NO HAPPY FAMILY UNDER STATE CONTROL

Chronicle (Levin), 22 December 1947, Page 5

NO HAPPY FAMILY UNDER STATE CONTROL

DUNEDIN, Dec. 19. "The dogged retdntioii of -so mucnbureaucratic control can cause nothing but concern, aiul we would be fooJish to l blind ourselves to the fact that human uature, being as it is, this systeni must give rise to gxave abuses, calculated to undermine the moral standards of the community," said Air. W. 8. Dawson, chairman of the Dunedin Stock Exchange, in his annual address to members. From the ideological viewpoint, nationalised undertakings should be oue big, happy family and absolutely supereliicient, with carefree employees vvorking like beavers, vvhile tlie State guard1 ed their interests and iooked after them ' like an indulgent parent, said Air. Dawson. This was far from the case, however. Government servants eontinually bewailed the harshness of their lot, and recently the public had been treated to the spectacle of the Public Service Association contemplating prosecuting tlie Crown in Coui't to obtain conditions compara,))le with those enjoved bv employees in private industrv. *

'Our experience of even limited Government control Jias shown that 11 has the effect of niaking many coinmodities both scarcer and dearer," Air. Dawson continued. "11 is reasonabki to assurne that, under eompleto control, this retrograde f movenient vvoukl be accentuated, and tlie resulting elimiiialion of competition would make for an inevitable detorioration in quality. " In the problem of tlie scarcity of goods, one factor whicli meriled cotisideration in view of the shortago of labour was the possible reduclion in unnecessary Government departments and ^ controls. A large number of public servants could be released to take their place 111 usoful and productive industrv. "If the present trend continues, we shall shortly find half the population preparing and pigeonholing an evergrowing mass of Government fornis, while' the other half oceupies itself by iabofiously lilling in and returning tliese same forms, " Air. Dawson declared. ' !