PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20735, 20 February 1939, Page 9

PUBLIC OPINION

As expressed by correspondents whose letters are welcome, but for whose views we have no responsibility. Correspondents are requested to write in ink. II is essential that anonymous writers enclose their proper names as a guarantee of good faith. Unless this rule is complied with, their letters will not appear. DOMINION NATIONAL DEBT (To the Editor; Sir,—l have read "Ajax’s” letter 1 concerning the national debt of New j Zealand, disputing a reduction of ; £2,000.000 or so, but what does it matter? Supposing our national debt is. as stated in the Official Year Book, j £300,000.000, would “Ajax” like to ; know that our big sislcr country, Australia. has a national debt of £1.292.- j 000. non? And. furl Iter. ! would like to tell “Ajax” that lie is far better off Imre in New Zealand than in Australia. J whatever his troubles tnay bo.—l am, etc., J. B. GREENSLADE. Hamilton, February 18. LABOUR POLICY (To the Editor) Sir, —I freely excuse "Ajax” from ! butting in on my controversy with Mr j J. Moody, as it gives me the oppor- j tunity of asking the editor for space j for the following illuminating opening | paragraph of the latest economic | budget issued by the Canterbury i Chamber of Commerce and co* ‘piled j by the Economic School of Canterbury University—- " Legislation passed in 1936 inaugurated marked changes in economic and * monetary policy in New Zealand. It j was claimed that these changes would lead to more effective employment of resources, bring in resources then unused, distribute income more effectively, and consequently increase substantially the welfare of tlie Dominion and its people.

“After a little more than two years, most of which was a period of rising export prices and hence of expanding internal trade and prosperity, this new policy has resulted in a situation so critical that the convertibility of the currency into sterling has had to be suspended, and New Zealand has suffered the humiliation of being the first British country to adopt a blocked currency.”

The budget goes on lo give statistics showing the detrimental effects of the policy of governmental control and interference on trade, industry and primary production. The result is that to-day (l the resources of the Reserve Bank are exhausted; (2) the Post Office Savings Bank has had its resources so depleted that it could not from them meet a large demand for the return of deposits; (3) the Government has at the Reserve Bank an overdraft exceeding £12,600.000. This is evidently not regarded by Labour supporters as part of the national debt, but that does not prevent it from being a liability. This overdraft does not include the marketing account.

I have given Mr ,T. Moody something to smoke his pipe over.—l am, etc.,

A. WARBURTON. Ngaruawahia, February 17.

COMMUNIST INFLUENCE

(To the Editor) Sir, —A brilliant and balanced thinker will naturally make honest mistakes. But rarely does such an individual allow his emotions to swamp his rational faculties. Under certain circumstances such an aberration would evoke the greatest sympathy, but under other conditions a sharp rebuke is imperative. A growing body of progressive thinkers takes strong exception to Mr Fred Mills’ attempt to drag into the mire the finest organisation of men and women the world has yet seen, the Communist International. The courageous struggle the Communist parties are making in all parts of the world in defending and advancing the interests of the working class in the teeth of the ever-growing menace of Fascism arouses the highest degree of admiration from all forward thinkers. Under the leadership of the Communist Party the guerrilla forces of China have saved the situation time and time again. Under their leadership thousands of supporters of the loyalist Government of Spain proved the finest and best disciplined in the long and stubborn resistance against overwhelming odds. In Germany, Italy, Japan and other countries, in spite of Fascist terrorism, they will still box on.

If Mr Mills directed his sharp, penetrating brilliance towards approaching trade union questions from a dialectic point of view he would avoid stumbling out of a bog-hole into the ditch and back again. The concluding passage from Karl Marx’s “Value, Price and Profit” will, I trust, put Mr Mills and his supporters on the correct line, and here it is:

“Trades unions serve well as centres of resistance against the encroachments of capital. They fail partially from an injudicious use of their power. They fail generally from limiting themselves to a guerrilla war against the effects of the existing system, instead of simultaneously trying to change it, instead of using their organised forces as a lever for the final emancipation of the working class—that is to say. the ultimate abolition of the capitalist system.”— I am, etc.,

T. HARRIS. Frankton Junction. Februarv 18.

ADVANCED THOUGHT

(To the Editor) Sir, —It is really astounding the amount of muddled thought that passes for “advanced thought” in the New Zealand Cabinet. Three short years ago the Minister of Agriculture in the writer's hearing told the good people of Te Mata “that no loan would be raised by the Labour Government; any money required would simply be issued by the Government." The lion, gentleman spoke too soon. Mr Savage said “taxation had reached the" limit.” but he eats his wu.Ms and imposes the most stagger-

;:ig taxation in the history of the Do- | minion. He used to shed tears of iilood at the iniquity of the sales tax. J Has il gone'.’ | Then we rome to the social security i scheme, the greatest step in the j worid, according to our worthy j Prime Minister. .lust fancy the men- I tality of a man who can seriously | claim that staggering taxation "is a j great step forward. 'J he reahy j priceless Mr huvaige can only envisage j security for the aged by making the ; standard of living of those engaged I in industry more insecure from April . 1 next, lie and his colleagues seem j to imagine that we must eat and j wear less so that the resultant sav- ; ings can be stored up for use 20 years hence. No, the policy of Hie r.uvernment j is as great a failure as that pursued bv the Nationalists, so far the Dov-l ernment has hidden ils incompetence j by appeals to party I >yul!y. the I lies sample being in eonneclion with tii' l • recent fire in the social sc-urhy j building. The first suggesleni wa- | sabotage; then when the City Council I raised,some valid suggestions ur üb-|

.lections in regard to the new site, the Prime Minister indignantly suggested that the council was trying lo block social security. One wonders just why such a building is being erected when we have a nelwuik of banks throughout the Dominion that could be utilised for making payments lo those concerned. iluL no. we must make work and itace a thie department and staff to .-a! its head off. In industrial strife, the Labour Government lias so far been successful in hoodwinking the workers by saying, "if you won’t pull your j wej-rht we ll have to resign and let. , the Tories in." The fact is that Die j workers and others are pulling their | weight, but the Government is sitting j hack in the breeching, desperately | flanging on to an outworn financial ! svslem that cannot possibly give the > results expected by the people. Some j hoped that Mr Savage would reach , the exclusive designation of statesman, but quite obviously that is not lo be. —1 am. etc., 11. G. YUI.NU. Gordonton, February r