Party power struggle expected

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33628, 2 September 1974, Page 1

Party power struggle expected

tN.Z.P.A. Stalf Correspondent) WELLINGTON, September 1. The death of the Prime Minister (Mr Kirk) on Saturday night may have brought forward a power struggle which had been expected to occur in the Labour Party by the end of the year.

The struggle was to have been about who would be Mr Kirk’s deputy. Now, the question to be decided is who will fill the gap created by the death of the Prime Minister?

The rumours suggested that the Deputy — now Acting — Prime Minister (Mr Watt) would have to give

way in favour of the Minister of Defence (Mr Faulkner), who during the week took over the Works portfolio from Mr Watt to light, en the acting leaders load.

Today, announcing details of the Government's transitional period, Mr Watt said he would put his name to the caucus as a possible leader, so, he said, might 50 or so others. The death of the Prime

Minister is a heavy blow for the Labour Government, and such was the personal standing and political stature •of Mr Kirk that the party has no obvious successor., Most experienced Mr Watt is the Govern, ment’s most- experienced Minister — he is the only Cabinet member who held portfolios in the 1957-60 Labour Government.

He has handled the difficult Labour portfolio since 1972, and has borne a large share of the Prime Ministerial duties in the last few weeks. Mr Watt has come in for some criticism because of widespread industrial disputes, and it was also rumoured that he would retire by the end of the year.

Mr Watt said today that the new leader would not be on a "caretaker” basis. He would be permanent.

“It doesn’t mean there will be major changes in Cabinet or anything like that,” he said, “but there are two vacancies — there is a vacancy in the Cabinet and

there is the leader.” Mr Watt does not intend to occupy the Prime Ministerial suite for the moment, but will remain in his deputy’s suite on the floor below until the leadership is settled.

The difficulties facing the new leader will be immense. The Opposition is likely to take strength from the absence of such an able leader as Mr Kirk, and will renew its criticisms of the Government on its two main fronts, the state of the economy, and industrial relations.

Leadership material Three or four Ministers apart from Mr Watt look leadership material. They are the Minister of Finance (Mr Rowling), the Minister of Justice (Dr Finlay) and the Minister of Trade and Industry (Mr Freer). Mr Faulkner, a party election strategist, is also being talked about as a future leader (because of the rumours that he would take over from Mr Watt), and an outside chance must be held by the Minister of Health (Mr Tizard).' Mr Rowling has had a difficult time controlling the economy, with inflation and overseas-reserve problems, but the causes of these have largely emanated from outside New Zealand. He is popular within the party, and as former party president played a leading role in organising the election campaign in 1972. In spite of his senior position in the Cabinet, Mr Rowling is not as well known publicly as some of his Cabinet colleagues. Reasoned approach Pr Finlay and Mr Freer are both long-serving Labour Parliamentarians, and both have a reasoned approach to their portfolios and the House.

Mr Freer, however, has rising prices and the muchdelayed and heavily criticised maximum retail price scheme as his bogies. The liberal Dr Finlay has fitted easily into the Justice portfolio, but at times his quietly radical tendencies have put him at variance with the party hierarchy, and trade unions may not take kindly to his expressed views on the sensitive issue of the use of court injunctions in industrial disputes. . Trouble-free lime Mr Faulkner has had virtually a trouble-free time with Defence, and his recent (assumption of the Works and i Development portfolio might I indicate that a higher Cabinet ranking is not far away. Mr Tizard was widely exipected to be Minister of I Labour when the Govern;ment took over in 1972. ! He was passed over then Sand given a comparatively (junior role, but is one of the more able men on the Government benches. It is doubtful if any prospective leader would coma from outside these ranks. Parliament will sit at its ! normal time of 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, but only briefly. | Mr Watt said the House ' would rise and adjourn for | the rest of the week after members had paid their respects to Mr Kirk. “It would be improper for the House to sit until after the Prime Minister has been I buried,” Mr Watt said.