MR KIRK ON THE F.O.L. ‘Labour makes its own decisions’

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32561, 22 March 1971, Page 2

MR KIRK ON THE F.O.L. ‘Labour makes its own decisions’

(New Zealand Press Association) TIMARU, March 21. Less than one tenth of the money used by the Labour Party in the 1969 election came from trade unions, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) said at a meeting in Fairlie last night.

Mr Kirk said many people considered the federation and the Parliamentary Labour Party were synonymous, but each was autonomous.

“No one will instruct the Labour Party what it has to do,” he said. Mr Kirk was answering a comment from a member of the audience that there would be more faith in the Labour Party if it were not dominated by the Federation of Labour.

There were more than 120 trade unions in the country which made no financial contribution to the Labour Party, he said. Eighty per cent of the party’s funds came from private donations. “There are a lot of people in the trade unions who give the party voting support All the time in Parliament the Government is saying the Opposition gets its instruction from the Federation of Labour and must do what it says.

“the Labour Party makes its own decisions, and these will always be what it considers to be best for the country at present and in the long term,” Mr Kirk said. ‘Provocation’ Mr Kirk also made a claim that- in recent weeks four Government members of

Parliament had said outside the House that the Government was intent on provoking industrial unrest to the level of 1951 for its own political advantage. Through a barrage of interjections, he alleged that one Government M.P. told a Wellington group that a repetition of the 1951 strike “would suit the Government” He claimed the Government was setting out deliberately to divide the country —"town against country, workers against employers, everyone at each other’s throats. Instead of trying to unite us, we are being divided,” he said. "Fundamental changes are in the making that will set this country back years,” Mr Kirk said. “The only way this can be avoided is to put out the Government, which is bewildered, and it ought to go to the people, but lacks the fortitude to submit its resignation.” Sacrifices

Mr Kirk said that cooperation and organisation to combat New Zealand’s internal problems could not he achieved when Government leaders stated that higher

taxes than this year’s would have'to be faced next year, and prices would continue to The Government was calling on the people to make sacrifices, and people would meet the sacrifices provided the Government had a goal. But in four years there had been seven budgets which had accomplished nothing but increased sacrifices by the people. The Government was also failing to provide services for the people, particularly in the field of health and hospital facilities, and people were dying because health services were not available for them.

“In hundreds of country districts people know insecurity because of this,” he said. “The Government at present is not interested in policies, but only in the political future of about six men. It has three leaders—one for the House, one for farmers, and one for lawyers. And then there is Mr Muldoon, who doesn’t think he leads the party but is the party. “It fights in its caucus about the political future of a few men, and now it says it is prepared to provoke unrest for its political advantage. “There is a very urgent need for stability over the whole economy but all we know is instability of a very dangerous type which has been created not in spite of Government policy, but because of it.” Review tax Mr Kirk said that the Labour Party would review the payroll tax, which had added to costs, and taxes on petrol and cigarettes, and the surcharge—all of which had added s2l7m to prices in the country. Immigration would be stepped up, too, he said.