The Press MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1969 The Labour Party

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31973, 28 April 1969, Page 12

The Press MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1969 The Labour Party

Delegates seem to have left the Labour Party’s conference in little doubt about the direction that the General Election campaign will take if the party can dictate the main issues. In spite of the economic difficulties undergone by the country since the last General Election it must be fairly clear to Labour’s leaders that, short of a serious setback to the economy between now and November, electors will not be seeking a change of Government solely on economic grounds. Both the Labour and National parties look forward to a decade of considerable economic expansion and the course that this development will probably take is being charted by the National Development Conference. Neither party can afford to ignore the advice offered by a conference which represents all sections of the community and is working under the general guidance of the State’s most senior and experienced public servants.

Even the Labour Party, which professes to be the champion of those who complain against price increases, does not pretend that it can prevent increases in prices. Labour is, however, assuring its supporters that it will ensure a “ fairer ” distribution of the higher income that should come from the country’s development. Social welfare—particularly education, health services, and pensions—will evidently bulk large in Labour's policy. Although Labour's Parliamentary leaders have warned against too high an expectation of their performance within one term of office they have also said that they will not be daunted by such questions as “ Where will the “ money come from ?” Many of the proposals adopted by the party conference may not look so fresh if the present Government accepts some of the recommendations from the National Development Conference. The overhauling of the social security system and the re-examination of its basic concepts may be under way this year if the development conference recommendations are heeded by the Government.

Although the Labour Party has now gone further than the National Party in proposing that the minimum age for voting be reduced to 18 years the Labour conference sought a complete examination of the age of majority in all its other implications. This topic is already a subject of study by the Government and is likely to be considered during the next session of Parliament. It is generally believed that the liberal or questioning views of young people will usually lead them to support a socialist party and that if the voting age Is lowered the Labour Party will win the majority of the votes of young persons. Neither party should put too much credence in this theory. There is certainly no evidence that New Zealand's youngest voters today predominantly favour the Labour Party. The electorate may safely be left to decide the merits of lowering the voting age to 18 or 20—the likely choice in the election manifestos —without much regard to the probable party allegiance of an enlarged electorate.