‘Gift’ for Mr Bolger

Press, 23 July 1987, Page 18

‘Gift’ for Mr Bolger

PA Wellington A fanner handed the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, a roll of toilet paper on Tuesday evening so that he could consider the high tariffs paid by all the community. The man, who described himself as “just an ordinary farmer” confronted Mr Bolger during questions after his address to Federated Farmers’ 1987 conference. He said Mr Bolger had been “indoctrinated by

the manufacturers’ propoganda” to support that industry over agriculture and to keep tariffs on in spite of farmers’ pleas against such protection. The toilet paper had a 33 per cent tariff, the man said, and he hoped Mr Bolger would think about that every time he used It.

Mr Bolger, a former Federated Farmers’ Dominion councillor, said he did not agree that he treated farmers as less Important than other sectors. He had already said

agriculture was at the heart of the New Zealand economy. He had sought to reassure an earlier questioner on concern about tariffs saying the protection would be removed from “significant farm Input”. He thanked the man for “the gift,” saying it would be more useful than a lot of paper that had been passed across his desk. Later however, he said he returned it saying he thought the other man needed it more than -he did.