Many cram hall for Mr Jones

Press, 12 July 1984, Page 4

He was fulsome in his praise of the party’s Pakuranga candidate, Miss Josephine Grierson, aged 25, an economist

“Josephine will be the first woman Prime Minister in this country,” Mr Jones said to loud applause. "She is an outstanding woman, and that is plenty coming from me.”

Mr Jones said that his party’s economic policy was the only reasonable one on offer. It was written by Mr Len Bayliss. No’ other economist had disagreed with any of it The central part of the policy was a floating exchange rate, something the Prime Minister did not understand, Mr Jones said. The pair had spoken recently about the subject Mr Jones said it was clear “he does not understand how it works.” “You cannot have a deficit with a floating exchange rate.” Mr Jones drew the audience’s attention to the International Monetary Fund report on New Zealand published yesterday. It was an almost total endorsement of New Zealand Party policy, he said. “It is as if they had read our manifesto.” He said that the only thing he really disagreed with in the report was its recommendation about Public Service staff cuts. “We need not declare war on the Public Service,” he said. The growth in the economy that would occur

under a New Zealand Party Government would take care of any “excess fat” in the Public Service. The party’s disarmament policy also won loud support from the crowd. It was “disgraceful” that New Zealand spent $750 million a year on defence, just be- ' cause the other political • parties thought they might ; lose votes unless they supported the continuation of > the defence forces, Mr ' Jones said. “Let us have some hon- ’ esty on this issue at last,” he said. • To a question on indus- : trial relations, Mr Jones said that his party sup- ‘ ported absolutely the right of workers to strike. Al- • though a bit of “union bash- I ing” would probably go down well in a plush suburb ( such as Pakuranga, he was - “not prepared to mouth • platitudes.” The vast majority of - trade unionists were re- ' sponsible people. > “We believe everyone 1 should have the right to withdraw their labour.” There was increasing evi- 1 dence that strikes were - being forced on some ' workers, however, and the party’s solution to that was to provide for a secret, ' Labour Department-su-pervised ballot before strike • action was allowed. Pakuranga is high on the ■ list of electorates the New Zealand Party expects to win on Saturday. The sitting National member, Mr Pat Hunt, had a small majority ahead of Social Credit at the last election. Mr Jones said he liked Mr Hunt, “but I would rather he was a plumber.”