BRITISH POLLING READY

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31023, 31 March 1966, Page 13

BRITISH POLLING READY

(N.Z. Presr Association—Copyright? LONDON, March 30. Britons go to the polls tomorrow. In the final hours of the election campaign both Mr Wilson and Mr Heath have appealed to the British people to pull the country out of its greatest economic crisis since the end of the Second World War.

In a television broadcast last night Mr Wilson urged voters not to “miss the tides of history and of economic challenge.” “There is nothing we cannot; do together,” he said. Mr Heath, in a broadcast!

the previous night, said: “The future of Britain is not only our own; it is the future of the coming generation—what young men and women now in their twenties will achieve in the year 2000.” The Labour Party and the Conservative Party offer radically different choices to voters.

Labour, which has made housing its main domestic theme, has stated that Britain must maintain, for the time being at least, its South-east Asian peace-keeping role. It,also pledges that although it will conduct feelers to “test” the attitude of the European Economic Community towards Britain’s inclusion, it will not join the Six unless Commonwealth interests can be protected. It has refused to alter its present government subsidy system for agriculture to the European-style levy system, claiming that this will damage both the British farmer and the housewife as well as the major Commonwealth agricultural nations. The Conservatives base

their platform on the revitalisation of the economy, changes in the status of trade unions, a changing East of Suez role for Britain, including the building of new aircraft carriers. and an immediate declaration of • intent to join the Common Market j Mr Heath has stated tha’ I the levy system will not harm | Commonwealth agricultural countries and that a powerful Britain joined with Europe would in fact strengthen th a special link. “No one in the Common wealth is interested in as economically weak Britain. ’ Mr Heath said. The Liberal Party, with a Parliamentary membership of 10, also pledges to sign the Treaty of Rome immediately. At the same time it urges Britain to turn its back on East of Suez commitments and become a fully European power. i During the campaign there j has been bitter debate on | Labour’s real interest in | Europe. E.E.C. Debate Mr Heath alleges the | Cabinet is split on the issue and, in spite of the fact that Mr Wilson has pledged to appoint a Minister with special responsibility to Europe, has no intention of joining the E.E.C. at ail. Mr Heath sees the E.E.C. as the “vital issue" of the election and has stated unless Britain joins, opens itself to new markets and wider competition the economy will stagnate and the balance-of-payments situation deteriorate even further.

Labour’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr James Callaghan, has all along fought the election on the fact that although Britain has a long way to go towards full economic recovery, the situation is improving and sterling is once again firm on the world's money markets. As if to support his words, sterling, which dipped earlier in the month due to “election jitters,” firmed again yesterday. Defence Role

Apart from the Common Market, the most bitterly fought issue was Britain's dependence on the United States for its world defence role.

The Conservative defence spokesman, Mr Enoch Powell, in a biting statement claimed that Labour had thrown away Britain’s right to act independently and at the same time had placed the country so much in paxm to America that it was prepared to send troops to Vietnam, in spite of its position as co-chairman of the Geneva convention on IndoChina.

Labour’s Minister of Defence. Mr Denis Healey, and Mr Wilson have hotly denied this charge, alleging that the Conservative Government sold the country to the United States with its Polaris nuclear missile deal. They have also stated that at no time were British troops ever considered for Vietnam. More than 35,000,000 people have the right to vote tomorrow. In the election. 1707 candidates are fighting 630 seats. Labour is fighting 620 of them and the Conservatives all but one. The Liberals are contesting 311 seats, the Communist I Party 57 and there are 43 mi dependents ranging from Welsh and Scottish Nationallists to the “Teen-age Party" land anti-vivisectionists. Immigrants’ Stand Britain’s coloured immigrant population took its stand more or less on the side of Labour last night when the Indian Workers' Association ordered its members to vote for that party, except in two Midland constituencies.

The national president of the Indian Workers* Association, Rattan Singh, voiced the bitterness felt by many migrants over Labour's policies in the last year when he said last night that his group’s support “must not be i construed or taken as an -approval of (Jhe Labour policy :as a whole.”