ECONOMICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 May 1921, Page 1

ECONOMICS.

NEW PROFESSOR AT OTAGO UNIVERSITY. DUNEDIN, May 3. His address on “The Economic Situation in Great Britain” showed Professor Pringle, the new Professor of Economics at the Otago University as a singularly fair-minded man of balanced judgment. AVlien referring to the present Labour unrest, he digressed to clear away two misconceptions. The first was that there is any appreciable company of British workmen who are disloyal or unpatriotic. “As far as my voice can reach,” said Professor Pringle, “T woujld invite you to disabuse your minds entirely of this misconception. There is in Great Britain a very small party in the community who would like to make patriotism a badge of party, and not an attribute of the nation. But two groups, of those who claim patriotism for themselves alone and of those who are actively and positively disloyal, are both extremely insignificant sections of public opinion. The second misconception he dealt with was that the real cause of Labour unrest is wages. He claims that far deeper than that is the just desire of Labour to have a larger and more effective palrt in determining the Conditions under which its labour is given. He referred to the strength and success of the workers’ union, which within th’ last few years had enrolled 700,000 wage-earners. It is, he says, one of tli> most capably managed trades unions in the United Kingdom and one of the reasons why it is so is because its leaders are great believers in education. A few years ago the executive committee of that union put doim £llOO in order that its organisers (bight attend a six weeks’ sumnmr school at the University of Oxford. * Among many suggestive statements made by Professor Pringle was one m answer to a question about the effect of the payment of the German indemnity on the British worker.. “Whether Great Britain is able to claim an ultimate share in the German indemnity or not,” he said, “I think it would he a very had principle to lay any great stress upon it. We ought not in Considering the future to think that wo are going to get much out o j. Tf we do get it, we shall he very glad,but don’t let us expect too much.