Cause platform unstable?

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33963, 2 October 1975, Page 11

Cause platform unstable?

f.V Z. Pr«*» Association) 1 HAMILTON, j Candidates standing indapendently for Parliament on a “cause” platform could lessen the chance of their cause being successful, the Deputy Prime Mininister (Mr Tizard) said. 1 Speaking to students at! Waikato University, Mr Tiz-' ard said that in the last three years there had been an increasing trend for General Election candidates to stand on a platform of one or two issues. “While such people have every right to stand for Parliament, I would question, whether they achieved more success for their cause this way as opposed to those who ■ work within one of the major I parties,” Mr Tizard said. “By standing with virtually no chance of being elected, such people can effectively exert a negative influence on the issue by tending to attract votes away. from the party that has a! greater sympathy for the! particular issue. “Consequently, this could J result in a candidate being elected with less sympathy to the cause.” Mr Tizard denied that the Government’s borrowing policy had left the country overburdened with debts. Borrowing by the Government, and by the Reserve Bank, together with the existing debt, was still less in relation to current export earn-

ings than the comparable debt in 1968. The Government had borrowed as a deliberate policy to avoid massive unemployment—protecting the jobs of thousands. The latest trade figures showed the first trade surplus since April last year, and the annual current account deficit had reduced. “This is only a start, but I our policies are working.

“I am certain that during the remainder of this trade year we will see a substantial improvement in the balance of payments, particularly as the substantial decrease in the volume of importing that has occurred becomes reflected in actual payments. One well-known economist is going so far to predict we iwill be back in balance by June, 1976,” he said.