ECONOMICS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 March 1920, Page 1

ECONOMICS

(To tbe Editor.) Sir,—ln your leader of the_24th hist, you extali Mr Mtchell M.P., ior his exposition of our economic trouble, as if lie were the first to point out tbe evils under which we are labouring. lime after time, in Parlainent, and out ol Parhimeut, men have battled hard to relieve us of the injustices enumerated by him, for which such imprecations were heaped on them as “extremist, agitator, revolutionary socialist, and Bolshevie.” But now, when the trouble predicted by them is upon us, Mr Mitchell only goes over the same ground a train ,offering no real remedy for the existing evils. He must have known, and did know that while we were paying high price*, for meat, the meat was heinir held' up in cold storage till it reached the rafters, in order to keep those prices, and put them still higher And while we were paying exorbitant prices for dairy produce it was being held up to keep up those prices and put them still higher, till it rotted and had to ho thrown overboard, and was floating about tbe harbour to the disgrace of the Government, lie “i« the best that can be evolved.”. When those men to whom such terms of endearment were applied, offered the remedy of State Control, they were taunt ed with wanting to destroy, and the break down of society; which was ably dealt with by Jesus, the great economist and labour leader, when he pointed out that it would be poor policy to patch an “old garment with new cloth.”, and building on a “rock foundation” instead of “on sand.” Our trolble is the much repeated one of labour being its own enemy An man has to suffer before be will defend himself. If Mr Mitchell does not already know he will soon find out that his talk about: “Less Selfishness amounts to fudge; that the evil doer will not leave off his evil ways till he u C °Had the Government— “the best that can be evolved” -spent tbe money they did on gallivanting trips round t l world, tbe amount they squandered < the prohibition fad and on the Samoa jaunt, and other extravagancies; on State butcheries, State bakeries State tanneries, State coal-mines and t,am-, port and cold storage, they would . blocked the profiteer, “the for notbng man,” instead ° being in trouble, wo should be <rood position. _- nv Mr Mitchell gives Ins ‘show - • badly, in W. conclnding showing Hurt M> ''or.ngnn " prelude to going over to a renct-ioi . , judo bound Conservative Governine , who countenanced and permitted M the evils enumerated by him, if h s P fessions of independence ever were am cere, which after his concu marks, to say the • present "1- - STt? so far Government is rue evolved.’ .nvsolf. i >"* to *l.:*. H A. BAUCKE.