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Hokitika Guardian, 2 September 1924, Page 2

W ifir.K the politician uses the labour vote only for the purpose of furtherinn; his own career. there is no possibilty of change affecting more pro<luction, remarks the Mercantile Gazette. We have large woollen mills here, continues the paper, splendidly equipped, the owners of which arc ]>os_ sesstvl of adequate capital, the ordinary share of business ability and with groat knowledge and experience of their business, who manufacture our wool into goods of a quality equal to anything produced in the Empire. Manufacturers in England import our wodl, convert and return it to us, paying double freights; wharf ago, port charges,

insurant© and exchange, and aftor all those items are added, tho goods uro loaded with a 33J per tent, duty on arrival hero. The N.Z. Woollen mills should be able to sell their goods in oversea markets and so assist the Dominion in paying its public indebtedness, but nothing of any valuo is sent out, and year by year we are buying our own wool, returned to us from England. Why is it Hint wo are not exporters, instead of importers of woollen goods. Tlio manufacturers can give the reason easily enough, wc cannot have things both ways. What we take with one hand, must be paid back in another, the tariir merely reclaims what- has been overpaid in labour. We mention this industry, not because we wish to criticise, hut for the purpose of showing how little chanco there is of the farmer being relieved of the burden which lie has to carry. If wc cannot get the money from the land to pay the annual interest and sinking funds, then the condition of the Dominion would be reflected at. once by a heavy fall in Dominion stocks, loans would liecome impossible, all public works would have to bo suspended, and wages notwithstanding anything the i/ibour leaders could do to the contrary, would fall to zero. Mr Massey has csillecl attention several times to the possibility of our primary products falling in value. There is no question of possibility, it is a certainty that shrinking must follow the economic changes which are developing throughout the world, and which will inevitably bring about lower prices for everything directly produced by our farming population. One olten hears the exclamation “splendid,” "wonderful,” when it is said that last year a million of people sent out from New Zealand, produce to the value of £SO per capita, as some one remarked to a New Zealand man once, in New y„rk, “there is no country in the world which can look at it.’ But the total rests upon value lit- quantity During the last decennial period, frown meat increased by IB per cent., while prices mounted to 103 per cent.; butter ‘230 per cent, in weight against 118 per cent, in price. These are exact comparisons. A\ (el has ascended in price but quantity lias not increased, and if the values of our exports hud not mounted up during the last twelve years, what would litive been the financial position of the country to-day It is not a pro rata, increase in volume which Ims brought prosperity to Now Zealand during the last ten years. Ihe Wfjiltli wo have boon spending during that time has been the result, of economic fortes which have operated in our favour. 'Hie country can take no credit (concludes this interesting article) for having brought about price increases, nor can i ensure be bestowed when they drop. The expansion has made the Dominion wealthy. Have sufficient reserves been built up to meet the fall l If the Dominion exports recede from fifty millions to tliiity,seven millions during the. next ton years let us hope that by then the ■Labor party’s full pension programme will have come into <q>eration, and the question “why work” been shelved!

The sudden sensitiveness of Germany us to war guiltiness crops up at a rather unfavourable moment. Having made a virtue of necessity and accepted the Dawes plan for the settlement of the reparations, Germany might well have been content to pose before file world as at last attempting to do the right thing. The opportunity to score in that direction is marred by desiring to lie excused before all tho world for any blame of starting the war, and initiating the ruthless warfare which began from the first overt act by Germany. The French press lias reminded Germany w ithout loss of time of the occasion when “the scrap of [>ai>er” w*as torn up and Germany not only forcibly entered Belgium but ruthlessly drove tho brave Belgians hack destroying as they went. Trlid opening opisdoes of Germany in Belgium was a scries of wicked offences against humanity, and the least Germany does to revive those memories the better. Apparently pleased wi-fh tin- possibilities of the Dawes bargain. Germany is disposed to become arrogant again and plume herself on her humanity. But Germany wilt cut n sorry sjiootnelo and might well drop the assumed appearance, of injured inno-

Arnoros of tho early days of tho unr, t ho. cable nows lias revealed tho details of “the greatest hoax” of the war. namely in rotation to tho many circumstantial accounts of Thissian troops being rushed through England for 'use in France. The details of tli<' story at. tho timo were ivon over and ovor hv folk who woro privileged to set' tho trains pass Riven points. Tt was an ohilioratolv prepared hoax and tho finest piece of camouflage all throtuili tho war. It can ho readily understood why tho authorities wont to the trouble and expense of perpetuating tho hoax. Groat- Britain was illpropared for the war which opened so suddenly and her own people as well as the enemy had to ho impressed with the great preparations lieiiiß made for tho war. Russia in those days was looked ujion as an inexhaustible source of man power for the war. and that country was iisisl as the principal actor. The secret, was well kept—on the part of Russia as well as Britain. No doubt- Germany found out the truth in due course, hut for the time lieiiiß tho store carried iis moral cffVst, and no doubt the world at large for a long time believed the well-told story to he true—and appreciated it accordingly from tho various points of view.