill, Mr Fraser said no home would be taken under the Act unless the owner wished to sell • it. If the Government had not passed that Bill it would have been a party to allowing speculating people to put their hands into the pockets of the soldiers. He and his colleagues, he said, would rather go out of office a thousand times than betray the men who had fought for their country. The motion of thanks and confidence was moved by Mr K. Welch and sebonded by Mrs Scott.