MARLBOROUGH SEAT

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29365, 18 November 1960, Page 18

MARLBOROUGH SEAT

Address By Mr R. W. Hope

(From Our Own Reporter) BLENHEIM, Nov. 17.

These years were great ones for Labour, said Mr R. W. Hope, Labour candidate for Marlborough, at an election meeting at Springlands tonight. The greatest democracy, the United States, had elected itself a Socialist President and Senate, with much the same ideas as New Zealand Labour.

Also, it was noted, said Mr Hope, that Australia had been forced to impose controls, currency restrictions, and so on, exactly as the New Zealand Labour Government had been forced to do three years ago. “The rest of the world is swinging into line with New Zealand policy,” said Mr Hope. Speaking on juvenile delinquency, Mr Hope said that it was deplorable that certain propaganda issued by the National Party had suggested that the way to dispose of delinquency was to vote National. This was a strange twist to affairs when it was remembered that the Hutt Valley delinquency which had led to the Mazengarb commission occurred in 1954. The National Party was in power for some years after that, but did not seem to be able to do anything about it. There were many adults in Blenheim, Mr Hope said, who could be classed to a lesser extent as delinquents because the word "delinquent” meant a person who was not doing his duty. Delinquency began in the home. If a child was not brought up properly before he or she reached 12 years of age then there was little that could be done. Politicians were also to blame for laying down laws that tied the policeman's hands. There was no need, Mr Hope said, to be brutal in punishment, but only to make children have a healthy respect for parents and property. Mr Hope said that during the next eight years 300,000 children would be leaving school and seeking employment. Labour was preparing for this by creating new industries to absorb the labour force. It was important that an adequate number of these industries should be in the Blenheim area so that families would not be broken up by children having to leave for other centres. In answer to a question, Mr Hope said he was sorry that Marlborough was not getting the oil refinery. The need for balanced industries in the area was very great. If he was returned to Parliament he would work hard for the provision of smaller industries for the area if th« larger ones were not available.