THE WAR AND NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 163, 30 March 1918, Page 2

THE WAR AND NEW ZEALAND

Sir,— May a word be added to the cheering letter from "Bystander" to inquire if'wo cannot increase our help l-to the Allies from hera by getting every ounce of food into Europe tnat it is possible to send with our present facilities. Imagine ton large cargo-carriers spending five weeks each on the coast of New Zealand. If turned round in threo weeks by efficiency on the wharves, twenty weokg in all —the entire outward and homeward voyage of one steamer —would be saved.. That means the ten steamers would carry as much food to England as eleven ateamors do now. The freighters sent out by tho hard-pressed AJhes would be inci eased 10 per cent. Surely if Lloyd George were in charge Wo he would find some means of talking faco to face with men of muscle and getting .this thing.done. To gauge the problem for my own information I have travelled into work-ing-men suburbs morning and evening, talking to people on tramway platforms. The general spirit is distinctly loyal. Many men openly approve of conscription, but add that it ought to bo fair all round, i admit that in what follows 1 am voicing arguments in company of niRU with whom I would sooner not be in company. Still, if the betterclass papers will not print the feelings of the better-class workman, who is not a drunkard, gambler, or disloyalist, then for his own protection the betterclass workman is forced back on to his extremist Labour papers, with all the disloyalty they contain. The method of these papers is wearying. They leave ouj; the murder of Captain Fryatt and German atrocities in general, including dt-cades of preparation for conquering the world by deceit, treachery, I\es, and everything that right-thinking men hold in abhorrence. Still tho son of pro-German stuff they print is interspersed with an immense amount of sound argument, in the cause of the better class of workmen. This side of the case ought to be printed, but is not printed except by tlio, trade union papers. Honce tlie opportunities given to journalist agitators to form the thoughts of a large proportion of the working population of Australasia. May 1 repeat part of what I hear on the morning and evening trams? "Why should food grown in New Zealand bo dearer, when we can export less, and when the competition to sell, if allowed to bo free, would seemingly tend to lower prices?" These men have only hazy ideas of the quantities in cold store, but they have vory distinct eye-witness reports of food deteriorating in" cold store and having to be destroyed. 1 cannot vouch for the truth of these reports, but a little efficient investigation would settle the facts, and a brief official statement by a Minister ought to do tho rest. If half of what my companions for tho time being have told mo is true, there must be a few people who are making a good deal of money out of unnecessarily high prices i'or food grown and consumed in New-. Zealand, and oven more money out of higher prices obtained for that sent to the hard-press-ed, struggling peoples in Europe. These things ought not to be; No one can deny that wo are living in a condition of luxury; no doubt brought about to a large extent by the rates we charge tho Home authorities for food w-j ■ could not export at all if England- did not send ships for it. Can it bo that our Prime Minister and Treasurer secured high prices for our products from the committee in chargo in England because so many young Now Zealanders had gone to fight for the cause of civilisation? If so, it is to bo hoped that when our representatives next visit London they will point out a perverse malignity of fate in this , matter. The high prices from the hard-pressed' Britishers in England, whose national debt is about £130 a head through the war, increase the prices which wo. have to pay here for food. No doubt New Zealand gets the extra money from England, and that helps to pay for her part in the war, in addition to keeping up our astounding luxury. The comfortable condition of peace and plenty in which we are living here could be reduced somewhat if necesßary. If by reducing it, we can havo cheaper food in New Zealand, and also send England more food at lower prices, we certainly might go in for a little economic privation to help put the German under. Once convince the general mass of workmen that prices charged them for things grown in New Zealand are fair, a- much more zealous spirit will be developed to push forward with a will every item, that can help our present Government's policy of giving all possible assistance to the Allies.— I am, etc., M.L. March 27.