S.I. govt ‘serious mistake’

Press, 15 April 1980, Page 3

S.I. govt ‘serious mistake’

Westport reporter It would be a serious mistake for the South Island to form its own government under a New Zealand federal system, according to the Social Credit spokesman on South Island affairs, Mr Eamon O’Connor. The South 'island Movement has decided to circulate a petition asking the Government to give South Islanders, a chance to choose whether they want a federal system. The Canterbury branch chairman of the movement (Mr S. M. Andrews) said that he was , confident a challenge made last year by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Highet) to get 200,000 signatures could be met. Mr O’Connor said yesterday that he could understand the frustrations contributing to the South Island independence movement. Financial policies of present and past governments had caused increasing centralisation, producing a population drift from- country to town and from the South Island to the North, particularly to Auckland. However, establishing a South Island state within New Zealand would be doomed from the outset if present outworn and outdated financial policies were retained. The burden of debt and interest would destroy the South Island state’s economy just as surely as it was destroying the New Zealand economy today. Mr O’Connor said that the solution for the South Island’s problems was for South Islanders to get behind Social Credit, with its progressive policies in finance and regional development. This would cause a build-up in the South Island’s economy, and a consequent increase in population.