Critic says Mr Goff inconsistent

Press, 7 October 1987, Page 9

Critic says Mr Goff inconsistent

By

RICHARD CRESSWELL

Mr Goff has been criticised for being prepared to grant subsidies as Minister of Tourism but not as Minister of Employment

The director of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, Mr lan Howell, said last evening that if Mr Goff allowed tourism subsidies that benefited wealthy overseas visitors, he had as much of a responsibility to assist other sectors to keep employing those whose jobs had been axed thanks to the Government’s policies. Mr Howell was commenting on a statement by Mr Goff in yesterday’s edition of “The Press” that he had made the tourist industry grants because of a severe accommodation bottleneck that was costing New Zealand millions of tourist dollars. Mr Howell also critic-

ised Mr Goffs use of statistics. He said that with the Buget having predicted a 23 per cent increase in unemployment, it would be more appropriate for the Minister of Employment to concentrate on easing mounting unemployment problems rather than selectively using past statistics. “It is significant the Minister used Christchurch City Council figures rather than those of the Labour Department for the actual Christchurch employment district,” Mr Howell said. He said Mr Goff had said that since 1984, those working in Christchurch had increased from 104,085 to 114,685. Mr Howell said the

Labour Department’s figures clearly showed that in the year to February, 1987, 3367 jobs disappeared In the Christchurch employment district With the economic downturn over the last seven months, another 2000 jobs had likely been lost He also said it was remarkable that Mr Goff had contradicted himself over the subsidies for the tourist industry. . “Manufacturers recognise the need for a growing tourist industry along with the development of all export sectors but we are concerned when Mr Goff, speaking as Minister of Employment makes misleading statements.”