The Grey River Argus WEDNESDAY, April 7, 1948. OPPOSITION TWISTS AGAIN

Grey River Argus, 7 April 1948, Page 4

The Grey River Argus WEDNESDAY, April 7, 1948. OPPOSITION TWISTS AGAIN

ANXIETY over the successful mission of Mr Nash as a trade , promoter at Havana is betrayed by the National Party. Their quick change artistry is now employed in the press to create an impression that at some future time the new world agreement will be adverse for New Zealand. Not so long ago they alleged that prices were being kept too low by means of subsidies. In fact they still say as much regarding wheat, because the Dominion has negotiated a cheap supply fiom Australia; but Mr Holland has tried to pull off a coup with a prediction that at Havana Mr Nash had queered the Government’s pitch as to maintaining the subsidies on butter and other staple commodities, the production of which has been thereby stabilised without the cost of living being unduly raised. Butter at 2s 6d per lb', bread at 6d per lb. and dearer woollen clothes, boots and shoes go to make the picture painted by the Opposition Leader. His press backers are now out of step with him, for they say the people of this country ought here and now to be paying more for bread and other grain products, in order that the growers might be encouraged to produce more. If that prospect prompt Mr Holland to suggest Mr Nash has blundered, the question is whether the Opposition is any more consistent in regard to the cost of living question than in regard to the question of full employment. The importers are at one with the Nationalists in advocating the entry of no end of commodities which would compete with the output of New Zealand factories, and actually attempt to dictate to the Government. It is suspicious to find this attitude in the Opposition camp when the leader is predicting that locally made clothing and footwear is going to be next year very much dearer. Do they wish thereby to shoot a hole in the Government’s case for import selection? It is like the advocates of dearer wheat urging that it would be the means of cheapening the supply for Britain. What wheat we import at a moderate price is only a bagatelle in the quantity exported from Australia, and makes no difference to Britain or any other importer of Australian grain. As for our exports of produce, it is not for the disposal of the proceeds to be judged by those who import manufactures, and especially manufactures competing with our own, and likely, if unregulated, to precipitate unemployment. There are short-sighted capitalists in New Zealand who would welcome anything likely to create a surplus of labour and thereby icheapen the value of labour generally., It is significant anyway that the National Party feels obliged for propaganda purposes to appeal to some future time as a justification of their line, because they imply that the present compares very favourably with such a change as they ask people to apprehend. But the Opposition Leader appears to have been over hasty in his quickchange act. The things for which

he blames Mr Nash—the abandonment of future scope'for the subsidisation hitherto so much questioned —prove according to the Minister to be the very things against which he has carefully guarded. The fact of the matter seems to be that import selection is being regarded as reasonable by all 'countries, and that Mr Nash has succeeded in his mission beyond all expectations. The hardships which here followed the first world war have not followed the second.