STRONG CRITICISM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 38, 24 November 1939, Page 3

STRONG CRITICISM

POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT. BUSINESS MEN CONCERNED. (Per Press Association). AUCKLAND, November 23. Further outspoken criticism of the present legislative policy, particularly in the economic sphere, was made at a largely-attended meeting of Auckland bsuiness men when a report was received from the committee set up several weeks ago to consider the best means of bringing the numerous complaints of the commercial community before the Government. Proposals for doing this by means of a representative national delegation after Christmas were outlined j but details of the scheme were not made public. In opening the meeting the chairman (Mr Howie) reviewed the various circumstances which had given rise to the original meeting, and to the formation of the committee to take action. He reiterated the point that the business men attending would yield second place to no bne in their loyalty to the King and the Empire, and that their uppermost thought would be co-operation with the Government to enable New Zealand to play a worthy part in the present war. It was regrettable, however, that the Government, by its policy, ; should shatter the prospects of co-operation. “Sterling funds con- * tinue at a low ebb,” he said. “The bothersome restrictions of import control have not brought any worth-while results. Figures recently published show that-withdrawals from the Post Office Savings Bank have been mounting at an alarming rate,' and this process has been going on for months. The Government cannot describe its own Post Office Savings Bank as a gangster institution.’ We cannot possibly expect any l improvement ijn our economic condition miles,s and until the Government itself decides to call a halt in its experimental legislation for the complete socialisation of the Dominion, and until it also decides to rescind those measures that are . crushing industry and destroying the whole commercial structure of the country,” Mr Howie added, saying that he was speaking in a -personal capacity.

Government Markets. Mr W. J. Roach, a. member of the special committee, said that in investigating Government interference in local marketing he had been amazed at the extent to which, the industries that were, now complaining were responsible for their own troubles. In many cases it was they who asked the Government to interfere. “I freely admit that in taking control the Government went altogether too far, and badly messed the job up in a number of glaring cases,” he said, “but by providing the Government with pretexts —often flimsy.—to step in, some of us deserve all we are getting.”

Mr Roach urged that no similar action of this nature be taken until the committee ryas able to bring Dominionwide pressure to bear in an effort to persuade the Government tq “ease up on its dictator programme.” Mr S.B. Macdonald said that in view of the radio activities of the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting (Mr C. G. Scrimgeoiir)' he felt that it was the bounden duty of all right-thinking people in Auckland to refuse to buy any article advertised over IZB. Ho noticed that a meeting of farmers had decided to make a similar request when the farmers, who were the backbone of the' country, were described by Mr Scrimgeoiir. as “public enemy No. 3.”

At the conclusion of the meeting a resolution was passed to the effect that all present, representative of wide city and country interests, completely approve the steps so far taken by the committee, and endorsed the procedure set out. Future support and co-opera-tion were- also pledged.