Ministers Satisfied With Conference Progress

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31771, 30 August 1968, Page 1

Ministers Satisfied With Conference Progress

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, August 29.

The National Development Conference was assured by the Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) when it adjourned today that the Government would take considerable notice of any recommendation when the conference resumed in May.

Mr Muldoon said the Government was well satisfied with the progress that had been made. At a time when the country was recovering from a recession the people were in a mind to accept proposals for growth, he said.

There would be some competition for resources and there would be requests for more Government spending, but those who made the requests should realise that they were asking the Government to take more and dispense it differently, he said.

However, if more Government spending was necessary to achieve the desirable aim of national growth it would be made available, said Mr Muldoon: but he made a plea: “Please keep your feet on the ground. You are writing specifications for our future.” The conference heard Mr W W. Freer, the Labour member of Parliament for Mount Albert, urge that both political parties should adopt a bipartisan approach to development so there could be an assurance that export and other incentives necessary to achieve the recommended growth would not be impeded, or subject to the will of any government Commercial leaders had shown in the conference that they were willing to pool their resources and knowledge for the benefit of New Zealand, Mr Freer said. Parliamentarians should do the same.

The conference was told by the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Marshall), who is its chairman, that

satisfactory progress had been made.

Having approved the targets set for them, the sector com-

mittees will now meet to discuss how the targets can be achieved, and this will be the subject for the second public session of the conference. Formal resolutions approved the targets and the report of the steering committee, but invited the latter to establish working groups to examine problems involved in the development of a better physical and social environment.

Sector Reports

This reflected views ex- • pressed during the conference

that planning for the future should not just be on economics because it involved people—and they were more important than figures. Hints that the conference may be followed by some permanent organisation to see that the objectives for the next 10 years are achieved were made by some of the closing speakers; and Mr F. W. Holmes, who proposed approval of the sector committee reports, included in his motion that they should be asked to consider appropriate machinery to carry forward the objectives.