A CAPITALISTIC VIEW OF N.Z. POLITICS

Grey River Argus, 31 August 1948, Page 5

A CAPITALISTIC VIEW OF N.Z. POLITICS

FROM “WHIP AND SOP” STANDPOINT? NEW YORK, August 28 Mr C Hartley Grattan, a reviewer, in the New York Times reviews a book entitled “The Politics by Dr Leslie Linson, formerly, proiessoi of political science at , College Wellington. Mr Grattan savs- New Zealand’s social expenS hasnoton Dr Lipson’s showing been brilliantly managed.. The recora fascinates those who are ed in uncial experiments, but it is not on that inspires too ardently to imitatio , New. Zealanders, tor some odd reason, think it does. .This is oe cause as Dr Lipson rubs in, the end Sts are no*; at all remarkable m

terms of the quality of civilisation. The New Zealanders’ dynamic idea is equality, but equality has worked out too close to mediocrity for comfort. New Zealanders have come close to mastering the problem of guaranteeing a ‘civilised minimum to all citizenI—thev 1 —thev know how to pad the stick. But as the stick has become less and less of a stinger when applied, the carrot —the incentive to effort —has lost its savour for all too many people. New Zealand’s real problem to-day is the problem of incentives and rewards for exceptional efforts. As Dr Lipson implies,/if democratic socialism is to succeed as a form of civilisation, matching and surpassing capitalism, it must be brilliantly run and give brilliant results. It will have to do far more than provide, after a fashion, the basic minima of food, clothing, shelter , and some well chosen circuses.”