WAR-TIME CONTROLS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 65, 24 April 1946, Page 5

WAR-TIME CONTROLS

NO LONGER NECESSARY BATTLE OF ASSOCIATED , BUSINESSMEN In a most interesting and critical address to members of the Whakatane Chamber of Commerce, in the course of a luncheon meeting last Thursday at the Commercial Hotel, Mr A. O. Henry, Secretary of the Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand, dealt mainly with the battle which lay ahead of the organisation in forcing the Government to lift the War-time controls and restrictions which he said it was apparently loath to do.

The main theme, of the executive of the Association was that ‘the war is over’ and that therefore all restrictive legislation imposed during its progress should be lifted. Our power-grabbing politicians, he said, refused to recognise this fact and showed every desire to continue with the restrictions which today were hampering progress. He explained that the Associated Chambers, was non-party, but of necessity had to be political in order 'to gain its just ends. It was im'material which Government was in power, the Association would battle for its rights and would not cease to criticise wherever it deemed necessary in the interests of its members. Chaotic Trade Conditions Speaking of trade generally, he said that the right to import and to export was gone. In the old days merchant-trading firms of longstanding experience carried on a competitional trade which ensured for the public the best of the world’s goods at reasonable prices. Today these firms were finished. Public agencies had been set up in their place. Governmental officials sought to deal with markets and conditions which were totally strange to them. Today, one man had the colossal conceit to imagine that he knew better that the thousands of trading firms which had been operating for generations in order to give the public what it wanted and needed. Mr Nash, had said that this was part of the Government’s policy and would not be abolished. The Associated Chambers did not care two hoots whether it was policy or not, and would fight the issue all the way, demanding that these totalitarian ideas be thrown off. Crippling Taxation

Taxation today was cramping industrial expansion everywhere. The shortage of goods, he made bold to say was not due to the labour shortage but rather to the burden of taxation, which could go as far as taking up to 75 per cent, of turnover. No business could be expected to expand under those conditions. There was no inducement offering.

He warned his hearers that there was every prospect of the tobacco industry coming under State control. It was the policy of the Government to make it impossible for private enterprise to operate, and then to step in where it had apparently failed and run the industry itself. He mentioned the coal mines and the Bank of New Zealand —

'wough in the latter case there had never been any allegation of inefficiency, because it simply could not be alleged. The issues however were crystal clear, either State enterprise must go or Private enterprise would—and that was all about it. Mr Langstone 'announced .that the Insurance Companies and the Stock and Station Agents were next in line, had never been disputed by the Government. .After that, what would be the next line of attack? It could be any line of industry at all. The Association was fighting hard for free enterprise by the individual \ thing which had been badgered •om pillar to post. It wanted to know just where private enterprise od in the scheme of things as Labour had planned it. To all queries they had received no reply whatsoever. If complete State Control ever eventuated in this country there would be a complete end to individual effort. Every person would be affected. There .would be no Chambers of Commerce or any other free body for the ventillation of opinion. 1