‘Massive achievement since 1959’ says MP

People who suggested that the Conservatives' achievements since the 1959 election had not been on the scale of those between 1951 and 1959 were not correct. Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, MP, told members of Finchley and Friern Barnet Conservative Association, at the annual meeting, on Thursday last week.

Mrs. Thatcher said the top rates of purchase tax, halved between 1951 and 1959, had since been halved again. About a million new homes had been built since the last election, and 521,000 houses were provided for home ownership in 1960–62 inclusive—a record for any three-year post-war period.

Slum clearance attained a record figure in 1961 and over 1,200 new schools had been completed since 1959. Teachers in primary and secondary schools increased by 11,000 and there were now 20,000 more students in teacher training colleges than in 1958–9.

Mrs. W. Mackrill, Women's Divisional Chairman, presented Mrs. Thatcher with a bouquet of iris and daffodils.

Unofficial strikes

Mr. Derek Webster, chairman of the association, spoke on specific points from the annual report and congratulated the Women's Sections on producing over £800 during the year and the Young Conservatives for their support and the agent and office staff for the amount of work completed during the year.

Mr. John Drinkwater gave a resume of the financial position and thanked the Wards for their wholehearted support. During the coming year he hoped that with the new ideas being implemented, there would be a substantial increase in income.

Officers elected: chairman, Mr. D. G. Webster; deputy chairman, Cty. Cr. Paul Mendel; vice-chairman, Mr. John Tiplady; treasurer, Mr. John Drinkwater; treasurer, Mr. E. G. Morgan; auditors, Hereward, Scott, Davies & Co.

A motion calling on the Government to make unofficial strikes illegal and to examine the rules affecting industry so that “working to rule” would not slow down industrial output, was moved by Cr. Frank Gibson and seconded by Mr. David Tiplady. After a lively debate the motion was passed by a large majority.