PARLIAMENT DEBATE ON ADDRESS CONTINUED

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28937, 3 July 1959, Page 12

PARLIAMENT DEBATE ON ADDRESS CONTINUED

/■'.'V'lf.Q f A I I : I I National Members Attack Government’s Policy (Aeto Zsuiand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 2. . The feeling against the Government was nowhere more widespread than in the Public Service, Mr T. P. Shand (Opposition, Marlborough) said in the House of Representatives tonight during the Address-in-Reply debate. Asked if he had evidence to support that state* ment, Mr Shand said that was provided by the Cabinet itself which delayed reaehiny derisions, by the Prime Minister’s absence from his desk “junketing round the country on unimportant business at the expense of the country’s business,” and by the breach of an agreement with the State service organisations on a new ruling rates survey. Government members during today’s debate were mainly on the defensive, although the Post-master-General (Mr Moohan) declared the National Party was incapable of any constructive ideas on the important problems facing New Zealand. The National Party, he said, was playing a game of “narrowminded party politics.” The debate was interrupted by the adjournment at 10.30 pan. and win be continued when the House resumes at 9.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr W. B. Tennent (Opposition. Manawatu) said the Government’s policy was “stultifying” the country’s progress and was responsible for the “ugly head of unemployment being raised in the country.” Mr R. J. Tlzard (Government. Tamaki) described the Leader of the Opposition's no-confidence motion as a “gigantic confidence trick.”

Mr T. L A. Gotz (Opposition, Manukau) complained of “unfairness” in the application of the Government's system of im-

port control. “It seems they want a socialist stranglehold over all business in New Zealand,” he said. “Last year, I asked the Minister of Industries and Commerce if there was a barter agreement for the Import of glass from Czechoslovakia, and he said there was none. I asked the Minister of Customs if any licences bad been issued for glass imports from Czechoslovakia, and he said: “NO.”

“But I have invoices here for glass imported from Czechoslovakia by H. F. Judd and Company,” said Mr Gotz. Mr S. W. Smith (Opposition, Hobson): Someone must have fixed it.

Mr Gotz: I have letters here that show Mr Judd has been appointed agent for the China National Sundries Export Corporation. a glass firm In Tientsin, Communist China. Is Mr Judd going to be allowed to import glass from Communist China? “Are young importers going to be denied licences while Mr Judd is allowed to import glass?” he ***4~ * r*« m I * r Defeete ta PA.YX

Mr N. G. Pickering (Government, St Albans) said that in November last the Leader of the Opposition was uncertain whether New Zealand would have to “tighten its belt” further and he was still uncertain as late as May this year. “Yet, last night, be told us we had taxed tee heavily and that taxes should have been reduced.” The Opposition said that when they were in power they could

not have foreseen the drop in overseas earnings, but they expected the Labour Government to have foreseen the improvement in New Zealand's financial position. Mr Pickering paid a tribute to New Zealand’s manufacturers and farmers for rallying to the call for higher production. Discussing P.A.Y.E. Mr Pickering said the present system was “not the best for the country” and a great deal more work on it was needed. “We will certainiy improve the system this session.” Mr E. J. Keating (Government, Hastings) said the claim that rates of taxation were the highest in New Zealand’s history was incorrect. They were lower than ia 1914. The Social Security tax was also lower and estate duties

were not the highest they had ever been, as was claimed by the Opposition. Mr Keating said the Opposition claimed there were too many controls. “The only major control I know of is import control And there is general approval of import control for maintaining the country’s economy and conserving our exchange,” be said.

Mr Shand said the Government’s unpopularity was not in dispute. Cogent evidence of this was provided by the result of the Hamilton by-election. It was symptomatic of the state the Government had got into that Mr Keating purported to show that some rates of taxation were higher in 1954 than under the present administration. “What did the member have to say about the tax on beer, petrol, cigarettes, and whisky?” said Mr Shand. “Would he seriously contend the taxpayer is not substantially worse off now that in 1954?” Mr Shand said the revulsion against the Government today was nowhere more widespread than in the Public Service—an organisation employing about a fifth of the Dominion’s people. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Anderton): Can you give us any evidence of that?

Delays In DocMms Mr Shand said there was evidence tn the Cabinet itself by the way in which it delayed reaching desisions. In turn, this affected the efficiency of the Public Service. “There is far too much evidence that the Prime Minister is far too often absent from his desk.” said Mr Shand. Mr Shand said the National Government in 1951 introduced the ruling rates . survey system for public servants. The Public Service organisations had approached the National Government in September, 1957, for a new survey of outside rates. The Government had pointed out that negotiations would have to take place in the atmosphere of the Impending election and the organisations agreed with the Government’s proposal that the survey should be postponed to the following February on the understanding that any increase would be retrospective to January. 1958 "There was no thought in anyone’s mind that there was any possibility of that agreement not being honoured by the new Government,” said Mr Shand.

“But when the Public Service organisations asked the new Deputy-Prime Minister to honour the agreement—the Prime Minister waa out of the country at the time—they were shuttled off “Later, the Prime Minister said be did not know there was any agreement. The Implication was he was so busy junketing around that be was not aware of an agreement affecting the whole of the Public Service and the welfare of the country. "The mutual trust we had striven so hard to engender and foster waa destroyed Mr Moohan said the National Party was incapable of any constructive ideas on the important problems facing New Zealand. National Party members confined themselves to generalities about th> whole situation. Mr Moohan claimed overseas reserves stood at £l3O minion in June, 1057, but, by the end of the year, had fallen to £45 million. “The country went on an Import spending spree and the then Government took no steps to save the situation because it was election year. That was the position wO inherited.” said Mr Moohan. Land Policy

Mr R. G. Gerard (Opposition, Ashburton) said the National Party would reduce taxation to leave farmers with more money for land development, provide 00 per cent of the finance for approved young farmers to buy land, review Crown leases and licences, particularly In the South Island, to see if land could be more closely settled, and make blocks of virgin Crown land available for development by private enterprise. The Minister of Housing (Mr Fox) said Mr Shand had criticised Mr Nash for travelling round the country, but when the Prime Minister visited Marlborough, Mr Shand had praised him for coming.

Mr Shand: You didn’t expect me to be rude to him did you? Mr J. H. George (Opposition, Otago Central) said the seconder of tiie Adress-in-Reply, Mr S. AWhitehead (Government Nelson) had given no indication of when the Government was going to build the Nelson railway. “The member is in the House only because the Labour Party promised Nelson a railway," said Mr George.