GOVERNMENTS RECORD

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27340, 4 May 1954, Page 12

GOVERNMENTS RECORD

MRS G. H. RQSS SPEAKS AT CASHMERE

MR H. R. LAKE, M.P., ALSO GIVES ADDRESS

-The by New Zealand ♦eiSfeMJitSiS*” was the theme of an the Minister of Social Welfare <Mrs G. H. Ross) to a public meeting in the MaMrs Ross is visiting the South island as part of a campaign by the Government for Cabinet Ministers to address public meetings throughout the cpuur try, informing the people of the Gofrernmenfs record. She will address meetings at Oamaru, Timaru, and Ashburton before returning to Wellington on Friday. Mrs Ross listed election promises made by the National Party in 1949 and described how they had been fulfilled. She said the improved standard of living throughout New Zeeland was manifest in the greater variety of goods available for purchase and in a big increase in sales of household appliances. “Where the rooms of many homes had linoleum previously they now have wall-to-wall carpet. If owners of homes took stock of by how much their household effects have increased in the last five years, they would be amazed,” she said. Among examples given by Mrs Ross of the Government’s achievements were increased benefits, especially to aged beneficiaries, and progress in the building of schools. After introducing Mrs Ross the member of Parliament for Lyttelton (Mr H. R. Lake) spoke on improvements made on the waterfront, increases ip production, and improvements in housing during the Government’s period of office. Comparing the situation on the waterfront in 1954 with that in 1949, Mr Lake said the rate of work was up by 25 per cent.; there were 1000 fewer workers; there had been no stoppages since the strike in 1951; spelling and many restrictive practices had been eliminated; and there was a much quicker turn-round of ships. Mr Lake gave the following figures for the rate of work a net gang an hour on overseas ships for 1953 with those for 1949 in parenthesis: discharging tons, 15.78 (11.85); loading butterboxes, 996 (722); loading wool bales, 102 (80); loading cheese crates, 312 (271).

That the position of the waterfront worker had improved since 1949 was shown by an increase in the average weekly wage from £ll Is 2d in 1949, to £l5 17s 5d in 1953, he said. Wages, lost through stoppages had decreased from £64,902 in 1949, to £12,195 in 1953,

The waterfront worker had also benefited by the Government’s vigorous safety campaign, he said. Accidents to workers in 1949 totalled 2111 and in 1953, 1562. Days lost through accidents had decreased from 81,095 to 42 ? 154. Giving figures for increases in production in 1952-53 compared with 1948-49, Mr Lake said that production of wool was lip by 51,000,0001 b, butterfat 82.000.0001b. and meat by 46,000 tons. Livestock numbers and factory production had also shown a big increase. The value of output from factories showed an increase of £114.000,000 in 1952-53 compared with 1948-49.

“In housing, the Government has written a success story. New Zealand has built just on 50,000 houses in the last three years. The sale of State bouses, the repeal of land sales legislation, and the amendment of the Tenancy Act, have all eased the housing problem,” said Mr Lake.