The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1929. INTERFERENCE WITH PRIVATE TRADING.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 February 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1929. INTERFERENCE WITH PRIVATE TRADING.

inn pronene.ss ott' State interference with private trading is credited as being one oi the immediate causes of tin* iownlall -of the Contes (m.eminent last .November. .Mr Coates lmd been taken into the confidence of the business men well in advance, and through their organisation they appear to have given fair warning, but the Prime .Minister was evidently not able, despite the majority behind him in Parliament, to do anything clearly indicating a change in policy. When the session went by without the required effort, the Government had t:i take the consequences of its inaction in the matter. The moving organisation in the matter was the Nineteon-Twenty-lCight C.mmitteo. which is no less active now, and it has approached Sir Joseph Ward on the subject to seek an assurance from him that the interferences on the part of the State with the legitimate business of private traders will ho curtailed md eventually discontinued and that vexatious restrictions on trading will io removed. The election utterances if Sir J. 0. Ward, and of other members of the United Party had n t mreasonahly filled the .memhers el the •ommittee with high hop l —to use the 3. v press ion of one of t.h dr liunilvT- — uid. while Sir Joseph Ward did not ■miinit himself or the Gov’ernment

cry deeply in the reply he gave to the deputation, the general tenor of bis statement was sympathetic to the •laims that were put before him. The ,rinie Minister implied that ho would have to rely on the assistance of his •olleaguos. of members of all sections ol Parliament, and of the fair-minded public in reaching a solution of the problem that has been brought about bv the interference of the. State with •he operation of private trading con-

•erns. Actually the Liberal Govern

Tient is moving, so far as it can now In chocking Government interference in trade .and in oir> or two matters has promised favourable action. Tn this matter the Labour party will have to lie taken into account. As one news-

•>u|)or puts it. the assistance which tlio Prime Alinister will receive from one sect mil'of Parliament will be of a. negative kind. Every encroachment which the State has made upon the trade that has been established and carried on by the effort of individual taxpayers has represented a step, po.ssi l ly unimportant in itself but of significance in its indieat’on of a trend of ■-.'ilicy. towards the ereati' n of a S 'cinlistie State and for that reason has been regarded with favour by the Lahour Party. And the pain which is nlmadv being expressed in the offic a! organ of that party because Sir Joseph Ward has inclined a favourable ear. as it nuts it:, to the members of the Xino-t.oen-Twenty-Eight Committee is symptomatic of the attitude which tlm whole >f tlm Labour group in Parliament w•.I assume towards any decision on tne part of the Government to free •o miner re and industry from unfair competition on the part of State departments. and from harrassing restrictions that, however needful they may have been during the war. can no longer V' ilistilied. The acts of interference with trade that have been the cause of complaint by business people may generally lie traced hack to the war period. The Government in the past, headed by both Air Massey and Mr Coates, found itself menaced hv the conditions following the upheaval, yet always professed themselves as being seized of the need of curtailing activities of State departments that had entered into competition with private traders, always under conditions which rendered the competition unfair. The efforts made to afford redress were not at all adequate, and this was the p olitical offence the party was found guilty of. it was certainly freely admitted that reform was necessary, but the action was never forthcoming. Now the business community is being encouraged by Sir Joseph to believe that the reigning party will do all it can lo achieve what the business section of the community desire. To do that and keep faith with its pledges, the Government will have to rely on the Reform pnrtv in the main, that is assuming Labour will lean towards the socialistic ideal that the State should do as much ns it can for the people irrespective of hardships re fled ed from the competitive action with private enterprise. T he issue must eventually become one of sharp decision in this country, and perhaps it is as well it is being brought to a head at this juncture.