New Democrat Party’s policy

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33067, 7 November 1972, Page 12

New Democrat Party’s policy

Sweeping changes in Parliament, local government, Government departments, finance, welfare, health, and education are promised in the General Election policy of the New Democrat Party, released today.

The party promises to adopt a defence policy of armed neutrality, abandon collective defence, and integrate the sendees in a national defence corps.

On the law and order [front, it promises to make drug-peddling a capital offence, and where Parliament is concerned, it promises to establish proportional representation, with extra seats in the House being filled proportionately on the basis of total votes cast for each party’s nominees in a General Election.

It also promises to make voting in Parliamentary elections compulsory.

The party promises to abolish death duties, eliminate television licence fees, appoint public defenders to every court, make tradeunionism non - compulsory, raise pensions, reduce localbody rates, and reduce all interest rates to 2 per cent. Other points from the policy are: Finance A national credit authority will be established. Pensions will be increased to the minimum wage rate, $26 a week for a single person and $44.50 for a couple. All interest rates will be reduced to 2 per cent and hire-purchase put on a day-to-day basis at 1 per cent above the bank rate. A national dividend, nontaxable will be struck of $2 a person a month. Families win receive priority for the purchase of homes with loans up to full Govemriiejit valuation on a repayment basis only. The means test will be

abolished for pensions and everyone will have the right to retire at 60. Local bodies The entire local-body debt will be transferred to the national accounts. This will free about 70 per cent of the present rates used for debt servicing and enable reductions of up to 50 per cent. Regional authorities will be abolished. The local authority petroleum tax will be abolished.

Defence

The present frigates will be scrapped and replaced by New Zealand-built patrolboats. The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s strike aircraft will be sold, but helicopters, and reconnaissance and transport aircraft retained. The Army will comprise SA.S.-type combat units. Shipbuilding industries will be given long-term orders for the construction of naval vessels. Electricity Agreements on the development of Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri will be publicly examined. The proposed hydro-electric schemes for the Clutha River will be abandoned. Coal-fired power stations will be established on the West Coast, and atomic power stations will be proceeded with as required. Education

The training of teachers will be reprogrammed and the teaching profession will be registered, with the right to establish a code of ethics and a standard of eligibility. The class-size target will be no more than 20 pupils a teacher in sixth forms and upwards, and no more than 30 a teacher in lower forms. Top teachers will be used for school and adult educational radio and television programmes. ‘ History, science, mathematics, literature and languages, art, music, and civics will all be made compulsory subjects. ' The School Certificate and University Entrance examinations will be replaced with subject certificates of attainment. The right of schools to discipline will be restored. An under-secretary responsible for vocational training will be appointed to the Minister of Education, and area technical institutes will be set up.

State departments The Railways Department will become a publicly owned corporation, as will the Electricity Department. The role of the Ministry of Works will be reduced to an administrative one, with capital works undertaken by private enterprise through public tender. The N.Z.B.C. will become a viewers’ corporation, with an elected board. The Department of Education will be overhauled and decentralised. Housing Local authorities will have capital made available at service cost to buy land ahead of town growth and so eliminate land speculation.

Pensioners owning larger homes and wishing to buy flats instead will be given “bridging” finance interestfree. State service and commercial building will be stopped where necessary until the housing shortage is overcome.

All existing home-owner-ship loans will be rewritten at 2 per cent interest. Trade An import-export bank will be set up to provide financial means of trade for other nations. Trade commissions will be expanded, and commissions established in Africa. Sweetened condensed milk and pickled mutton products will be developed for the Asian market. Trade and labour-intensive industry will be taken to the Pacific Islands rather than bringing Islanders to New Zealand. Maori affairs The Ministry and Department of Maori Affairs will be dissolved, and their functions incorporated in the work of other departments. The Treaty of Waitangi will be “ratified." In consultation with chiefs and elders, tribal lands will be defined and restored. Immigration Present programmes of mass immigration will be suspended. The establishment of labour-intensive and villagecraft industries in the pacific Islands will be promoted and aided. Fishing An inshore trawling limit of three miles will be estab-

lished, and the offshore fishing limit will be 100 miles. The limits will be strictly policed. Crayfish and shellfish catches will be limited, with only that amount surplus to New Zealand requirements being available for export. Compensation An immediate cash payment of $lOO plus $lOO for each child will be made to the surviving partner in a family when a wife or husband dies, the sum to be repaid later from the estate. Where a worker has been killed in a work accident, dependants shall receive 2.5 per cent of the total insurance compensation due within two weeks. Environment From 1973, industries without pollution extractors will not be licensed. All existing industries will reduce effluent emission by 50 per cent in five years. All industries emitting pollution will be required to install sewerage plants, and capital will be provided on a repayment only basis. Foreign ownership of New Zealand industries will be reduced to 25 per cent, and foreign ownership of land or resources shall be prohibited.

Agriculture All production over an average of the last three years will be exempt from tax. Finance for the settlement of land and its development will be available at not more than 2 per cent interest. Crown land will be made available on a title for use at a rental of 11 per cent of unimproved value. Capital for irrigation where required by 70 per cent of land occupiers will be available on a loan repayment basis only. A rural bank will be established to specialising in servicing farm loans at 2 per cent.

Trade unions Membership will not be compulsory. There will be only one union in any plant or factory. In foreign-owned industry, 25 per cent of the shareholding will be held as an employee trust and employees represented on the boards. Waterside workers will be encouraged to form their own co-operative companies to tender on a labour-only basis for ship work. Constitutional Proportional representation will be established, with an extra 20 seats being filled on the basis of total votes cast for each party’s nominees. Voting in Parliamentary elections will be compulsory. Parliament will have a threeyear term. Electoral titles and rolls for Europeans and Maoris will be abolished and replaced by a single New Zealand roll. The Maori seats will be abolished. A Ministry of Island territories and Affairs will be set up. ..

All liquor taxation will be applied to research and assistance for alcoholics and drug victims.