The Dominion MONDAY, MAY 8, 1944. NO ASSURANCE OF FREEDOM

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 188, 8 May 1944, Page 4

The Dominion MONDAY, MAY 8, 1944. NO ASSURANCE OF FREEDOM

Ail example of the manner in which, a carefully-framed political utterance may cause misunderstanding, or even mislead the public, has been provided in some of the early comment on the statement by the Acting-Prime Minister (Mr. Sullivan) concerning wartime controls. The Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand, in referring to this statement, has remarked that “the declaration by the New Zealand Government that wartime controls are to be rapidly abolished after the war is highly satisfactory in itself. . . Unfortunately Mr. Sullivan, in his remarks as reported on Thursday last, did not make such a declaration. The undertaking he gave was qualified in such a manner as to make it of very doubtful value as a guarantee that at any particular time State-operated restrictions and dictation in the field of trade would be ended. He said that “it was the Government’s policy to lift the controls as soon as opportunity arose. ... It was felt that action . . . should be taken as they went along, with controls being eased or lifted as and when it was considered circumstances permitted.” The loophole in this “declaration” is to be found among the italicized words. The intention, as here indicated, is to lift controls if and when the Government considers that “circumstances permit”, or that “opportunity has arisen”. Were the present Government averse from imposing needless restrictions on private enterprise and trade, except in a time of war emergency when trading conditions were wholly abnormal, the public could perhaps accept such a statement as an assurance that action would be taken at the earliest practicable moment. But, as the Chambers of Commerce have pointed out, controls of a drastic and far-reaching character were imposed by the Government before the war. Many of the emergency controls are, in effect, extensions of the system of import control instituted by the present Government in furtherance of its so-called “insulation policy of pre-war years. Inasmuch as there is no reliable sign that the Government is prepared to abandon that policy, or to discard the machinery by which it was put in operation, there can be no assurance that willingness will be shown to surrender the power which, today, enables the exercise of complete dictatorship over trade. All the indications are to the contrary. The war has enabled the very rapid implementing of basic Government policy—the regimentation of business and trade by the State, and the discouragement, if not the handicapping and eventual abolitiori, of freedom of enterprise. Though the Government may be contemplating making certain gestures on the lines hoped for by the business community, by way of removing some of the detailed restrictions imposed under the emergency regulations, there is every reason to doubt that there will be in the true sense an abolition of control, or that any form of relief will be granted rapidly. It is obvious that the attempt to obtain.from the Government a clear and reliable statement of its intentions in respect to controls will be countered by the argument that definite undertakings cannot be given at the present time. ' But there would be no excuse for failure to answer specific questions relating to policy, such as some of those set out in the Chambers of Commerce statement. For example it is asked z « ' What degree of existing Government control of imports is to be continued after the war? What constitute the wartime controls which are to be lifted when opportunity arises? . By insisting upon a definition of what the Government terms emergency controls, the various sections of the community directly or indirectly affected would gain some idea of the shape of future administration. It is of the greatest importance, particularly m view of the task of rehabilitation which lies ahead of this country, and the'need to create business conditions compatible with the ideals .or which our men have been fighting, that Parliament and the people should be told —at least to this extent —what is in the minds of the present Government,