SYSTEMS OR INDIVIDUALS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 July 1938, Page 9

SYSTEMS OR INDIVIDUALS

MEN SET FOR PARTICULAR TASKS. “The more I think about it the more J am convinced that what we have is not so much systems as individuals; men who through their inherent qualities seem predestined for a particular task and who require a minimum of legislative framework,” said Sir Harold Bellman, in addressing students of Ohio University. “The capital market provides an excellent instance of this. Here there is a very considerable range of controls, yet there is not a solitary word in regard to most of them on the statute book. They are purely informal, depending upon an understanding’ here and an undertaking there; a word from the Governor of the Btmk •of England will adjust this and a representation from the chairman .of the London Stock Exchange committee will redress that. It is of course an arbitrary system (if it is a system at all) and one does not overlook the possibility, of abuse. Moreover, there is a considerable Left-wing political party which ’ urges a much more stringent measure of regimentation. Our present philosophy in this matter, however, has stood us in good stead and many would regret a radical divergence from it. Moreover, business and Government can often, if. not. invariably, establish a satisfactory partnership, even when their political faiths are as the poles asunder. When all is said and done, the virtue in government is in governing and not in a particular technique as such; in short, government should be through means to.ends and not vice versa, even though, as Thoreau despairing admitted, ‘the people must have some complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of government which they have.’ ”