Labour Would Lower Voting Age To 20

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31206, 2 November 1966, Page 3

Labour Would Lower Voting Age To 20

Some overseas borrowing can be justified as a temporary measure when export prices fall, says the election policy statement of the Labour Party . An indication is given that, if elected, Labour might not be able to withdraw from the International Monetary Fund during the next three years.

Other points in the policy include the lowering of the voting age to 20, and a promise to hold a referendum on licensing hours before the end of October, 1967.

Finance Labour will not rely on regular overseas borrowing for consumption, but some overseas borrowing can be justified as a temporary measure when export prices fall. Owing to Government borrowing from the International Monetary Fund, Labour cannot give an assurance that it can withdraw from the fund during its first three years of office. To retire overseas loans.

money will be set aside in buoyant times. Some capital will be sought overseas for industrial development. All take-over proposals will be studied by an authority. Foreign investment in New Zealand will be supervised. The Reserve Bank Act will be amended to bring all banking and credit activity within its jurisdiction. The bank’s governor will carry out the Government’s Instructions. A development and planning authority will be set up to investigate and report on substantial development projects and the desirable credit level. Concerned at some features of hire-purchase, Labour, in addition to the general control by the Reserve Bank, will introduce a more competitive element by allowing trading banks to extend their personal loans, and will authorise savings banks to issue personal loans. Legislation will protect the customer and the fair hire-purchase trader. Agriculture Agricultural policy is aimed initially at meeting the 4.1 per cent annual increase in pastoral exports. Farm and urban activities of the State Advances Corporation will be separated, and farm finance handled by an agricultural banking and finance corporation. Advances made by the corporation will not have to meet interests or capital repayment for the first two years, and the corporation will have flexibility to allow it to meet individual cases without being bound by arbitrary limits. A farm settlement scheme will be started to help young men get their own farms, and a national farm training system will be established to help farm workers qualify for land ballots. Where a privately-financed irrigation scheme can be shown to significantly increase

production, up to one-third of the capital cost of the work will be paid by the Government. Marginal lands development aid will be more liberal. Three per cent farm housing loans, extension of the fertiliser freight subsidy and a stabilising scheme for fertiliser prices are also envisaged. and Labour will see that all new fertiliser and freezing works are co-operatively owned. Radio And T.V. Labour supports the general pattern of corporation control of broadcasting and television, but will not authorise privately-owned stations. There will be clearer definition of the extent of ministerial responsibility for the corporation’s actions. Services will be reviewed to give a wider choice of programmes, and more equitable distribution of time to advertisers. The corporation will be authorised to provide more television channels in line with the economic ability to establish them. There will be a public inquiry into complaints of suppression and censorship for political reasons. Competitive tendering for programme and advertising time on the YD stations will be given a trial. To provide competition, Labour will see that where a second television channel is established, it will be controlled by a second independent corporation. Measures will be taken to control broadcasts from ships or aircraft outside territorial waters. A television educational service will be set up, and efforts made to bring it to correspondence pupils and country schools. Building Restrictive building control through the programmer will

be lifted in the South Island and central North Island, and, as soon as feasible, in the rest of the country. Electoral The voting age will be lowered to 20. A referendum will be held at the 1969 election to determine whether the life of Parliament should be extended to four years. The Electoral Representation Commission will be direct to divide the South Island into 26 electorates, the quota so established to determine the number of North Island seats. Earlier Parliamentary sessions are promised to avoid shortage of time. Defence Labour will develop by negotiation a mutual defence, system of United Nations member states, and believes that the regular forces and territorial forces should be volunteer units. Labour will not accept peace-time conscription. Education Higher starting salaries will be introduced for teachers. There should be more school building, and higher incidental grants. An intensified recruiting scheme for teachers, more training colleges, more liberal staffing to reduce the size of classes and more help for pre-school education are other points. A concentrated drive will be made to improve country school standards, to improve school transport services, and boarding allowances and hostel accommodation. At university level, staff salaries will be kept competitive with those ruling overseas. More money will be available for research, and help given to part-time students. Vietnam Continued help will be given to South Vietnam, but New Zealand’s role will be changed, the artillery unit

being replaced by more personal and constructive aid. Labour will work for general disarmament and the establishment of nuclear weaponfree zones. Industry The lending ability of the Development Finance Corporation will be extended, Government participation increased and the extension or establishment of new industry in specially defined development areas will be encouraged. The corporation will have power to grant rail subsidies of up to 50 per cent, lend money at low rates of interest for industrial expansion and plant, give guarantees for specialist staff housing, and guarantee local bodies buying and developing industrial sites. To stimulate exports, the export guarantee insurance provisions will be amended and extended, and direct encouragement to industry will be through investment allowances, rather than depreciation allowances. Fuel And Power A Ministry of Fuel and Power will be set up. Inadequate planning will be replaced by a more realistic approach to requirements. New Zealand must make full use of her own resources. Powersupply developments must be speeded up to avert the predicted shortage between 1967 and 1970. Manapouri is far behind schedule, and an inquiry will be made to see if construction can be accelerated, waste eliminated, and to get a firm answer from Comalco about the aluminium industry. Fullest use will be made of coal as a fuel, and freight on coal will be reduced to see that it is sold at the lowest possible price. Superanuuitants Legislation will be introduced in 1967 to offset the effects of inflation on Government superannuitants. Its effect will be that a superannuitant who retired this year will have the annuity increased by 2 per cent, increasing by 2 per cent each year back to 1955. There will be

of 2 per cent to a maximum a continuing annual increase of 24 per cent. Housing House-building will be increased, and attention paid to high-density housing and multi-storey flats. The Tenancy Act will be amended to protect the good tenant and good landlord, and the erosion of tenancy and rent protection arrested.

Statutory conditions will be imposed as to quality of work. More sections will be found for home building, and the mortgage guarantee in buying existing homes will be raised to 90 per cent, and the family benefit scheme extended to allow of the buying of existing homes. There will be no arbitrary limit on State Advances loans. The income limit, excluding overtime and bonuses, will be £lO4O and £7B for each dependent child for 3 per cent loans. The income bar for State house tenancy will be raised to £950, plus £7B for each dependent child. Health

An urgent survey will be made of the needs of each hospital district. Specialist and out-patient services will be reviewed, and psychiatric and general public hospitals should be under hospital board control. A detailed study will be made of the cost of pharmaceutical benefits, and negotiations will be held with the medical profession for increased social security payments to reduce the cost to the patients, for a specialist benefit and for more equitable mileage rates for doctors. There will be a realistic survey of nursing salaries and conditions. Free dental services will be extended to the age of 18. Imports Procedure with import licensing will be reformed to avoid delays. There will be a move towards the issue of end-user licences to give manufacturers and processors a guaranteed supply of raw materials. Guaranteed minimum licences will be issued for approved raw materials for periods of three years.

As there have been abuses, some items which have been freed from control will be recontrolled. Abuses in the allocation of new motor vehicles and trade-in and hire-purchase practices on the used-car market will be investigated. Wages The general wage order system will be retained, but the Arbitration Court will have mandatory power to grant increases corresponding to the value of increased production. The Workers’ Compensation Act will be overhauled to give adequate protection. Rate Relief

Legislation will allow a rebate of rates for owner-occu-piers of private dwellings whose income is not beyond specified limits. Overseas Trade

A New Zealand shipping corporation will be set up to serve new or limited markets. Small ships will be chartered to develop and serve small markets. Increases in export revenue will be exempt from company or income tax. Social Security Social security benefits will be fixed after a national survey of living costs, and a cost of living index established. Other liberalisation of benefits will be provided. Taxation

Tax concessions will be introduced to reward those who save before seeking to invest in productive enterprises. Personal exemptions for income tax will be progressively adjusted, and estate duty provisions amended. There will be a general inquiry into taxation.

Welfare A Ministry of Welfare and Social Justice will be set up to help the aged and organisations working for them, as well as youth and youth organisations. Tunnel Tolls

The National Roads Board will be told to phase out Lyttelton road tunnel and Auckland harbour bridge tolls over the next five years.