Cotton Mill Big Issue In Waitaki By-Election

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29749, 16 February 1962, Page 10

Cotton Mill Big Issue In Waitaki By-Election

The Nelson cotton mill dispute emerged from the start as an issue in the by-election campaign for the Waitaki seat last evening.

Opening the National Party campaign with its candidate, Mr A. Dick, the Minister of Transport (Mr McAlpine) called the mill agreement the biggest blunder and worst political scandal in contemporary politics, and challenged the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash) to “come out and give his side of the story when he follows me in this campaign.” Mr McAlpine, who was speaking to a meeting at Pleasant Point, reviewed the forming and the termination of the cotton mill agreement.

The Labour Government, said Mr McAlpine, had been determined to stay in power and socialise the country. It had promised to build Nelson a £2m railway and then had to find some means to justify it.

Mr Nash had promised he would build a £sm cotton mill. His colleagues must have been very surprised as it was something like a year later when details of the cotton mill were finally negotiated. Mr McAlpine doubted whether Nelson people realised how much the agreement would have been to their disadvantage. “I wonder if they realised that they would be deprived of the right of choice to about one-tenth of the cotton fabrics they enjoy in New Zealand today. The agreement finally drawn up would have put them in an unfavourable position for ever.” Mr McAlpine asked whether people realised that in the case of napkins in which they wrapped their babies they would be reduced to “one size, one style, one grade, and one quality for ever and ever.”

Did they realise, asked the Minister, that, as he had learned from the trade, there were now 4000 cotton fabric alternatives offered to women today. “These would have been whittled down to a maximum of 400 with a promise of 100 new patterns added each year and 100 withdrawn,” he said. “Did you realise that when the time came for expansion of that industry, no-one had the right to put in another mill or another machine without those people having the first right of expansion. There was no end to this

thing.” said Mr McAlpine. “It went on for ever and ever.”

Speaking of the limitation on printed cotton, Mr McAlipne said to women in the audience: ‘‘You would have had floral patterns or gone naked.” The Government had questioned the mill company’s proposal to produce 1.550.000 yard runs of wynciette in one pattern and in 48in widths only. The company had shown the Government a table indicating the increase in prices that other widths would have involved. It was a reasonable criticism to say that the Government should have acted sooner, said Mr McAlpine. “But we wished to carry out the agreement that had been made. We had the agreement thoroughly looked over by leading authorities. “Then manufacturers asked individual and searching questions. Shirt makers said that if only 48in width material was produced, all the cutting tables in New Zealand would have to be replaced at a cost of £250,000,” he said. “I feel that it was an agreement honourable men should find a way out of.” said Mr McAlpine. “There was never any abrogation of the contract. We agreed mutually because we could not agree on the terms to terminate the agreement. There was never at any time a question of damages. We agreed to pay proven costs. “I have no idea what it will cost. If it costs £500,000, that is what it would have cost you in the first year. I cannot imagine that the costs will be anything like what was at first thought,” he said.