REPLY TO “PRESS”

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29760, 1 March 1962, Page 15

REPLY TO “PRESS”

Candidate On Legislation

Hie Labour Patty candidate in the Waitaki byelection (Sir Basil Arthur) repeated his charge in Oama-ru this week that the Government, in its present term, had been noted for destructive legislation.

“The Press" had decided to take him on, he said. The paper had said in a leading article that this was not very accurate and that his Labour colleagues would not agree wtith him. Sir Basil Arthur said the Government had been active in putting through legislation that would destroy the work of the Labour Government. lit had brought back military training, stopped the Nelson railway and cotton mill, altered the Land Settlement and Tenancy Acts. “Nothing in that was really progressive,” he said.

“The Press” had said the Government was carrying out its election policy. “Certainly it is carrying out its policy,” he said. “But none realised how far it would go. It did not offer constructive criticism in opposition. The Labour Party in opposition is telling the Government .wihat it should do.

“The thing to do is build up industries, but the Government is retrenching all the way along on a policy leading to unemployment. This crowd is only intent on destroying the work that has gone before.” A leading article in 'The Press” last Saturday on the Waitaki by-election referred to “the not very accurate comment of the Labour candidate” that the last Parliamentary session had been “directed to replacing Labour legislation.” “His party in Parliament after sleepless nights of opposition to the Government’s steady translation of its election policy into law. might have a different view,” said the article.