More ‘squabbles’ likely

Press, 22 August 1978, Page 10

More ‘squabbles’ likely

“Unproductive squabbles” in ■ _ Parliament are likely to' increase in the next "few mmonths because of the approaching election, says the vicepresident of the Manufacturers’ Association (Mr F. Turnovsky). He was speaking at the

opening of the Industries Fair at Canterbury Court, Christchurch. “Farmers blame freezing workers for leaving their stock unkilled, freezing companies blame the Government for interfering in the pricing of their services, . farmers blame the Government for subsidising freezing workers’ wages, and the Government blames the unions, the freezing companies and the farmers, Mr Turnovsky said. “When things go wrong, everybody starts blaming everybody else. Manufacturers point their fingers at an inefficient transport system, poor industrial relations and a whole host of impediments which prevent them from doing their job properly,” Mr Turnovsky said. Most manufacturers were tired of bureaucratic control and with nil economic growth, large-scale unemployment, a great outflow of skilled . New Zealanders, huge internal and external deficits, a high inflation rate and a. slide down the scale of developed nations the situation had become embar» rassing.

He quoted Japan as a success story ,in its good management of an economy.

“Japan, is a country poorly endowed with natural wealth, where the inter-play of private enterprise and Government intervention was working superbly well,” he said.

“The emphasis in New [ Zealand must be on good j economic management, which we can hardly claim to have achieved, but must learn to master before we can expect to recover lost ground,” Mr Turnovsky said.