Strait Cable Attacked By Mrs McMillan

Press, Volume C, Issue 29565, 14 July 1961, Page 14

Strait Cable Attacked By Mrs McMillan

(Neu> Zealand Press Association/ WELLINGTON, July 13. The Government was “filching away the birthright of the South Island” by taking power to the North Island through the Cook Strait cable, Mrs E. E. McMillan (Opposition, North Dunedin) claimed in the House of Representatives tonight. Speaking in the Address-in-Reply debate, Mrs McMillan said: “We don’t want to keep in the South island what we can’t use ourselves. But the Cook Strait power cable will take power away which could be used for the development of secondary industry in the South Island.”

Four members made their maiden speeches in the debate today. They were: Mr W. H. Brown (Government. Palmerston North), Mr G. A. Spooner (Opposition, Wanganui). Mr H. E. L Pickering (Government. Hurunui), and Mr D. J. Riddiford (Government, Wellington Central). REDUCED HOUSING Mr W. A. Fox (Opposition, Miramar) said the Government was going to reduce the housing target. “I think this is very foolish.” Money for housing was money well spent, he said. New Zealand, with its increasing population. could not afford not to spend on bousing, he said. Fe attacked land prices and speculation One of the worst aspects of land speculation was the resultant urban sprawl, said Mr Fox. Urban sprawl came about when land owners held out for and got exorbitant prices, he said. "Urban sprawl retards sensible town planning and is uneconomic * Land owners contributed “little or nothing” to housing sub-division development he claimed. Condemning high-rising land values. Mr Fox said that after the Auckland Harbour Bridge opened, North Shore prices had shot up. “My information has it that a little group cleaned up a quarter of a million.” There was no reason why New Zealand could not have great town planning—"but first we must have land ” COMMITTEES’ CHAIRMAN Mr B. V Cooksley (Government Wairarapa) said the Chairman of Committees (Mr R E Jack) had been elected under a somewhat petulant cloud. “He has all the qualifications for fulfilling the position." said Mr Cooksley “He will turn out to be a first-elass chairman of committees. , Mr Cooksley said that some of the tediousness and dull-

ness might be taken out of the debates on the Address-in-Reply and the Budget by reducing speaking time, but there would be a danger in restricting the number of speakers. Speaking of the Social Security Fund, Mr Cooksley said that it was actually balanced on a knife edge, and was purely an income fund, and its growing deficits were causing concern to those who had been paying in for 20 years and who would not qualify for age benefits for another 20 years. "We have a responsibility to those in the fund who are part way between." he sa.d TAX REDUCTION Mr J G. Edwards (Opposition, Napier) said the Government had promised to reduce taxes on becoming the Government but it had not reduced taxes where it could have done so by regulation. Neither had it called an early session of Parliament to do so as bad been done in 1958 The National Party in Opposition had objected to capital issues control and after three months in office it had announced that capital issues control would remain. They were “honourable men, all honourable men." Mr Hallyburton Johnstone (Government. Waipa): “Mark Antony said it much nicer than that." Mr Edwards said the construction of State Houses was slowing down, evictions had increased since the Government took office and the Government had said it would increase migration. The Government had saved £lOO.OOO by stopping construction on the Nelson railway but had spent it on buyine homes for ministers. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Gotz) said the purchase of ministerial homes would not have been

necessary if the previous Government had not sold those bought by the National Government. He and five other ministers occupied flats of something like 850 square feet which was less than the two-bedroomed S.ate house. S.I. POWER South Island electric power for the development of South Island secondary industry was a plea made by Mrs McMillan. “We don’t want to keep in the South Island what we oan’t use ourselves," she said, “but the Cook Strait cable will take power away which could be used for the development of secondary industry in the South Island." She decried the "hurried attempt” to take away power from Benmore to the North Island—"which the Minister said would be for the South Island irrespective of whether the cable was put in or not.” The South Island would need more power with the establishment of the aluminium industry (and attendant industries), she said. Government voice: What’s that got to do wi'h Benmore? Mrs McMillan claimed that “the birthright of the South Island will be filched away by the present Government ” The cost of the Cook Strait cable would be far in excess of the sated £ 18.8 m, said Mrs McMillan. YOUNGER MEMBERS Mr W. H. Brown (Government. Palmerston North) said: “This country will be looking to the younger members who have made their maiden speeches in this House to control its destinies in the years ahead. The younger members will be making their presence felt in this House for many years to come." he said He believed that if the electors faced another General Election now those in the marginal seats would prefer the present Minister of Finance to present the 1961 Budget rather than the member who presented the 1958 Budget ‘They would be quite definite—give us Harry Lake." he said. WANGANUI DAM Mr G. A Spooner (Opposition. Wanganui), making his maiden speech, asked the Government for more houses for Wanganui “But the one thing we do want—that’s the dam,” said Mr Spooner. “It looks like it has been deferred through the economic situation.” The hydro-electric dam for the Wanganui river would be “the biggest thing that has happened to us,” he said.,