What the M.P.s were saying

Press, 12 June 1978, Page 2

What the M.P.s were saying

A wedge between islands?

From CEDRIC MENTIPLAY

A charge that this session Labour members of Parliament have been trying to drive a wedge between the South Island and the North was made by Mr R. L. G. Talbot (National, South Canterbury) during the Imprest Supply debate. It had to happen. Right through the Address-in-Reply debate. Labour members had been accentuating the troubles of the South in communications, farming assistance, and in regional development. This carried on into the Imprest Supply debate.

“I am proud to be a South Islander, and to stapd up and refute the irresponsible and degrading attack made by Opposition members who are not worthy to represent the South Island,” Mr Talbot said. “They belong to an anti-achievement party. The member for Christchurch Central (Mr B. G. Barclay) has tried to knock the Southerner, which he knows will not be phased out . . .

It has become obvious since Parliament opened this year that the Opposition is undertaking a campaign to drive a wedge between South and North.” Mr A. J. Faulkner (Labour, Roskill): Rubbish. Mr Talbot: The president of the Labour Party knows it is not rubbish. Opposition members are making a deplorable and irresponsible attack, because the Labour Party is desperately trying to gain a few votes during election year. Mr Talbot said it was im-

portant that people were not hoodwinked “by a wave of e 1 e c t i o n-year gimmickry bandied round by the Labour Party.” Labour was promising shipping services and other things that were not based on the restructuring now being done by National, Mr Talbot said. The Government was undertaking the long-de-layed job of restructuring New Zealand’s economy. Most people knew that the South Island was included in the restructuring. The Minister of Transport (Mr McLachlan) and the Minister of Labour (Mr Gordon) had both given details that very morning.

“I hope the member for Timaru (Sir Basil Arthur) will listen to the facts of what is happening in Ashburton, South Canterbury and North Otago,” Mr Talbot said. “This year about $4.5M will be spent on industrial development in South Canterbury. The money has been injected by way of regional development suspensory loans and Development Finance Corporation commercial loan finance. Twenty financial projects have been helped.”

He mentioned $250,000 in suspensory loan money for Mosgiel and Alford Forest mills, for new machinery and thus new employment opportunities.

He also mentioned Fletcher Agricultural Industries (lucerne and oil seed processing), New Zealand Linen Textiles (linen flax), New Zealand Insulators, Temuka, and Watties Industries. “That is happening a mile or so from where the member for Timaru lives.” Transport ‘disaster’ Sir Basil Arthur referred to transport as “one of the major disaster areas in New Zealand.” He also quoted the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Maclntyre) as describing transport in New Zealand as a “shambles.” “If this Minister and this Government had deliberately set out to wreck our transport system completely they could not have done a better job than has been achieved,” Sir Basil said. “No matter which mode of travel, whether by road, by rail, by sea or by air, this Government has made a mess. That is something that in this country we just cannot afford — not at this or any other time.”

He charged the National Party with failing to carry out the “prime aim” of its 1975 manifesto: the co-ordi-nation of all transport services and equipment to obtain full use and achieve the best result for the consumer. About 14 months ago Mr McLachlan had said: “The

main reason I have come in for criticism is that I am the fellow who stops things.” “This was right then,” Sir Basil said. “Since then it has gone on. N.A.C. has gone, the Shipping Corporation has stopped calling at Timaru, the Coastal Ranger has been withdrawn, and rail services have been cut even further.” Over the last 15 months a number of industries had moved from the south. The main reason was that Government policy had made them unable to compete with industries in the North Island. Sir Basil noted that in the last five years the Christ-church-to-Picton line had had 78 slips and blockages and 77 derailments. More than once a fortnight over the last five years the South Island main trunk line between Picton and Christchurch had been cut. This meant not only a stoppage of freight, but a stoppage of passengers — those who either did not like to fly or could not afford it. ‘No help’ Speaking in the Budget debate on Friday morning, Mrs M. Batchelor (Lab., Avon) said she had been listening to Government speakers, and had read the Budget, and had failed to find anything helpful in it.