FACING THE FACTS

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 123, 21 November 1932, Page 8

FACING THE FACTS

(To the Editor.)

Sir.—l came to New Zealand twelve months ago, - and am very.; distressed to see this bountiful country refusing to face facts and rapidly drifting into'; a struggle, Town against Country, which will" eventually benefit no one; but wHI only postpone the final'reckoning. .1 .'

It seems to me this country has been! living in a fool's paradise. Land values have been boosted'far away beyond,'their worth. Those who sold their holdings made fortunes, and the present farmers cannot hope to make farming pay, with the load o£ interest they have to meet. If the exchange is pegged, at a high artificial rate, the whole community will have to pay \a bounty to the farmer,,to help him pay a little more interest, on his numerous mortgages. The cost 6£ living will go up and the country will be taxed to bankruptcy to pay overseas interest; and when New Zealand is thus pushed to disaster, a worse position will have to be faced.' .■.■■. '

Let us cut out this undignified scramble of every 'man for himself, and- let each section of the community carry; its own^ responsibility. The town and the coun- T try. are inter-dependent and neither .can prosper at the expense of the other. Bring land values down to reality and put tlie farmer in" a position to produce at a profit; If a merchant buys a business at an inflated value and cannot make it pay, he does not ask the country to pay a bounty so that he can carry on. He- meets his. creditors and i£ possible starts again on an economic basis.

Let our. leaders put their heads together, and devise some means to write off these fictitious -value's,' and let us. get down to realities and hard work, and so take advantage-, of our assured market for produce, and bring back prosperity, founded on realities, which. ;is the only prosperity that can endure.—l am, etc.; ■■/'■.- -" ".■ ' COMMON SENSE. :