F.O.L. Delegates Protest Outside Parliament

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31362, 6 May 1967, Page 1

F.O.L. Delegates Protest Outside Parliament

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 5. Scores of delegates to the annual conference of the Federation of Labour gathered outside Parliament Buildings this afternoon to see their president (Mr T. E. Skinner) hand to the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) a resolution condemning the Government’s austerity mini-Budget.

When Mr Holyoake appeared on the front steps with the Minister of Justice (Mr Hanan) to meet the men they were greeted by boos and cat-calls.

Mr Skinner read a resolution calling on the Government to resign and go to the country. The F.O.L. conference had condemned the way in which the latest economic measures had been introduced, said Mr Skinner.

“We reject completely the Government’s contention that the measures enacted will in any way help to stabilise the economy or rectify our balance of payments. “We support an application for a general wage increase at such time as the national executive deems appropriate and we shall utilise all possible industrial activity to support such a claim,” said the resolution.

There were shouts of disapproval as Mr Holyoake said he rejected completely the suggestion that the Government should resign. Mr Holyoake said he was happy at any time to receive recommendations and suggestions from the Federation of Labour. At the F.O.L. conference, several delegates forecast widespread unemployment in

the manufacturing, building and contracting industries.

Mr Skinner said the Government’s moves on petrol alone would inflate prices right through the economy. “No Government in its right senses would sign its own death warrant in such a deceitful, callous and undemocratic way as this particular Government has done,” he said.

“Its total disrespect for Parliament, its lack of confidence in its own members in Parliament, must make it particularly obvious to this conference that this country is no longer controlled by the Government inside. “The Government must of necessity listen to the dictates of the • people overseas to whom they put the people of this country into pawn,” said Mr Skinner. “If I were the Prime Min-

ister of Britain I would tell this Government to take their butter where it bought their planes.”