A DICTATORSHIP IN NEW ZEALAND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24415, 28 September 1940, Page 13

A DICTATORSHIP IN NEW ZEALAND

ro rut EDiioh Sir, —The recent activities of our National Socialist Government in its latest schedule of imports and its compulsory loan are in perfect harmony with the principles and procedure of the National Socialist .Nazi) Government in Germany. The crushing of individual liberty and enterprise is evident every day. ' The State is all-powerful, and the individual merely a tool in its grasp. The attitude is the same in both countries—compui-j.-n, regulation, the strangling of persona] liberty and taxation at every turn. The war seems to afford a pretext for the uncontrolled exploitation of the wretched victims of our Labour Government How close our authoritarian lawmakers are following the Nazis is indicated by the following facts made public last year:—lncome tax in Germany is, for example, £25 10s per annum for a childless couple, and in addition there are a citizen tax, unemployment insurance, social insurance, super-tax on incomes over £4OO, a capital tax on a capital of over £SOO. and a defence tax in certain cases. Verily we are not far behind the Nazis. Aye! but the sad thing is that the people of this Dominion sit down and take it all without whimper beyond an occasional grow) while the Cabinet with its uncontrolled authority by Orders-in-Council, does anything it likes. The latest import regulations, evidently framed by some civil servant, will mean the ruination of many businesses and the loss of employment by a number o. employees. How long are we going to put up with this muddlins. destructive kind of thing? How much longer is the business community going to sit still, while the country is being driven to the verge of ruination? I used to be a free man. but now T am, etc., Dunedin, Sept. 27. A Victim.