“Mr Skinner would be real P.M.’

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33062, 1 November 1972, Page 18

“Mr Skinner would be real P.M.’

“Who would run New Zealand if the Labour Party got into power? I have no doubt whatever that the real Prime Minister would be the president of the Federation of Labour, Mr Skinner,” said Mr E. S. F. Holland, the Minister of Housing and National Party candidate for Riccarton, in a street comer election address last evening.

About 60 people gathered to listen. Although some critical questions were asked afterwards, Mr Holland’s address was received quietly and almost without interruption.

He quoted Mr Muldoon’s remark that National was led by Messrs Marshall and Muldoon, in that order, and Labour was led by Messrs Skinner and Kirk, in that order. “It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic,” said Mr Holland. He doubted if the Labour Party made any decisions without referring the matter first to Messrs Skinner and Knox (the secretary of the F.0.L.), he said. Labour had sat quietly in the House when wage stabilisation legislation was introduced because it had not received its instructions from the F.0.L., said Mr Holland. When equal-pay legislation was introduced, the Labour Party—“like the tame little doves they are”—had tried to

meet the F.O.L, wishes about implementing the new rates. About housing, Mr Holland said that if the lending limit of the State Advances Corporation was increased again from the present $lO,OOO, this would be likely to result in an increase in building prices. Profit margins When the building trades award rates were raised by 6.1 per cent, the builders had said it would add $l5O to $2OO to the cost of a house, and had approached the State Advances Corporation to see if it would increase the lending limit by this amount, Mr Holland said. “If the employers want to give away this sort of wage increase, they should absorb it in their profit margins," he said. Mr Holland was questioned about immigration from Uganda—“ Are you saying that after 12 years of National Government, we can’t absorb more than 50 Asian workers and their families?” —about State aid to Marylands, and about the Industrial Relations Bill. “If people refuse to work, how are you going to force them to without introducing slavery?” said a critic of the proposed measures against political strikes. Mr Holland replied on the responsibilities of trade unions, and said if necessary they could be deregistered.