THE CARROT OR THE STICK

Chronicle (Levin), 31 July 1947, Page 8

THE CARROT OR THE STICK

"MUST USE A CEK-TAIN AMOUNT OF STICK" "Nobody is going to suggest that the present social system is the final word in social systems so far as the world is concernecl, "but it should also be recognised that there are certain fundamental principles hehjnd this, or any other, system which nmst be recognised," said the Federated. Farmers' acting president (Mr. H. E. Blyde), in his address to the annnal meeting yesterday. The London Economist pointed out some time ago in an editorial that there were but two ways in which' mankind could be got to work. The Economist put it that it must be either the carrot or the stick. " L think that this is true, and I believe that the carrot is by far thc better niethod, but we have got to realise that vve have not yet got to the stage where we can relv on the carrot to bring forth the best efforts of the human donkey and, after all, I think it *is a fair critieism of all elasses of the community in New Zealand today to suggest that we are "human donkeys." We have been remarkabJy insensible as to where our best interests lie. We have got to realise that at the present moment we have not enough carrots to go rouiul, even if we could relv entirely on Ihe carrot niethod. In other words, in order to give our people a standard of living which we would iike to give them we must produce a very great deal more than we are pioducing at the present time. But it must also be reulised that the carrot by itself has faJlen down as an adequate niethod of getting produced all the goods that we need. It is rcgrettable, but it is nevertlieless true, tliat a certain amount oi stick appears to be necessary. I listened to a radio broadcast recently, which soemed to suggest that in cases of aggression the community would be well advised to oiiey the bililical injunction to turn the other cheek. "I re'gret that stark realism maues me reject this idea. We found that out with Hitler, and we must realise that there are certain forces at work which would delight to disrupt the economy of this Dominion. I heiieve that the only method of dealing atT3quately with this movement is to use a certain amount of stick, and I would suggest that it is only a person who has the good of the country really at heart who can ohtain and who will administer a policy comprised of a judicious mixture of carrot and stick, ' ' Until human nature has attained a very niuch higher- degree of perfectioiij L believe that we shall have'-to com tinue to meet force with force, but surely we can use every possible endeavour to see that force is niade necessary only as a last resort. At the same - time, I believe that the people of New Zealand must indicate that they are not prepared to have the.ir chanees oi a reasonable standard of living destroyed by irresponsible people. ' '