Confidence Lacking

Because of some defect in the lighting in the Little Theatre, Mr Nordmeyer spent the evening of the Parliamentary debate bathed in tight while Mr Shand was relegated to the shady side of the stage.

A number of Mr Shand's supporters in the audience felt this was a dastardly plot on the part of the Debating Club committee. Certainly ii appeared to set the tone of the evening.

Of a long stream of floor speakers only four spoke against the motion. The motion, "That this House has No Confidence in the Government ", was carried over-whelmingly by both the vote of the whole House and that of the students.

The meeting was well attended with the theatre almost full. Interjections were frequent and just Occasionally witty. Probably the best was when Mr Shand, facing a barrage of interjections, said, "I would like the audience to attempt my job for a while."

Interjector: "We wouldn't get tied into Reefer knots."

Mr Nordmeyer built his case around five major points. He believed that the governments policy of heavy overseas borrowing was mortgaging the future of the Showing a fine flare for the dramatic he even made the long list of figures that he quoted to support the argument, sound interesting and significant.

He then accused the government of "muddled thinking" in allowing the interest rates to be raised. No-one could estimate the increased burden that would have to be borne by private borrowers and local bodies, he said. Only that week Mr Lake' had stated that the Governed would not approve of an increase in the in interest rate by the trading banks. However, rates were increased, Mr Nordmeyer said, and this revealed the Government's inability to deal with the trading banks. Or perhaps, he asserted, the Government believed in a policy of high interest rates.

Mr Nordmeyer then mentioned that he had several other matters to bring up. Voice: "Bananas!" Mi Nordmeyer: "Yes, we have none!"

Mr Nordmeyer pointed out that the Government might very easily drift into a situation where unemployment was inevitable. 20,000 new jobs had to be found every year, and it should be the job of the Government to ensure that industry was expanding at a rate able to cope with this increase.

Not unexpectedly, the former Finance Minister also attacked the Nelson Cotton Mill. His argument was mainly a restatement of official Labour Party Policy.

Opening for the negative, Shand spent the first quarter-hour of his speech discussing philosophical aspects of democracy. The conservative process, he asserted, was to defend democracy, whereas socialism was a denial of the fundamental principles of democracy. Democracy was wasteful, he said, but the best system.

Mr Shand spent some time attempting to re-define the debate. He claimed that "we must not be concerned with the failures of the present Government, but with four issues: firstly, whether or not the hour Party's policy represents a realistic alternative; whether the government had properly carried out its managerial function; whether or not the government has members qualified to carry out these functions; and what was the political philosophy of the two parties."

Mr Shand said also that he "believed that there were those who give orders and those who received them," suggested that students were among those who were the future leaders.

Messrs Blizard, McKinley and Maxwell were adjudged the best speakers of the evening. The adjudicator mentioned that the two principal speakers "showed promise, and should go far."

—Spec. Corres.