Mr Nordmeyer Compares Party Organisations

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30045, 1 February 1963, Page 8

Mr Nordmeyer Compares Party Organisations

(From Our Own Reporter)

PICTON, January 31.

“I believe the organisation of the National Party is now superior to that of Labour,” Mr A. H. Nordmeyer, Minister of Finance in the last Labour Government, told the New Zealand University Students’ Association congress at Curious Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound, tonight.

Mr Nordmeyer said party organisation was significant and the National Party had learned its organisation from Labour. “However, there is a resilience about the Labour movement which makes it unwise to predict its early demise,” he said.

Mr Nordmeyer cautioned that if the trades unions lost faith in the Labour Party it could well be that- the end of the party was in sight. This was because the trades unions, which had been responsible for the formation of the party, were now responsible for the bulk of its funds.

“I believe the trades unions realise that a Labour Government is liable to achieve more tor the workers than any other government.” So long as there was a trades union movement there was likely to be a Labour Party, he said. It was a tragedy for people to think that if there were differences of opinion between the Labour movement and the Labour Party the party would die. ‘"ltiere are differences of opinion in all parties—but the National Party conceal their differences better,” said Mir Nordmeyer.

The Federation of Labour was an autonomous and independent organisation which made its own decisions, he said. Labour Party decisions were made art the annual conference of the party. “But,” he said, “any discussion of the future of the Labour Party must ask: What is the relation between the trades unions and the party?” "Whether Great Britain

jams the Common Market or not there are serious economic problems to be faced by New Zealand,” said Mr Nordmeyer. “I think New Zealanders, generally and in the long run, will be grateful to General de Gaulle, whatever has motives.

“New Zealand is producing her products in increasing over-supply,” Mir’ Nordmeyer said. “A Government must be prepared to adapt itself to changing circumstartnees. “We must find alternative markets and scrap our old prejudices. If a country is prepared to do business with us we must do business with it, and take care not to put too many of our eggs in the same basket,” said Mr Nordmeyer. He suggested a system of deferred payments tor trading with Asia in milk powder. “This is an opportunity for real statesmanship. This would be one way of meeting changing circumstances, and the risk would be justified on humanitarian grounds,” he said. In a summary of what the future of the Labour Party might be, Mr Nordmeyer said of disarmament: “I am all in favour of abolition of nuclear weapons. But we must not believe that a decision to destroy them all would solve the problem. “We must recognise that

the capacity to destroy people is just as inherent in cocventtonal weapons," Mr Nordmeyer said. "We must outlaw war itself as a means of settling disputes. Our ultimate goal must be com* plete disarmament” Mr Nordmeyer said be i";agreed with the idea that disarmament would cause economic dislocation. He suggested that some of the money spent on arms could go tn raise the living standard of less fortunate

peoples. “It is on the basis of policy that a political party is elected or defeated," said Mr Nordmeyer. “I believe there is an increasing proportion of electors who want to know about policy.