Mr Holyoake Confident Of Victory In Election

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28447, 29 November 1957, Page 14

Mr Holyoake Confident Of Victory In Election

(From Our Own Reporter)

PALMERSTON NORTH, Nov. 28. At the end of an election campaign which has taken him 1800 miles by road, as well as some thousands of miles by air, the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) expressed himself this afternoon as being "quietly confident” of the result. “I think it is wrong to say that this election will be decided by any one issue,” he said to a question. “The Labour Party may talk about the balance turning upon their income-tax rebate offer, but I believe that the people of New Zealand have a much wider and deeper interest in the affairs of their country than that. “There is no one election issue, but there are the basic ones of good government and good administration. the progress and expansion of the country, and the raising of living standards for all. These things, and not any one narrow issue, will decide the election.” Mr Holyoake. who was examining a mass of information in preparation for his speech tonight, and who will drive the 100 miles to Wellington to prepare and record his radin address before returning to Dannevirke for his final election speech tomorrow night, appeared relaxed and fresh. He good-humouredly brushed aside questions on thip difficulties and strains of the campaign. “Occupational Hazard” “After all,” he said, “in an election campaign you have to take difficulties in your stride—that is one of the occupational hazards of being a politician.” He admitted, however, that this, his tenth campaign, had been more strenuous than any of the others, mainly because as party leader he had more responsibilities than before. The need to carry on the affairs of the country at the same time as fighting an election campaign called for close concentration on a variety of subjects, he said. “It has been nip and tuck at times,” he said with a smile, running his hand through his hair in a characteristic gesture, “but you can never quite divorce the two jobs of Prime Minister and party leader.” His speech at Palmerston North tonight will be thirtieth of the campaign. Asked whether the amount of noise at some of his meetings suggested that this opposition had been organised, Mr Holyoake said: “There is obviously some organisation, but I would not like to say who is responsible. I noted several of the same people at the Napier and Hastings meetings, and there were 200 people at the Wellington meeting in one block of seats.” The interruptions had taken some toll of his voice, he said. “Where you have constant noise, and you cannot pick out one bona fide interjection or question, your only recourse is to shout louder,”

■ he said. “I am afraid my voice - has taken a bit of a thrashing.” ) Referring to the Auckland ’ meeting, he said that no fewer ? than 200 persons were making a > noise, yelling and shouting coni tinuously. "I could not hear a ? word or a question at any time — just noise,” he said. 1 Highlight of Campaign r When asked later, however, what he would regard as the ' highlight of the campaign, he un- ’ hesitatingly nominated the meet- ' ing in Auckland. “It was really ? a great experience,” he said. J “The noise and the cheering and 5 counter-cheering made it live. ■ The audience s reaction was ter- ’ rific, and that stimulates a man, 1 you know.” Mr Holyoake bases his confidence on the demonstrated ? strength of the local organisations, * and on the fact that, though his - meetings have been lively, they have consistently drawn bigger audiences than those of Mr Nash. Generally Mr Holyoake has drawn 200 to 300 more listeners ” than Mr Nash, and occasionally s double. “If attendances are the answer —and I am not entirely sure they 5 are—this fact should make for 7 confidence,” he said. • Mr Holyoake said he was quite 1 satisfied with the reporting of the s election, though he had not had time to take more than a hasty glance at the local papers as he i moved from town to town. -> Asked when, if returned to _ power, the National Government 1 would implement the points of its policy announced at the start of . the election, Mr Holyoake said 7 ’ that they would all be brought e forward as quickly as practicable. / Means Test Abolition “Abolition of the means test at j the age of 65 will, I hope, be made - applicable from December 1,” he 5 said. “This may reouire some r retrospective payment. I am y told that the work entailed in this may take some months, so we t cannot be quite sure yet. “But one thing we are sure of: r the abolition of the means test, t and the merging of age benefit s and universal superannuation, 1 will take place next year at the latest.” 1 Some of the other policy planks, 2 he added, would operate automatically. The £25 grant towards f the cost of sending children to - secondary schools would be in i force from February, when : schools resumed. As Mr Holyoake finished his in3 terview and reached for the j papers which contained the mae terial for his evening speech and >. his morning broadcast recording, e the raucous noise of a rivetting < hammer cut through the quiet of the building. Alterations were i proceeding on the next floor of 1. the hotel. •, “Well, well,” said Mr Holyoake, a “I expected something like this r this evening—but they're five ” hours eprly.”