STATE DEPENDENTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2004, 11 March 1914, Page 6

STATE DEPENDENTS.

Is ttesß days when shallow 'politicians are so ready to ma-kd what they call State Socialism theii - elec- 1 tion battle-cry and pvxt. it forward in and. out of season as a sort of all for almost every farm of weakness in our social system, it is refreshing to eonie across a few plsanspoben home truths oa tho suhjeet of State dependents. In his interesting address before tie Kew Tk&hud Club yesterday, EAfii Oeev t&uchdd on the question as affecting Jfcw Zealand in a taa-neoif w.hichi while i.6 cannot possibly afford the slightest groind for opeuce, should be -we}-: corned as providing a useful stimulus to sane and healthy thought.. Tho fadfc that somethifig like oae>ei-gnth of tti-ir population a4?e already direct;ly dependent; on the' State aiipears to have filled him with both astonjshttient and concern, a-nd in ing on the taatter he voiced the opinion thai a yevy fcal danger lay behind the drift in this direction.

"Tiiwe" is," he said, "one fact jii voni national .We wjlieli I havo only "just diseisvDfcd, and it has caused lile'to cs» jißtioaijo a positi-re shiver of yptiroiien-sio-fi, and it is that piie-eightli of yo«f poputetioa Are directly dependent upon tJib State. In Ireland one-twelfth of tile tiopttlatiett is ilifiiet'iy dfepfrjiflent o"n the iSfeite, n«d we in the United Kingdom co'nsidw that to be e very daiwraus jimspoftioiT. May I, with tbe gfcateifc wspect, say that I do not Wksve it is p.os : s.iblo for aiiy iiatien \vhiclt encourages Us people to lie down upon ihv Sfntc to win citli«r greatness ■bt prospßrit.yf (Applause.) I Itopo. you have not gut 'to tlwt State in New Zealand, lint you ftre in 4 dangereiis position* or you iiiay be sowi if you (Js net take caije. W!ier«s%r yett fiiijt Hie people tying down j»n tlio. Stnto yen will .find an nll-parvßiling influence whwli is seriously detritrtenWr to tho nntiowtl ehflfftitefJ you will fiiid-a oatfa»i whicb.soiJs the Impairs the effi(•ioTa'.y, anil iinpovcrielws -and nampeciMis and (leswdiw tlio ohatnetcf o:f thi! ptople, Take eare, I would add, tlmt you do Hot Mjiikc the- dependents of tko Slate the masters of tlio btatc- , -

No thoughtful person who has followed the coarse of public events in this country will bo iflclinccl to dispute the views voiced by our distinguished visitor. In ft- multitude of ways it. has boenbi'ought'homo to the stutlent of public affairs th.it there is a stea-dity-lecrcasing; tetidency to titvi) to the State for air]._ Public institutions as well as private ift-

dividuitls have in a large nwasur? abandoned their old habits of inck-.-pendence, their old self-reliance, and at the slightest provocation ar*; ready to rush off to this or that Minister of the . Crown for assistance, either from the public funds or in some other Wfty. Popularity' seeking politicians have encouraged this spoon-feeding process until it has ■ developed the habit of dependence. Who can question the evil effects such habits ultimately roust have on the character of the nation? The old spirit of sturdy self-reH-anoD, on which we used to pride ourselves, must gradually weaken, and as E,\li.t Grey remarked, "You will find a poison tt-hich saps the. energy, impairs tho efficiency, and impoverishes and pauperises and degrades the character of tho people." Of course, no one suggests that we have come to sucli a pass as that, hut the tendency certainly is to increase the number of direct dependents on the State, and to encourage the belief thai the State is a convenient ftnd obliging institution designed to relieve the necessity of individual effort and enterprise Earl Gbev's remarks arc timely, and should command the attention and respect which are due to his experience and standing in the world of affairs.