Party splits 'just family arguments’

Press, 27 July 1976, Page 2

Party splits ' just family arguments’

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CEDRIC MENTIPLAY

Rotorua I Sharp differences of opinion among delegates at the National Party conference during the week-end were merely family arguments, serving only to emphasise the togetherness of delegates on all main issues, said the party chairman (Mr G. A. Chapman). Nevertheless. committee discussion during the conference revealed notable differences of opinion on three main issues: abortion, the need for extensive Parliamentary reform, and the need for greater support for farming. Strangely, the abortion issue was not mentioned among the 58 questions chosen for discussion by the full conference and its four committees. It quickly surfaced during committee discussion, however, and it soon became apparent that many delegates were strongly opposed to any measures being brought into Parliament before the Royal Commission on sterilisation, contraception, and abortion reports in September. This would endanger the proposed “hold the line” measure to be put forward soon by the Minister of Health (Mr Gill). Independent conference feeling seems to be that the abortion issue should not be “tidied up” until all the facts are at hand. At a committee meeting Mr R. Davis (CanterburyWestland Young Nationals) expressed concern that Government action could preempt the Royal Commission’s findings. Mr, D. Searle (Dominion councillor) moved an amendment that no action be taken until the Royal Commission had reported. Miss Marilyn Waring, the M.P. for Raglan, said the ' commission was costing ! about $250,000, and had received more than 10,000 , pages of submissions from ; 350 groups and individuals. \ Premature action, she sub-

rnitted, would sacrifice the! good will of all these people.: It would make people wonder whether the effort ofj making submissions was. worth it, and so would, affect reaction to the pro-: posed Royal Commission on] nuclear energy. The amendment was] carried on a show of hands. Supporting it, Mr Davis described as “sheer stupidity” the casting away of information gained by the commis-, sion. The Deputy Prime Min-i ister (Mr Taiboys) and the] Minister of Lands (Mr V, S. j Young) voted against it. Mr Gill ’ said later that , legislation to amend the Hospitals Amendment Act of last year had largely been drafted and could be completed quite quickly. The timing of the introduction of the legislation depended on a decision of the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon), he said. The Government caucus and the Cabinet would con-

sider the decision made by the conference. A call for Parliament to concentrate on law-making and to “get rid of ail this time-consuming nonsense" was made at the conference by the new M.P. for Hamilton West, Mr M. J. Minogue. He said that Parliament was a place for civilised work, and that members should not be required to “sit like morons.” Another new member, Mr D. F. Quigley (Rangiora) said that the rights of the Opposition had to be respected.

the future, Mr Minogue advocated concentration on: basic civil liberties; preservation of personal privacy; constraints on executive and bureaucratic power; defining the responsible limits of pressure-group activity; and preservation of the supremacy of Parliament and the reform of some of its outworn practices.