AUSTRALIA MUST WORK

Hokitika Guardian, 20 August 1929, Page 5

AUSTRALIA MUST WORK

PREMIER'S GRAVE WORDS. A solemn warning against slackness in - industry throughout the Commonwealth was given by the Premier ol" Queensland, Mr A. E. Moore, in a recent speech to dairy farmers at Toowoomba. ... Mr Moore said that Queensland and Australia had to face a very difficult, position, but it was no use - for • the people to expect a miracle to take place The fact had to be recognised that Australia for some years, and land as well had been looking for borrowed money to pay people what they did not earn. A country must live on what it could earn and not on.what it could borrow. /

lie wanted the people of Queensland to understand that thoroughly, Mr -Moore said, because it was a vital factor, and the idea c(f people going about- saying that the difficulties of the State could ho climated by working 40 instead of 44 hours was absolute nonsense.

Tlfe trouble was that very many people did not work long enough and did not produce enough, , but they expected sufficient money to come into the contry to maintain the conditions which luid been established. Until that factor was recognised there would be an enormously increased amount of unemployment condition the htse htsoli work tlint present conditions could be maintained.

It was wrong for the public men to tell the public that everything was all right when it was not. People who spoke about over-production in Queens-■ land made one tiredi; the only question was how present conditions could tie improved and hotter methods found so that an article could be produced and placed on the world’s market at a price that peole could pay. The room for expansion in Australia was unlimited, but unfortunately, owing to artificial causes, production was being limited in a way that it should never be limited.

“All we need is common sense in the government of the country,” said Mr Moore “but that cannot be brought about by attempting to deceive people that everything is all right in Australia,'because it is not. The position today pis serious and has to be faced. We have come to the stage when we oust tell the people that it is no uto their thinking that they can live any longer in luxury when they are not earning what they should be earning.

“The men we have to look to for the greater prosperity of Australia are not so much those connected with secondary industries; wo must look for the extension of primary industries giving greater 1 exportable’ surplus, so that new money can be brought into the country. ;.

“We have to see to. it that a man is given reasonable to get a living; and not whether he is making too much. Vacant spaces should be filled up, and every encouragement given to men to go on the land. It may not be long before men are forced out on to tlie land whether, they, like it or not. It ,is only, right that when men do go on the land - they should be given.every opportunity to succeed.”