P.M.’s letter of complaint

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34123, 8 April 1976, Page 18

P.M.’s letter of complaint

(N Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND. April 7. A letter of complaint by the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon), about comments made by an Auckland City Council social worker, was released by the Town Clerk’s office this afternoon.

| Mr Muldoon had written Ito the Deputy Mayor (Dr R. ,H. L. Ferguson) complaining abput comments made by a ctaimunity adviser, Mr I. Shirley, to a social workers' conference in Auckland (earlier this year. Mr Shirley had said ’hat: New Zealand society was be-; coming dominated by a class of wealthy "parasites.”[ growing remote from increas-l ing numbers of people living: in poverty. Urban violence! would result unless measures were taken to narrow the widening gulf. The letter from the Prime Minister read: “Dear Dr Ferguson, I am not sure whether I am sending you this as P.M. or as a ratepayer. “If this man was an employee of the State he would be paraded before his permanent head and told to behave himself in public. “I believe he does nothing but harm talking like this. Best regards. Rob Muldoon.” Mr Shirley said tonight he would not comment on the letter from the Prime Minister. But he stdl stood by the remarks he had made. Normally people in his field, he said, were accused of saying things in hindsight. “But now we have it m our power to take a look and do something about the growing disparity between} the ‘Haves’ and the ‘Have} nots’ ,” he said. The difference between the “Haves” and the “Have nots.” said Mr Shirley, was that the “Haves” had the financial and political power. The country had to act now, he said, before the disparity became so extreme that the only avenue left open to the poor was violence, as had been evidenced overseas. Mr Shirley said a more open society should be created, one where the thoughts of ail groups could be expressed. (Earlier report on Page 9.)