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Hokitika Guardian, 27 December 1933, Page 4

In a broadcast address Mr Oliver

Stanley; Minister of Transport, said that if there was one point on which lie agreed with Mr Lansbury it was when he sad that, with a return even to what they could call prosperity, they should have a mass of human suffering • still to deal with. How were they going to do it ? With human nature as it was, he never had been able to see how anything but a competitive system would eliminate tile out-of-date and give a, chance to- the up-to-date. Whatever the future might hold, be believed that what the economists called the “money motive” 1 that was the desire : for individual property-—was as strong as rivet arid as rieceSsary as ever as a Spur to in*

dividual endeavour. .Security first

and then opportunity for indivi* dual success or individual failure, for saving or .spending for thrift or amusement. But if human nature changed slowly, economic facts changed swiftly, and it was no good shut-

ting their eyes to the fact that. some of the circumstances which made the capitalist system successful in the last century were no longer the same today. Last century was an age of steadily growing popuation all over

the world, a sure increase of consuming cower ready sooner or later to absorb any and every productive- effort.

To-day in Britain, pud indeed in most of Western Europe, they had populations stationary, even tending to decline. . Obviously, this fact must enormously increase the danger, which was always inherent in this competitive system. the danger of waste, of waste of effort, of enterprise, of skill, and of labour. That was the main problem for the coming years, to eliminate . the waste of competition while retaining its incentive.