Govt. Charged With Failure

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30211, 16 August 1963, Page 14

Govt. Charged With Failure

I From Our Parliamentary Reporter] WELLINGTON, August 15. Opposition members attacked the Government tonight for the committees it had set up during its administration and charged the Government with failure to make decisions and with losing opportunities in exports. Government speakers replied during the half-hour adjournment debate that the Labour Party, in office, would have done well to consult more with outside authorities.

Mr M. Moohan (Opposition, Petone) asked the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) to “stop the drift” and that his Ministers do the job they were elected to do. “The Government and the Cabinet are devoid of initiative, devoid of vision, devoid of decision and completely devoid of responsibility,” he said. He said a committee to investigate the economics of the farming industry was set up last year and reported this year on every aspect of farm economics. Then the dairy farmers asked for more money for locally-sold butter. The Government set up another committee. The farmers got nothing. Now the town milk producers had been told by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Taiboys) that there was to be another committee (an independent price fixing authority) “These committees are set up and that’s the last we hear of them,” said Mr Moohan. Mr Taiboys said that when Labour was the Government it refused to consult anyone and on the very rare occasions when it did. it completely disregarded the results.

The report on farming economics was very valuable, he said, and had led to Budget concessions and other concessions since. Mr Moohan might not like the independent price fixing authority for the town milk producers, but the town milk producers did “It is obvious from the delays and the fiddling about and the lack of action that the committees are keeping the minutes while they are losing the hours,” said Mr N. E. Kirk (Opposition, Lyttleton). “Here is a party which said it knew all about

overseas trade, but when it was on the brink of extermination at the next election it sets up an export development conference.” In the meantime golden opportunities were being lost. New Apple Tree

In Hawke’s Bay, said Mr Kirk, a man had developed an apple tree and after failing to reach an agreement with the Fruitgrowers’ Federation which offered him £lOO for it, accepted an offer from the United States of 10,000 dollars and royalties for sales overseas.

The Minister of Agriculture had been so fast asleep in the hum of committees he had set up that “all we get is a royalty on an apple and the taxpayers have financed the development of an apple which will create competition for our own export industry.” The Prime Minister said that after listening to Mr Kirk he was prepared to offer the Government's resignation for not recognising a new kind of apple (Opposition cheers). An important point Mr Kirk seemed to have overlooked was that the apple he referred to had been patented five years ago in the time of the Labour administration.

Mr Holyoake then enumerated committees Which the Labour administration had set up. He had reached 24. amid Government laughter, when the bell terminating his speech rang. Mr H. Watt (Opposition. Onehunga) said the Prime Minister had proved conclusively he was ‘‘a prize complete clown.” After being rebuked by the Speaker, Mr Watt withdrew the phrase.