Strong Community Spirit In Buller Electorate

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31211, 8 November 1966, Page 23

Strong Community Spirit In Buller Electorate

(From Our Own Reporter)

WESTPORT, Nov. 7.

“It is our policy to create an incentive to produce, and we will investigate every possible step, in the processing and marketing of our goods,” said the Labour Party's candidate for Buller (Mr W. E. Rowling) in an election address at Karamea on Friday night He did not blame the Government for decreases in the demand for primary produce overseas and lower prices, said Mr Rowling. “But it is not keeping up with processing and marketing trends.” Mr Rowling claimed that the Government was buoyant only because of its heavy borrowing. He said that the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) even agreed that Mr Lake was the architect of the country’s present position. Mr Rowling criticised the Government’s income equalisation scheme which, he said, froze money while it continued its borrowing policy. He outlined Labour’s policy for financial assistance to farmers with the creation of a rural banking ana finance corporation, independent of the State Advances Corporation. This would provide for the development of farms and offer the opportunity for land-holders to invest money at 3 per cent.

At Westport on Saturday night, Mr Rowling said that the strong community spirit in Buller had been proved as a force to be reckoned with, especially by its insistence on the harbour improvement scheme going through after various Ministers and departmental heads had “hedged on that project for so long.” He said that the scheme had been approved “in principle” by the Government in August, 1963, election year, but nothing had materialised until one of the best-sup-ported public meetings held at Westport had decided that the “humbug” should stop and won the battle. Even then

the Government died hard and sent the Under-Secretary for Marine (Mr G. L. O’Halloran) to Westport to make a last desperate bid to divert the people to a less costly project, said Mr Rowling. “Now the job is proceeding speedily and has proved the turning point in Buller’s economy, with a bright atmosphere all round, the cement works expanding, and trade good.” Mr Rowling considered, however, that Buller’s battle was not ended, and there was now the need to push for a new railway workshops; a coal-fired power station in the district: replacement of the old Buller bridge to cater for a higher volume of traffic; also development of mineral resources and pakihi land. “So it appears that you will be in for a lot of scraps ahead, but I know that you now have the strength to fight for the good of the community,” said Mr Rowling.