Mr Watt Attacks Finance Policy

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32120, 16 October 1969, Page 14

Mr Watt Attacks Finance Policy

“The iron hand” of the Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) had got New Zealand “into the biggest mess we’ve ever been in,” the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Mr Watt) said in an election address at Kaiapoi last evening.

“National’s excuse is the drastic fail in the price of wool, but they don’t tell you that the prices of lamb and beef went up and at the end of the year there was very little over«all difference.” Mr Watt said. “In one night a burden of s72m was placed on the shoulders of the people.”

During Labours last three years in power, productivity had increased by 13.5 per cent, Mr Watt said. During National’s last three years the increase had been 5 per cent. “Is it any wonder,” he asked, “that National had to call a National Development Conference to give them the answers they couldn’t provide themselves?”

During 1967-68 productivity per person had fallen 1.2 per cent, Mr Watt said. From 1958 to 1961 it had risen 7.4 per cent From 1966 to 1969 it rose 1.4 per cent. During 1966-67. he said, there was a 6 per cent increase in manufacturing. The next year the increased dropped to 2.5 per cent and in 1968-69 it fell further to 1.5 per cent. “Mr Muldoon should be ashamed of himself,” said Mr Watt “New Zealand is in the worst condition, from the productivity position, that it has been in since the depression.” PRIVATE IMPORTS

Mr Watt said that the Department of Statistics had forecast that private imports for the current calendar year would be $ll4 million higher’ than the previous year. Goods valued at $75 million had recently been released from import control—mostly consumer goods, not raw materials for manufacturers. “Before we know where we are,” said Mr Watt, “we are going to find ourselves in the same position as when Muldoon imposed the mini-Bud-get” Instead of using import controls, the Government applied internal restrictions which broke down the internal economy and resulted in unemployment, Mr Watt said.

Labour, he said, was committed to the policy of living within its external income and had done so in the past.

“We owed less overseas in 1960, when we went out of office, than we did when we went in in 1957.”

t The 30,000 who had left New Zealand in the last two years had been brought up, educated and trained at the expense of us all, Mr Watt , said. The past-president of rthe New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation (Dr H. C. * Holland) had said it was a ■ national tragedy that the 1 cream of our young people were leaving New Zealand, and had estimated the net , monetary loss from the de- ' parture of 6000 workers last I year at $6O million. , “People are no longer com- ; ing to New Zealand as the ’ land of milk and honey, as the , land of opportunity, they are . leaving it. We’ve got to re- > verse all this. “Last time they promised > they would hold the cost of living,” Mr Watt said. “No need to ask anyone what ’ happened—bread up 75 per ; cent, butter up, milk up.” i “GREATEST HOAX” I The National Party had also • promised to reduce taxation. This was the greatest hoax 1 ever played on New Zealand. ' The National Party had coli lected more than $lOOO mil- ' lion more in taxation since '■ it had been in office. The in- ■ crease last year alone had been $13.14 for every man, woman and child. Rail fares had been in--1 creased less than a week > after the last election, Mr ■ Watt said. The electricity ’charge might not be a tax, but it had gone up 15 per 1 cent since the last election as 1 a direct result of the present ' National Patry. • “You can call it what you want, it’s still an imposition i on the’ worker. It’s a cunning : way of imposing a tax by ! calling it another name.” If the Labour Party had ■ built Manapouri the work would have been supervised t by the Ministry of Works ■ instead of by Americans, and > it would have cost far less, I he said. HEALTH SERVICE Six years ago, there was : one active general pracItitioner for every 1800 New Zealanders, Mr Watt said. Now there was one for every ’ 2300. We had taken pride in having one of the best health i services in the world, but now

we were well behind mapy other countries.

“Thirty-six thousand people are waiting to get into hospital in New Zealand at present This queue has been growing year after year and the Government has done nothing about it They have paid taxes to get free hospital treatment but they can’t get it But you can go to your private practitioner and he can get you into a private hospital tomorrow—if you want to pay twice.”

Mr P. Piesse, the Labour candidate for Rangiora, also addressed the audience of about 40, of whom some appeared to be National supporters. He said that the slogan “Steady does it” had not been heard lately. There had, he said, been little difference between “steady” and “dead stop,” and it was time New Zealand started up again.