1957 GENERAL ELECTION

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28261, 26 April 1957, Page 7

1957 GENERAL ELECTION

Return Of Labour Held Assured

There has been such a significant swing in public opinion towards Labour, that the return of the second Labour Government in November is assured, according to the annual report of the Christchurch Labour Representation Committee. "Trends which have alerted the public and made it desirable, and indeed imperative, that a Labour Government be elected, are the Nationalists’ lack of any worthwhile stable long-term programme for dealing with the financial and economic, moblems which have followed in" fM- train of their now thoroughly discredited policies; the state of our overseas funds: their attitude to our vital and strategic secondary industries: their disregard of the needs of fixed income groups; the rise of interest rates; overseas borrowing: and their lack of a statesmanlike policy for the future development and progress of the nation,” the report says. There was now widespread recognition of the soundness of Labour’s programme for financial reform, providing that the Government should be the sole authority for the creation of credit, the committee claims. “The Social Credit vote has swung to Labour,” it says a'fter commenting on the Riccarton and Bay of Plenty by-elections. “Those genuinely interested in fiancial reform recognise that this can only be achieved through Labour’s policy.” Increased branch membership and an increase in the number of junior branches are recorded in the report.