PRICE INDEX

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30287, 13 November 1963, Page 19

PRICE INDEX

Mr Shelton’s Defence Before the end of the election campaign, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nordmeyer) should apologise to the Government Statistician for an unwarranted and unfair reference, the Minister of Customs (Mr Shelton), said in an address at the Shirley Intermediate School last night. In the three years of the last Labour Government the cost of living had increased by 9.4 per cent, much of it because of deliberate action by the Government, said Mr Shelton. Under National the increase had been only 5.6 per cent. “The fact that National has been able to stabilise the cost of living more effectively than Labour seems to have incensed Mr Nordmeyer, so much so that in a thoroughly unjustified and regrettable manner he launched a most unfair attack on a top civil servant whose reputation is of the highest,”' he said. In Mr Nordmeyer's broadcast address he said that anyone foolish enough to think the Government Statistician’s figures releaved the true cost of living in New Zealand wanted to be mentally examined, Mr Shelton said. “Perhaps the first person to receive this treatment should be Mr Nash, because he was Minister in charge of the Statistics Office for three years, and was very happy to accept both the figures and the method of calculating them at that time,” said Mr Shelton. “I suppose these figures are quoted more by politicians in New Zealand than any other statistics produced by the department. Mr Nash was so satisfied with the method of computing the cost-of-living index that he took no action to alter the basis of making the calculation.” “One of the Best” The index gave a proper representation of price changes, and was one of the best of its kind in the world, Mr Shelton said. "I hope that before this campaign has concluded Mr Nordmeyer may see fit to apologise for this totally unwarranted and most unfair reference to the work of a highly qualified civil servant who is unable to enter the realm of politics to defend himself from this attack.” A National Government would endeavour to keep the cost of living as stable as possible, but would give the undertaking that all workers would be fairly rewarded in relation to their contribution to the wealth of the nation, Mr Shelton said.