THE OLD ORDER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 09, Issue 07, 18 September 1945, Page 4

THE OLD ORDER

Sir ? —ln glancing through diaries written ,in the Elizabethan age, one is struck by the similarity between the economic system of that age an'd the present trend of ideas and conditions. Money coin and bullion were not allowed to be taken out of the country. Prices of all commodities were fixed. Even the price of rabbits and poultry were fixed the retailers of which had to enter into bonds not to sell rabbits, hares and poultry less than a certain weight. All tin was controlled by the Crown so as to enable a fixed price to be paid to the owners and a fixed wage" to the workers. Everj' single indusn try was subjected to regulation and control. Even the collection of rags and bones was controlled and I:cenonly forty collectors being alowed in London who had to be over the age of -10 years. All overseas trade was parcelled out to individ J uals or corporations under license each with a monopoly to trade in certain overseas areas. Elsewhere I have read of ISOO regulations In the weaving trade alone—even the width of cloth being fixed and the num-> ber of strands to each piece of cloth. The printing and publishing industry was licensed and printers and retailers were hanged for printing and circulating publications that were not Co the liking of the plan- 1 ners. There were laws against grumbling or criticising the working of the system with death ns the penalty just as in Socialist Russia. We are not returning to this system? Are Ave not merely re-establish-ing the very conditions that had to be abolished before freedom of speech and religious freedom became possible? We imagine we are creating a new order but we are actually returning to a very old order, and when we have put planning into operation we will have democracy and. every freedom. Yours etc % » P. ARDATH.