BETTER LEFT UNSAID

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 101, 19 December 1931, Page 4

BETTER LEFT UNSAID

The remarks of a member of the Canterbury Manufacturers' Associatioh criticising a statement made at Stratford last week by his Excellency the Governor-General when touching upon the Dominion>s secondary industries in the course of a speech belong to the class which, while they can do no possible harm, had been so much better left unsaid. The speaker, Mr. F. L. Hutchihson, a well-known Christchurch businessman, prefaced his remarks with the statement that he "approached the matter with a great amount of diifidence." Possibly. Unfort- • unately, however great his difRdence it was not great enough to save him from making a blunder which amounts to a confession of a peculiarly short-sighted point of view. Apar/ from the good taste or otherwise o'f his remarks, Mr. Hutchinson's attitude is a rhost extraordinary one in a representa'tive business man. His objection, apparently, refers to Lord Bledisloe's advice that caution should be used in speeding up secondary industry. In view of this country's complete dependence upon the pfoducts of primary industry for its income and the impossibility under present conditions of -its building up ; profitable markets overseas for the products of its factories, his : Excellency's advice, given as it was at a time wheh schemes are ; afoot suggestive of the possibility of some sort 'of sp'ceding up in ^ the secondary industries, is at least timely^ Admittedly the j speeding up is suggested as an effort to relieve unemployment, ; in itself a highly desirable object, but in an effort of this kind . it is necessary to see that sound economic principles are not sacrificed and this, we believe, was what his Excellency had in mind. In objeeting to this Mr. Hutchinson &uggests that speeding up is the thing and if, after that the deluge, that is a matter , he is not at present concerned with. If his attitude is really rdpfesentative of that of the manufacturers of the Dom'inion the iftore often and the more strongly Lord Bledisloe and others whose voices will be listened to urge caution upon the^ countr.y, the . better it will be for everybody, the manufacturers included.