Wreckers Alleged To Dominate N.Z. Government

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 July 1947, Page 3

Wreckers Alleged To Dominate N.Z. Government

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 11. The greatest need facing New Zealand was more production in all things, but the greatest bar to that w"as the wave of industrial unrest and its consequences, said Mr K. J. Hofyoake (Opposition, • Pahiatua) during the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives today. Not only had the Government failed to plan for increased production, but had failed to govern, and evidence of this fact was the state of industrial unrest.

Labour members had preached industrial unrest and class warfare for the last 30 years, and that wave which today had become unmanageable would sweep them out of office, he continued. The Government was dominated by a small coterie of industrial extremists. The Prime Minister (Mr Fraser): Oh, no. Mr F. Langstone (Government, Roskill): We shiver with fear when you say things like that. Mr Holyoake said it was the declared and avowed action of the wreckers to overthrow the Government in favou'r of the Russian system. He went on to say that within a week of the return of the Government, ,the watersiders defied it, held up shipping, caused a diversion of ships, and deprived New Zealand’s kith and kin in Britain of food. The Prime Minister: Quite right, and it was quite wrong of them. Mr Holyoake said the Prime Minister had found himself unable to deal with the position. The Prime Ministr: Oh. I don’t know. No Apples for Britain. Because of the wharf hold-ups, not one apple went to Britain this year in spite of the fact that an order had been placed for 500,000 cases, continued Mr Holyoake. In every industrial hold-up, the Government put up a bold front, but this was followed by industrial threats, and the surrender of the Gov-' eminent. All the hold-ups had a very considerable effect on the cost of living in New Zealand. The Minister of Works (Mr R. Semple) had said that Mi - E. V. Elliott, national secretary of the Australian Seamen’s Union, was “a gangster, blackmailer, and potential murderer,” Mr Holyoake said. If New Zealand had “a gangster, blackmailer, and potential murderer” in the country interfering with industrial affairs, where was the Minister of Labour (Mr A. McLagan), and why had he permitted such action? Mr McLagan, interjecting, said the answer was that the amount awarded to workers on the Wanganella was awarded by agreement with the employers. _ An Opposition voice: At the point of a pistol. Mr Holyoake: The Minister of Labour had better have a session with the Minister of Works. Industrial Hold-up

The Minister of Labour had made an astounding statement when he said that the National Party could never deal with industrial hold-ups, and would not have the unions behind it because of the party’s past record, Mr Holyoake continued. He asked if the Minister of Labour and his colleagues had organised this position, and would their altitude if the National Party became the Government be the same as during the 1913 strikes The National Party policy dealing with industrial problems was to create harmony and peace, tolerance and goodwill between employer and employee. Scrtipulous fairness and justice would be firmly applied, and incentive would be given to work by co-oartnership and profit-sharing. He said the National Party’s policy on enforcement of the law was not to use a “big stick” at any stage. In the event of a hold-up in industry, an independent tribunal and judge would be set up to find out if there was justification for the hold-up.