P.M. rallies Labour’s Coast team

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33870, 16 June 1975, Page 2

P.M. rallies Labour’s Coast team

(From Our Own Reporter t GREYMOUTH, June 15. A call to delegates “to put our beliefs into action and stand up and be counted” was made by the Prime Minister (Mr Rowling) at a No. 10 area council meeting of the Labour Party at Greymouth yesterday.

“We are in election! year and in the cam-i paign right now,” he said. His listeners included the three other. Labour members in the Seddon Shield districts area, Messrs S. A. Whitehead (Nelson), I. J. Brooks (Marlborough), and P. Blanchfield (West Coast). Listing the Government’s achievements, Mr Rowling told his audience to go out and tell the public of them. He spoke of new markets opened overseas, of quadrupled aid, and of building a reputation as an outwardlooking country. In welfare at home, the Government had brought in “innovation after innovation” for pensioners—travel concessions, reduced telephone and television charges, and Christmas bonuses. "We did that; let’s tell the people."

| The party, too, could be j proud of the way the Gov- ' emm ent was proceeding with its housing policy. "When you are positive, you get criticised, but you get things done,” said Mr Rowling.

Reefton delegates spoke of concern in their area about the loss of the proposed beech forest industry.

Mr Whitehead said there was a potential industry in beech, “but we have to work at the idea as an area overall. Wherever it goes, all of us will benefit in this most underpopulated area of half the South Island with only four seats.”

He urged the meeting to “fix our goals ahead,” and Mr Blanchfield said that the full employment must be emphasised. Before the

change of Government, when prices were lower and there were no oil problems, 10,000 were unemployed. Mr Blanchfield said that they should be telling the farmers of the benefits they were getting from Government grants and subsidies.

Mr Brooks said that farmers were telling him that he did not realise the Government was gaining friends in the rural area.

The National Party, he said had no policy. If it did, why was it keeping it under wraps? Mr Rowling accused the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Muldoon) of unprovoked verbal assaults on the Speaker (Mr Whitehead) and the Minister of Finance (Mr Tizard), the Press Association reports. But the Prime Minister urged that the Labour Party approach the November election on issues and achievements rather than personalities.

He said the campaign would be a bitter battle, and he questioned Mr Muldoon’s political tactics. Mr Rowling’s visit virtually marked the opening of the West Coast election campaign, which promises to be the most dogged political struggle in the constituency for years. _<