GENERAL ELECTION

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28435, 15 November 1957, Page 16

GENERAL ELECTION

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAYS

Mr McAlpine At Hornby

“McAlpine is unthinkable,” remarked a railways magazine on his appointment as Minister of Railways three years ago, but since, the same people who had been responsible for the remark, had given their full co-operation to a Tory to improve the organisation, said Mr J. K. McAlpine, National candidate for Sclwyn, in an election address in the Orange Hall, Hornby, last evening. Three years ago the railways were in a random state. First, because it was his job; and second, because the railways had a great future, he had set about rehabilitation, Mr McAlpine said. Goodwill and co-operation of the railwaymen themselves had done the job and he paid a tribute to them. "The railways, make no mistake about it, are an absolutely essential part of our transportation system. If the railways folded our transportation would cease, in spite of changing times, aicraft and modern trucks.” In 1954 the railways had had practically nothing spent on them for 20 years. The feeling was that their days were numbered. "The fact is that they are now building up. Freight and passenger figures are higher every month and passenger journeys are going up at the rate of 1,000,000 a year,” he said. “On rail-car services increases are between 40 and 125 per cent.” Railway Wages The rail-car services between Christchurch and Westland had shown 120 per cent, increases in the first year. “Those passengers did not come out of the sky. They came from alternative transport mainly motor; from people who find it quicker, safer and cheaper to go by rail,” he said. A better type of recruit was, coming forward for the service. Young persons joining the service would have prospects of advancement better than ever before and many of them would be able to retire on more than £2OOO a year superannuation now that the £750 limit had been raised. Current suggestions that State house rents would be going up to £5 a week were dismissed as “sheer damn nonsense,” by Mr McAlpine. Rents would bo rising—but on an average of Ils a week. Some would be a little bit more, some less. It would depend on the type of house and its age. The Government had given lair notice of the increase to State house tenants and to the general public, who had to moot from taxes the deficiency. The rise would affect only the pro-1949 house rentals. The bulk of State houses (35.000) had been built since then and the other rents would be brought into parity with these. Issue in Election Mr McAlpine said there were many persons going around saying there were no issues in this election. He disagreed with that entirely. There was every reason to have a major issue. “We arc at the crossroads,” he said. The issue was whether people should stand on their own feet or lean on the State. The time was very much opportune for New Zealand to realise it was becoming more a part of the world as the years went by. New Zealand was also becoming more and more dependent on many parts of the world for the successful distribution of primary produce and the products of a rapidly-expanding secondary industry. The latter was becoming nearly as vitally important as the former. With the Dominion depending so much on this for its livelihood it was important that cost structures be kept down so New Zealand products would find a ready sale in overseas markets.

STATE HOUSES AT TIMARU

Mr Clyde Carr

Critical

(From Our Own Reporter) TIMARU, November 14.

‘‘The Government’s State housing figures for Timaru must have been purged and strictly vetted recently,” said Mr Clyde Carr. Labour Party candidate for Trmaru in an address at the West End hall before an audience of 22 this evening. Speaking of the housing sit.ua-. tion, Mr Carr said the list had shown 235 applicants for State houses in Timaru. 70 of them urgent. It had shown that five houses were being built and were nearly finished, tenders had been called for 15 and they were ready to start, 37 group houses had been built and sold, and there were 20 under construction. ‘‘l suppose that list of 235 applicants has been reduced to the 70 urgent cases now,” he said. ‘‘The Labour Party came to recognise its obligation to the nation in the matter of housing,” said Mr Carr. ‘‘We say that if the people are not adequately housed, then the Government should attend to it. After we went out in 1949 the housing programme kept up well for two years—only because the contracts we had let were being completed—but then it fell away and fell away. State Advances Finance “The Government has been telling us that the State houses have been running the State Advances Corporation into debt, but they haven’t been able to prove it—not even before the Public Accounts Committee. Mr Nash tells us that when we are the Government we will get those documents and if it is necessary we will raise the rents—but you may be sure we won’t raise them 25s all in one month. ‘‘Mr Holyoake has said that his Government found a lack of gymnasiums and assembly halls at" the schools because of the failure of the previous Government,” said Mr Carr. "I wouldn’t be able to say this in Parliament but 111 say it here. What a lie! An absolute downright lie. The people who stopped the building of gymnasiums and assembly halls for the schools was the present Government, Mr Algie will bear me out in that. “Mr Holyoake also said that the Socialists and their Socialism failed while the Labour Party was in power. New Zealand er orged from the depression under the Labour Government, we carried on through the war and Sir Winston Churchill said New Zoalan.' never put a foot wrong in the war. We didn’t allow inflation to arise after the war and we stabilised costs and the economy. Social Security Praised “The National Party fought the Social Security Bill through every stage. Mr Holland called it ‘applied lunacy* and said we were legislating for something that could not be paid for. It is going on today and they have extended it.” Mr Carr said he was opposed to nuclear tests. “The geneticists are agreed about fallout and its effects on the procreation of human kind. If I was living in 100 years time I wouldn’t like to be incapable of fullfilling my part as a man and I wouldn't want to be responsible for begetting a monster," he said.

“Anything can happen to the human race if these things are allowed to go on.” he said. “All that money would be better spent on the development of the Colombo Plan. We are told that communism thrives on empty bellies. It would be better for us to help those people in underdeveloped countries out of the position where they are inferior and into a place in the sun. Bettor that than to blow them to blazes with an atom bomb.”