The Dominion. SATURDAY, MARCH' 13, 1320 THE NEED OF A NEW OUTLOOK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 144, 13 March 1920, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, MARCH' 13, 1320 THE NEED OF A NEW OUTLOOK

' Affaikb. are at present, tak'irig-. a course ih this , counti:y , with which no. self-respecting •. member.' of - its population- can: afford-to feel, content'.' , Trade' ; and industrial proa.perity are^' genera}, .and., yet something remaVkabry .'like the pinch' (>l Hard .'.times'- is-, almost.,as-widely* felt and threatens, for anything- to the 'contrary that appears at .present, to become condition" of life iti the Dominion. The war which imposed - burdens: also - taught;- new leßsons in ,organisation and in the ,effective,;.uni.on of. ■; effort-; •. For .-this reason; and others- opportunities_ of profitable- enterprise 'arc' 'appearing in-'all directions, long- .way "from '|hc\ .ii-iitli'to .say-, thatthese' opii.or.tunites as a-rule. ate. b.Cr. ing turned purposefully to •■account. "• 'In actual fact our communities seem ;to, be--giving Tray "to a*, kind of creep-' ing, paralysis *rhich ■ makes active enterprise increasingly difficult, arid allows existing- disabilities ■ to continue and go from bad worse! .Thoweakening 1 and interruption of industrial, and other activities which, may _bfe noted pn_.every "side arc' positively, discreditable to a modern civilised-community. Hero in Wel-lington-'the tramway ..service is c'rijv -pled-and and at'.intci:vals. the cars.are being brought-to. p. complete standstill. .- -It is: even 'morn serious that the municipal authorities are finding it nccessary to curtail thc_ supply-, of electee power for industrial purposes) and that the gas_ supply*: in'some cases ; an alternative, is at best precariously maintained. Hopes'are now raised that an- improvement -iti' the coal'- supply may soon bring about-better condi-. tio'Hs, Ybiit the. existing state. of nf. fairs, is deplorable At the meeting of -.-'the City Council .-oh Thursday wening-uit hvas -mentioned that in' the b'oot' indiistrV 'aloiift, on® of many industries, affected: 2500 employees would' have-" their hours' and 1 wages reduced as a result of the curtailment- of the power . supply, From the City .Engineer (Mr. Morton) had-to. say on the subject, it is 'evvaen]t"tliaCiWidoiWd--jpKTJftwr, which ,is'. the life-blood of ■ productive enterprise,'-is mounting rapidljC-Tn anything- like normal Conditions this would .be wholly a matter for congratulation.. , In- the.-conditions, that-exist,-jthje growing, demand--for in■; dustrial power - simply adds to'' the worries of' hai'assed local "administrators and officials. ■ ''

. The,, .restrictions imposed locally on lis'eful and productive enterprise are worth considering, not' Only on account of their immediate importance, -but because they are more'.or less tyiiical of • what is happening throughout the Dominion. On. every hand .there, is - an. apparent waste ,of such. oppovfcunitcs as people in less favoured countries- would sigh for; a lamentable slackening ' bf, effort, an(l, worst ol.'/'.all, deliberate attempts' to nromofc sectional, interests by trading upon and.intensify- . ing the partial paralysis of national enterprise already: >.in evidence. 'A "go-slow" strike in the coal mines has just ended,, and now there is talk of. a "go-slow" striHl on the railways: - 'In ' such conditions all thinking men and women will .find good, reason for asking themKlve'pAwher'e- ; -.the country is to be,carried'in its present drift. It is .quite obvious -that- as a' people we are •' showing/ourselves'defibientin ordinary, enterprise'and are.', wasting and ..throwing away..' golden opportunite's.» .-.The "go-iiloy/' . .strike is rthe laskword- in .-folly, but there are intermediate' ; follies only less insane.. i.Tlie. all .appeal's in' 'the. attitude of' those wlio complain. endlessly about existing hardships v and ' •dieabiJijtV-s, but never stive' a thought to the problem of devising a remedy. Almost every, day, too. demands' are heard from this or that "body of organised "labour for sucli.'an addition -to i.ts wi.ll restore their pre-war., ■' nurchasing.- - power; •• As evcry -fairly . instructed 'schoolboy k"ows. this is -a. deiviahd either 'for tfh'at'-is' rion-eiistcnt'or'for an un-

fn.ir' advantage over .efybr section? of the population. The ..war. i.n which> our t national liberties were

wo"!'•foin/ht-at'-a cost-in fiiatfi'ri'il 'wealth :%hich w.ill not' be"paid in, fn\l.iov -"ijars'Jp comc, and. every liiia and must have' its share of this, burden to bear. At the .same. time production •i'' l 'n ,n >i'y''direct-ions has be'en IpHsonotJ. .'Thosh/who are' most caper in' prosperity will lm forced, sooner, or later .to.recognise, that- the■ only, way: of seeurincr it is to "rebuild if with such additions as will .'offset the burden's left by,', the. war. : ' Ifthere,'iis any- truth in the. old saw that necessity.is the.mother of invention., the people /if Zealand ou«;ht to. find, in their existing eircumstances- an, ample in.Gcntivo.- J:o a.i policy: of ent.evnr.isc,; ; It' is.plain enough that'nothiiir will lie, aeeomnlishfd by altowinff • f "go-.Mtiw'' iti'ilces and' kind';"-:! follies.to vtin

their course, and .'that the wliol" population' must 7 'b'esl.ir itself with rnerpv if, it washes.;' o : -"scape. Iron' the difficulties in Mvhic'i ■ it is now flounderinc;.Tlie lionefu] eoursc at o,, ch a time is to mobilise what, intellicence the cou"try " n n muster-in ordf to throw clear licht on what is H fault, in ditions and . noi'it._ th<v way to a better- state of'.affa'es. Tfc would be a useful -st-on in- this directio>? tn convene' jf • renresentntive -national conference arid invite it to man oiit i\i. at) overly ; ;wav .the. vewwstr.nr.U.ve aetiv'ties >"i.on 'vihich Miis country hnsvliardiy : p<t ; vet-made-a serious "beginning: .«Swtrathhig- •'of

wider scope than an industrial conference is needed, lleprescntation ought to be given not only to the parties engaged in industry, but to primary producers, to municipalities,' education, commercc, and banking. One or. two representatives in each category would suilice, but if. the -ablest men in sight were selected..such a conference - might -perform an invaluable service in awakening a popular demand fOr cffectivi,yc().ncortcd action in place of :the' fclblish game of cross-purposes -that is'now being played. Any other result would- be unthinkable if the conference did its work even moderately, well, it is already selfevident, t-o any. rational man or womaiv.-that the only way -of rem cdy and relief for a country'lmrdencd'Tvith war obligations is to'be found an increase in production as. can only risult from intensified efforts on the - part of tho whole -'population. 111-considered sectional agitation has'done a great deal to cloud, and obscure this simple issue, and..the. existing economic tangle and prevailing paralysis of useful and productive enterprise are conspicuous results. Experience has already so. far;'demonstrated tho futility of seeking unearned case and-., relief from trying economic conditions th.it- a national conference on the lines suggesled'-inight lie able to' do/'a great 'deal towards restoring a...true.'.balancs of ideas aVul cleaHng. the way for constructive effort and progress.