NELSON SEAT

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29367, 21 November 1960, Page 16

NELSON SEAT

Address By Mr Martin (From Our Own Reporter) NELSON, November 20. “A prominent Labour Minister said recently that he did not expect the Nelson railway to pay tor itself in 50 years,” said Mr C. W. Martin, National candidate for Nelson at a suburban meeting. “If that is so, who is going to pay for it? Is it not probable that the people of Nelson will pay for it, either in direct subsidies or crippling restrictions on other and proved forms of transport?” Mr Martin, who is making his second attempt t 6 win the Nelson seat, is relying greatly this time on the appeal of the street corner meeting. He is covering a wide area of the electorate and has drawn porch and front garden audiences often of 200 or 300 people. His schedule includes 60 of these meeting between November 7 and next Thursday. In addition he has spoken to factory workers, watersiders, and commercial groups. Mr Martin asked his hearers to examine the Nelson railway project closely before voting. They must ask themselves if it was justified, if it would offer a better service than the one given at present by the notional railway, and if it would help or hinder the development of the province? Nelson port had been greatly developed and the new wharf would be opened officially today. This work had cost a great deal of money, much of it coming from the pocket of Nelson people. The hope was further to build up the coastal shipping trade and to provide a deep water port for the big liners to load produce for overseas. The opening of a cotton mill and possibly a rayon factory and the development of a large timber industry would have the effect of further building this port. Why. therefore build a railway which would act as a drain upon Nelson, taking the raw materials out of the province either for manufacture or for final shipment from some other port? Mr Martin said that Nelson had received many promises in the past, but very few had come to fruition. The Labour Government had promised Nelson a university. It seemed that this promise had been made to other localities also. Nowadays the chances of Nelson ever having a university of its own were very slender indeed. The housing situation, said Mr Martin, was something else which had been exploited bv Labour to its own advantage. The complete oattern of housing development had been set by Sir William Sullivan and his team several years ago, and the Labour Government had merely carried out this good work. Every element of the National planning, low interest rates, suspensory loans, “lay-by” house saving scheme, group building and a dozen others had all been in operation before Labour became the Government, he said. There was little new in the housing pattern to which Labour could lay claim. “What is the difference between the two parties?” asked Mr Martin. “It is self-evident that National stands for private enterprise and a minimum of interference with the rights of the individual. When some people jay there is no difference between the parties. I notice that Labour is well content to let that be believed.”