Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1921. ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2233, 1 February 1921, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1921. ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.

THE economic conditions emphasise !he fad: tlml the period of inllaiioi; is at an end, and dollalioii, which/A always more painful and rapid, is on us. says the Mercantile Gazette. It lias to be faced, and the sooner the better. The community must learn, and it will be forced to learn, the difference- between lastin'? wealth, the result of effort, and seemin'? wealth, the product of the printin'? press. The depression and acute shortage of capital which has been spreading throughout the world since dune last year, is clearly reflected in the -cverc drop in the prices of commodities, which, in many cases, arc now much below the cost of production. This condition of affairs cannot last, for if it did all would inevitably drift into insolvency. A readjustment must, he made, but it would he unwise to expect it to come solely, or oven largely, from a recovery of price, which is what producers in New Zealand are building upon. The movement required, to re-establish sound conditions is a material reduction in costs, which is the natural sequence of greater effort on the pari of the community. The utiem.ployment that is now widespread in Europe and America will give the workers something tq think about, and when they realise that a fall measure of work must he done .for a given wage, then tae factories and the workshops will he aide to wort", full time, for the costs of production will be lower and the goods will be purchasable by a greater number of consumers. We must not follow any ostrich tactics in this matter. Costs of production must be reduced, by greater" efforts, and ‘‘stopwork” meetings and “go-slow” tactics will not help the workers.

Dominion in proportion to ity population than in any other part of the Empire. Nearly every town and hamlet has a river, mountain (orient, lake, or ocean beach. Most of the rivers are fast running, and for this reason are treacherous tp those unskilled in swimming. In view of such conditions, the Government; should make the art of swimmin" a compulsory exercise in nil schools, which also should be equipped with swimming baths, at (he expense of the Stale. -In the early days the Maoris realised the risks incurred by drowning, and practically all the native children were taught to swim as soon as they could toddle, lmt the Maori method, though effective, might not appeal to civilised society. The Minister for Education would he acting in the best interests of the Stale by looking a little closer into this subject.