M.P.'s advice on “immoral laws”

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32967, 13 July 1972, Page 3

M.P.'s advice on “immoral laws”

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, July 12.

A Labour member of Parliament said tonight he had advised constituents to break the law where it was immoral.

Dr G. A. Wall (Porirua), speaking during the Budget debate, gave an instance of a working mother in his electorate not having disclosed to the Social Security Department that she was working, She had told him that if she stopped work she could not keep her three teen-age sons. “I told her, ‘Morally your responsibility is to bring up your children. It would be quite immoral for you to stop work if the Government isn’t allowing you to do that properly,’ ” said Dr Wall.

The Government was compelling people to bring up

their children with a disrespect for the law, he said.

The Chief Government Whip, Mr H. R. Lapwood (Rotorua) appealed for a greater allocation of preschool education money to play centres. Kindergartens received 91.8 per cent but play centres received only 8.2 per cent.

One of the greatest problems facing the nation was “the great housing hang-up,” said Mr R. P. B. Drayton (Lab., St Albans). An imaginative housing programme was needed with liberal use of family benefit capitalisation. Although the limits for State Advances building loans had been increased, half the loan applications were rejected, said Mr Drayton. He urged the Government to overcome the backlog of police housing. He also asked that policemen on transfer should be more adequateley housed.