MAY END CAREER OF PRESENT GOVERNMENT

Chronicle (Levin), 30 April 1947, Page 3

MAY END CAREER OF PRESENT GOVERNMENT

"On the eeoiiomic side the most notewortliy event lias been the promise of the Government to give the dairy iiidustry a (Jommissiou to coatrol prices and marketing," said Mr. D. G. Gordon (president; at yesterday's provincial eonterenee of Federated Farmers in Feilding. ' ' The industry has been agitating 10 years for this and we all hope it will be suceessful and lead to an expansion in production. Although control of a commission of this kind will release the industry from direct political domination it is not going to alter the inflationary trends in our national economy. All that the promised commission can do is to see that the dairy farmer gets a fairer share of our depreciafed currency. "Under normal circumstances this would stiinulate production in other spheres as weil as his own but with restricted hours and numberless controls created by both State and Labour Unions an unhealthy artiticial economy has come into being that cannot respond to the people Js needs. The adequate supply of these needs is the aeid tes? of any policy and I feel sure that history 's verdict on present trends will be weiglied in the balance and found wanting. "We have reached the position in which a large section of the community is more keen in chasing tax free dividends on the totalisator than in creating taxable goods that are desperately needed both here and abroad. The continued application of the five day week together with wage increases to pressure groups is acoeutuating the gap between money and goods and leading to a definite inflation. "The present working out of Government full einployment policy also indicates that if the least efficienf worker is to have a choice of jobs thousands of positions must remain unfilled and with surplus money and shortages of essential goods, the luxury trades are in a position to take labour from essential eallings. No one wants to see unemployment but to maintain a five day week and restrieted output in many directions when there is a shortage of labour and essential goods, is akin to imbecility and will probably end the present Government 's career. "The constant surrender to pressure groups without requiring any inereascd responsibility to produce in return is rapidly creating a position in whio! stabilisation is almost a farce and the prospect of effecting some measure of stabilisation on a higher level grows less. The most' serious aspeet of the Government. surrender to pressure groups, however, is not financial, "bul the fact that by so doing the Govern t

ment is failing in ■ its trust of protecting the community from exploitation by any section. A c.ontinued failure of this land is generally, the forerunner of anarchy or reyolution. "The ludicrous .side is that while tradesmen* have .been prosecuted for1 trifling breaches of price orders, groups and unions can levy trihute running into thousands of pounds with impunity indeed with something akin to Government support. In these circumstances farmers must reconsider their attitude to /Stabilisation and d'emand a re.compense that will cover all inflated colts and at some time he equal to that given any other section of the community for equal service; "In this connection I would urge farmers not to give way to any policy of restrieted production. The disastrous weather Brifain has experienced in addition to her other troublfe means that she is urgently in need of all the food we can produce. TTnfortunately shipping is a limiting faetoi; and the tiine it takes to turn a cargo boat round seriously reduces the value of the shipping avaiiable. This has been strikingly demonstrated in the wool trade; for South Africa with a quick turn . round, has sold nearly all her stock wool, while New Zealand has still most of° ours on hand. I know many farm.ers have a feeling of frustration and don 't see why we should be the Cinderella of industry but in addition to out inoral obligation to supply Britain's needs, I believe it will re-act in our own interest to continue maximum production at the present time and by backing up our organisation we shall get a reasonable reward and at the same time assist in creating a better and healthier economy in New Zealand. The points I mentioned last year about incentive pay and tax remission with the definite object of encouraging production appear to be even more vital today and New Zealand 's most urgent nec.essity is that verbal appeals for 1 production should be replaced "or at least supplemented by a more realistic attitude," he concluded.