JOHN BULL’S NEED.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 July 1925, Page 4

JOHN BULL’S NEED.

BY BRITISH GOODS. The Empire is so constituted that very few. if any. parts can stand alone, and this is especially the ease so far as New Zealand is concerned—we stand oi fall wit 1 1 England. If she cannot afford lo liny our produce, we lose mu best and probably only sure market I'm our raw material, this would mean National Insolvency.

The financial and industrial siliuilior in the Old Country therefore is vita] to us. and is one which causes con-i-crn. Wi have only to read the cabh news to realise this. Inn anyone win: also reads the leading English pap ers must see that John Bull is “ii] against” a very serious position. Tbit is duo to several causes which wo propose to examine shnrtlv. THE COST OF THE WAR.

The war cost Dm Empire £10.051,(11)0.000 (ten thousand and tifty-fom millions) in national wealth. (men money and properly). Ot this iiugi sum the actual cash it cost Englam alone was £7.0(10,030,000 plus £1,739, COO,OOO lent by her to the Allies I'm which she has so far receive'! no payment of capital, or interest, so she i: carrying £8.805.003,000 on which sin has to pay interest. Of this sum then is due to America on D'o funding nr raugemeiit about £1.11(0.030,000 am England has to pay over £30.01(0,030 ) year interest on this sum. Largely as an outcome of the war and its aftermath, we find the Xntiona expenditure enormously increased, ii 1913 il was £197.000.000. in 192( 0 789.000,003 a rise of from £-t i< is 5' to £i(> Os 5(1 per head of the papula tion. The great burden of this expel) dit lire has fallen on industry, hv thr direct' taxation of its income. In 198 direct taxation produced 52 per cent as against 18 per icul. indirect laxa timi. in 1921 it was 03 per cent, am 37 per cent, respectively. Direct: taxa lion now amounts to about (.‘435.00.0. <('.:;) this is drawn out of industry Taking an income of £50.000 p-.a. wi liml in 101-1 it paid £102!) ns against £‘27.578 in 1922 an increase of 581 pet cent.

Another burden is the local body rales, which in 1921 amounted to ■£ log. C'ili. Till having risen since 1913 from £ I Ss lid to JCI Its 7d per head in |f)2l. All these increases arc drawn out of industry, most of which would otherwise have been available as surplus income for investment in foreign enterprise which would lead to export t rade. ixnrsTßiAk rxiiEST. ’ibis i> another vital factor. Him England got to work seriously immediately after the war, she could have regained much of her shattered trade. But unfurl anal ely “Red” agitators gol to work and caused grave industrial disorganisation, to an extent not generally realised. The time losl through strikes since the war has increased fivefold. The average time lost, between 1 J)tlt) and 1913 was 7,7-12,0 UT days per annum, against an average of 37.7iiti.090 days per anuuam from 1919 to 1923. This means enormous economic loss, while it also adds seriously to the tost, of production, which prevents competition with countries which have settled down to real hard work.

The sad part of this wretched business is that the majority of these strikes have been “unofficial.” that is against Trade I'nion discipline, and against National agreements, also in the majority of cases nothing has been gained which could not have been had without striking. Such is the result of Communist, agitation. WHAT IS THE .MORAL 7 Buy British Hoods—and so assist British manufacturers in every way possible. A favourite maxim on which .sonic men pride themselves is “There is no sentiment in business.” We do not agree with this, hut for our purposes we will accept it as sound for tlio moment. ( t )uitc apart from our sentiment for “the old man” John Bull we must realise that even il it costs us a little more we must do all we can to holster up British industry, because unless we do so England cannot buy our experts. For our own salvation we must therefore continue to buy in England. Thus apart from sentiment such it policy is good business. (Contributed by the X.Z. Welfare League).