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Nordmeyer Predicts...

Labour's Return to Power

Mr. Nordmeyer told the NZUSA Congress: The tendency of people is to vote not for a political party but against a government.

"There is in my view every indication that the Labour party will become the government of this country in the near future." Mr. Nordmeyer said.

To do this, he said, the Labour party would have to overcome the National party's advantage in organisation, financial resources and press support.

"It is amazing that a Labour party achieves what it does at election time considering the way the dice is loaded against it." he said.

Mr. Nordmeyer touched on a wide range of subjects in his address. Including economic policy, disarmament and the relationship between the trade union movement and the Labour party.

"Whether Britain joins the Common Market or not," he said, "there are serious economic problems to be faced in the immediate future and in the mid-term period owing to the fact that New Zealand produces primary products that are also being produced in oversupply in many parts of the world."

Even if Britain does not join the European Economic Community, she is unlikely to be able to take increased quantities of New Zealand's products, he said. "This will be a problem for any government."

New Zealand must be prepared to increase her trade with countries with which it now trades at a very low level and must be willing to trade with any country which is willing to trade with her. Mr. Nordmeyer said.

But, he added, "we should not do, as we have done in the past, and put too many eggs in one basket." He cited the problems of Malaya and Ghana in trading with the Soviet Union for the bulk of major commodities, only to find the Soviet market disappear suddenly.

He called for New Zealand to offer deferred payment plans to Asian nations to allow them to purchase milk powder which he said was urgently and vitally needed. Such a scheme had worked in selling wool to France and Czechoslovakia after World War II and could work again, he said.

While public opinion was divided on whether Britain's proposed entry into the EEC was good for Britain or good for New Zealand, he believed that New Zealanders would eventually be thankful for the breakdown in negotiations which occurred. Mr. Nordmeyer said.

"New Zealanders. In the long run, whatever his motives are, will be grateful to General de Gaulle." he said.

Introduced as being best known for his term as Minister of Finance in the 1957-60 Labour government. Mr. Nordmeyer drew laughter when he responded that he did not regard that as the most successful part of his political career.

"I had a lot more fun as Minister of Health and Minister of Industries and Commerce in the earlier Labour government." he said.

Touching on the subject again, he recalled that both times the Labour party has come to power it has had to face a major crisis. In 1936 it was a general financial and economic crisis; in 1957 it was an economic rather than a financial crisis, he said.

"On both occasions Labour succeeded in overcoming the economic and financial crisis it faced at the time of its election." he said.

Mr. Nordmeyer warned against viewing disputes within the trade union movement and the Labour party as leading to the collapse of the party.

"If the trade union movement loses faith in the party it helped to creat," he said, "it could well be that the end of the Labour party could be in sight." But he added. "I believe the trade union movement will realise that a Labour government is liable to achieve more for the workers than any other government. As long as there is a trade union movement there is likely to be a Labour party."

"There is a resilience about the labour movement and the Labour party that makes it unwise to predict its demise." he said. "The difference between the National party and the Labour party if hat the National party manages to conceal its differences more than the Labour party does."

Mr. Nordmeyer called for New Zealand to assert its Influence in new initiatives toward disarmament. "Here is an opportunity for New Zealand to play a role in international affairs which will bring credit to this country," he said.

Abolishing nuclear weapons alone will not solve the problem, he said. "Important as the abolition of nuclear warfare is, more important still is the abolition of war itself—the outlawing of wai as a means of settling international disputes."