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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 39, Issue 3. 15th March [1976]

Muldoon Says No

Muldoon Says No

So when the note came back from the Treasury, it contained a personal statement from Muldoon commenting that in view of pending legislation he 'did not consider it appropriate to approve the Terawhiti Trust borrowing money to establish it proposed liquor outlet in Karori.'

The National Party has a long history of thwarting the establishment of trusts, even if the people of an area have decided that they want one. It is apparent that they regard it as the first spasm of 'creeping socialism', and the antithesis of their totem 'private enterprise'. In fact former National Party leader Sid Holland suggested that the ballot paper should be worded, not simply 'for' or 'against' Trust Control as provided in the Act, but for 'private enterprise control' or for 'trust control'.

In the case of the Terawhiti Trust, the people in the area voted three times on the trust issue, and each time wholeheartedly supported the establishment of trust liquor outlets in their area. So, why did Muldoon ove against it? If you were watching the papers at the end of February, you might also ask why Minister of Works Bill Young, was trying to deny the trusts a position in the Huntly area.

Photo of Sir Henry Kelliher being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

Big brewery business is an integral part of New Zealand's establishment: leading brewery personalities have long been candidates for the accolade. Here Sir Henry Kelliher. Managing Director of Dominion Breweries, is knighted by Her Majesty the Queen during a visit to New Zealand in the early 1960s.

If you look behind many of these actions you will see the sinister forms of the breweries lurking somewhere in the shadows. The breweries spend about $1000 a year on public realtions and most of this goes towards lobbying among the media and the parliamentarians. In fact, Jim Thompson, chairman of the Liquor Industry Council, is working full-time trying to win favours for the breweries amongst the ranks of the politicians.