GOVERNMENT SCARED

Chronicle (Levin), 6 October 1948, Page 5

GOVERNMENT SCARED

' Press Association)

Ministers Admission About Nationalisation

(Per

J\EW PLYMOUTH, Oct. 5. Nationalisation of the transport industry was not intended, the Minister of Transport, Mr. Hackett, assured the annual conferenee of the New Zealand Road Transport • Alliance at New Plymouth tonight. Ile was replying to eriticism of the Transport Law Amendment Bill, expressed in the annual report and by speakers to the report. "There will always be room in our economy for private enterprise," said the Minister. "My experience leads me to believe that we will have private enterprise a lot longer .than we thonght we would have it 10 years ago. "The first object of the Government is to remain in power and we are not keen to do things unless there is a chance of their being- a success. We are not going round the country nationalising or socialising industries just for the sake of nationalising or socialising." Nationalisation, he said, would be. resorted to where industries had power and were using it to strangle other industries. He said the Government had nationalisecl airwavs and banks and was nationalising mining. "I can tell you 111 all good faith that there is no fear and there is 110 hope that the transport industry of this country will be nationalised in the lifetime of anyone in this room," declared Mr. Hackett. I11 the first place it had not been represented to the Government that there was need for the nationalisation of the industry. ' ' What is the good of taking over the transport industry this November and going out through it next November?" he asked. "The Government has to be guided by what the people want. "We have seen 110 signs of an organised body that is prepared to accept the responsibility of running the industry if the Government takes it over, Before nationalising anything you must at least feel that the people you jnt.erid handing the responsibility over to are capable of handling it effici ently."