National Party conference went like clockwork

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32977, 25 July 1972, Page 1

National Party conference went like clockwork

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 24. National Party delegates were not inclined to rock the party boat at the conference which ended today. The appearance of the party as a well-regulated machine seemed clearer than ever.

Conducted under the newly-chosen colour for publicity material — tangerine—but purged of all violence, this might have been called the “Clockwork Orange” conference.

The last public opinion polls had shown that the National Party was behind. “I don’t think we are now,” the Prime Minister (Mr Marshall) told delegates when he was asked to wind up the conference.

He was making his fifth appearance before delegates

— an unusual number of opportunities for the party leader to impress his thoughts on delegates.

On this occasion he attacked the Labour Party — something he had done only in passing during his main speech. On the evidence of the reception given to Mr Muldoon’s speech earlier today this kind of attack was exactly what the delegates wanted to hear.

“The Labour Party is confused by every pressure group and is jumping on every band waggon to gain support,” said Mr Marshall. “People see in the National Party no generation gap. They see the National Party independent of any outside group and the Labour Party tied to the chariot wheels of the Federation of Labour.” Deputy Leader But it was the Deputy Leader (Mr Muldoon) who provided almost the only highlight to today’s business. On one side in the General Election there would be Marshall and Muldoon in that order, he told the conference. “On the other side, Skinner and Kirk in that order. We can beat them one at a time, or all together.” Mr Muldoon was giving the delegates what conferences most enjoy: A confident swing at the Opposition. “This is not a dull conference; it is not complacent,” he said.

“This is the first party conference of the Marshall era. Jack Marshall calmly and clearly staked out the battleground and the conference has voted remit after remit along those lines.” Mr Muldoon’s hard-hitting speech brought the conference to one of its few moments of high enthusiasm. The Budget, he told delegates, had been calculated to ensure that investment targets would be met. Trade figures for the June year, just prepared, showed a record current account surplus of $130.3m. Exports of manufactured goods had been worth $105.7m. Five years ago these exports were worth only slom. In the last year of the last Labour Government they were worth $3.2m. G.N.P. higher The gross national product had increased but part of the increase had been because of inflation, and that was bad, said Mr Muldoon. Many intangibles, however, could not be measured by the G.N.P. The Labour Party conference had been a disaster because of the Federation of Labour take-over and youthful disaffection. “They have no grassroots membership,” he said. “They have fewer than 10,000 grassroots members. “We fluctuate between 100,000 and 200,000. On one side they have the F.0.L., the most conservative element in the country, looking back to the 19305. On the other side there are the young radicals, becoming more and more disaffected.

The Labour Party had produced a book of speeches and in one there was a proposal on how to improve New Zealand’s trade balance.

“They suggest that we take our surplus eggs and our surplus milk—of which we have none—and export vast quanties of instant egg nog.” On industrialisation Labour had taken Japan as a model—the most polluted country in the world, which was now trying to control its population and industry. As if to emphasise the changes that were being prescribed for the election campaign the Prime Minister today introduced to the conference the nine retiring National Party Parliamentarians.

Although he was not among the formal speakers at the conference, the man who has risen conspicuously in party estimation is the Minister for the Environment (Mr Maclntyre). His chairmanship of a Young Nationals panel discussion was obviously popular and references in the main conference to Mr Maclntyre’s work always drew applause. Although younger members of the National Party regularly made their contributions to the conference debates, they did not appear to be a unified force attempting to inject a “youth opinion” into the conference. Even their newly-elected chairman, Mr P. K. Matheson,

was among those who spoke against the vote for 18-year-olds. Mr Ma theson, aged 24, and formerly of Auckland, is editor of the CanterburyWestland Young Nationals publication, “Action,” and works for an advertising firm. The conference heavily defeated the remit calling for the lowering of the voting age to 18 years. The vote was about three to one against the remit. Older delegates Although one or two older delegates came to the support of the youthful proposers of this remit the speechs of several Young Nationals’ delegates easily reinforced the opinion of most delegates who had obviously come with their minds made up on this issue. A substantial majority had approved,, in committee discussion, the exclusion of single persons under 20 from unemployment benefits. Today, the conference accepted, without noticeable objection, an amendment that effectively nullified this remit by adding the words: ‘Except where reasonable cause will justify the benefit.”

This amendment brought the list of resolutions back into line with the “liberal” theme.