Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 1948 A NOTE OF WARNING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 76, 2 August 1948, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 1948

A NOTE OF WARNING

“Although production has actually increased in volume, in spite of the difficulties inevitably associated with war, values have reached high levels from which they may recede,” states the annual report of the Reserve Bank, which has been tabled in the House of Representatives. “In these circumstances,” the bank continues, “it is wise to take possible steps to strengthen the national economy by greater and more efficient production, and by the avoidance of courses of action that would raise costs and prices without increasing the supply of real goods and services.” Here is obviously sound advice. But will it be heeded, or will the costs spiral be allowed to continue? There is no doubt that the answer to the inflation problem is more production, more goods on the market in relation to the money in circulation, more real value for money. That is being more widely recognised now than it has been in the past few years. The more sober thinkers amongst us are coming to realise that what this country needs is not more shillings ner hour of work, but more goods per shilling of cost. That can be achieved only by all sections of the community getting their backs into it and deciding to give full'value for money received. We need to be more work-con-scious. We need to realise there is a limit to bleeding the owners of the enterprises for which we work. After all, our jobs are only as secure as the industries that employ us. Though elementary, that fact seems too often overlooked by the apostles of more pay for less hours. They accuse anyone who offers that suggestion of “crawling to the bosses.” However, while we adhere to capitalist economics, then the best way to make democracy work is to work for it, and with it. Capitalist industry cannot survive without the co-operation of labour. And labour, in a free democratic society, cannot survive without capital. Let the Socialist dreamers dream. The rest of us must eat. And to earn the right to eat, we must work.

The shorter working week theory is only tenable if it can be proven that a nation can produce enough in the working hours used to give all its people a decent standard of living and the amenities they need to enjoy it. In New Zealand at the present time it seems we cannot do that. We have not enough houses, because, we are told, we have neither enough timber nor enough workmen to produce them.

We have not enough coal. Not because it is not here, but because there is not enough of it coming out of the mines We cannot turn ships around fast enough. The list could be lengthened considerably, but it all boils to this—Too many of us don’t work enough. We need to be more honest with ourselves, and with each other.