PLANNED INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 July 1942, Page 4

PLANNED INDUSTRY

AND REHABILITATION POLICY VIEWS OF FARMERS’ UNION PRESIDENT. SOME SUGGESTED LIMITS. (“Times-Age” Special.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “The problem of returuing' to normal, after the Avar is one that should be considered much more energetically than seems to be the case so far,” said the Dominion President of the Farmers’ Union (Mr NV. W. Mulholland) in his address at the annual conference of the Union today. “I am not very happy about the Rehabilitation organisation as set up,“ Mr Mulholland continued, “feeling. that it is too much dominated by artificial and non-practical viewpoints. But perhaps the greatest defect is that, while an organisation has been set up, the determination of major economic policy has not been made. The future of New Zealand is bound up in its natural resources, and any attempt to follow a policy of development contrary to what these natural resources dictate must end in disaster. We are a country very poor indeed in industrial raw materials. Our great natural advantages lie in the production of grass and trees, in both of which we excel. It is obvious, therefore, that any attempts to make New Zealand a great industrial country are absurd. This does not mean that no industrial development is possible. Physically, very considerable industrial development in the usage of those things of which we have such natural advantages in the production is possible, and that should be our aim. “I have mentioned trees. I am of opinion that forest products are going, within the next generation, to become almost, if not quite, as important in the industrial world as metals. Tremendous developments have taken place in the usage of materials extracted from timbers, grasses, etc., and this does open up a prospect for. a sound industrial development. Of course, we have certain natural products from dui fields—wool etc.,—which could be processed very much further within this country, in fact, this again seems an obvious development. But, if we aie to make considerable strides in the development of such industries ,our costs have to be on a level which will enable us to compete with the world. Either we will have to work much harder, and much longer hours, or we will have to work for very much less money wages —probably a certain amount of both. I know that this is anathema to the politicians, but we ought to remember that the standard of living of a people is measured by the things it enjoys rather than the money it spends. It is. however, of the utmost importance’that a long-range economic policy be laid down as the foundation of a rehabilitation policy. A rehabilitation policy without such a foundation is impossible.”