Sterner penalties for law-breakers urged

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33063, 2 November 1972, Page 16

Sterner penalties for law-breakers urged

The National Party candidate for Avon (Mr G. V. Thomas) has promised harsher penalties for law-breakers if he is elected to Parliament. He told a street-corner meeting at Linwood last evening that as member for Avon he would introduce legislation into Parliament increasing the existing penalties for law-breakers. He would see to it that people were safe in their own homes and that men’s wives and daughters would be safe in the streets.

Mr Thomas further promised that he would introduce legislation for the imposition of a citizens’ tax to relieve ratepayers of theh present burdens. He said rates were at present so high that they amounted almost to rent

A third piece of legislation he would introduce would be to increase penalties for pollution of the Avon and Heathcote rivers.

“We are doing well today under a National Government,” Mr Thomas said. "The prosperity we have got has been given to us by the Government.

"If I am elected as your member, I promise you I will fight for the people of Avon. I will be available only a telephone call away.” Mr Thomas was convinced that the state of the country was sound.

Under the last Labour GovenunenL the average wage was $29 but today it was $63. He admitted that the cost of living had gone up, but not to the same extent as wages.

Mr Thomas defended the Government’s housing record by asserting that since 1960 there had been 206,000 units built throughout New Zealand.

Mr Thomas warned his listeners that there would be massive industrial unrest after the election. He said that the Labour Party had told the Federation of Labour not to whip up industrial trouble for the time being. "You wait until after the electron,” he said. "Then you will see their true colours..

The whole country will be wrecked by strikes. Labour claims it has men of sufficient ability to run New Zealand—in my opinion, they are not fit to be in charge of a pie cart.” Mr Thomas said that National had doubled pensions and the family benefit, and in spite of what Labour claimed about the Government cutting social security benefits, the present benefit for a single beneficiary was $2l compared with $9 under the last Labour Government. For couples, the benefit was $4O and under Labour was $lB.