The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1922. WANTED—BUSINESS MEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 73, 27 March 1922, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1922. WANTED—BUSINESS MEN.

I For the cause that lacks assistance, | For the ttrrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

Some of our readers may lie a little weary of our insistence on the ne<tl ior more financial ability in the (iovernment and in Parliament, but we can assure them that the question is of first rate and urgent importance. If as a result of the elections at tbe end of the year Parliament received a strong infusion of business ability the benefit to the country might be incalculable. We are no blind worshippers of the business man as a class. Wo do not believe that the capacity which enables a man to make a success in business is necessarily n compound of lofty qualities. ~r tliat it can pretend to solve all the problems that vex mankjnd. The business man is often narrow and material—tic, and when faced with great problems of statesmanship thai require vision and courage he may be a hopeless failure. Hut for certain thing-* lie may be of great value, and W believe that there are larger opportunities for him to-day in national affairs than tiierc have been for a generation. Non-paying railways, falling revenue, public works reform, moratoriums, problems of taxation, the effect of tbe tariff on trade,--these and other questions would be easier ot solution if there were more men in the House who have had business experience on a large scale. They would bring this experience to bear on such matters and subject them to the scrutiny which ordinary business propositions have to pa-s. Unfortunately, the House is very weak in men of such equipment. It had two men who stood out in this respect—Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. Myers- and it has lost them both. The Government is a government of lawyers and farmers, and contains not only no man of prominence in business, but no one with a grasp of finance. In these respects the Government reflects the House, and"the consequence is that criticism of policy and administration is often of the feeblest just where it should be strong, wellinformed, and constructive as well as destructive. An example of the kind of thing that results from this weakness is 'what has happened about manures and the tariff. Duties on manures were imposed by Order-in-Council in accordance with powers conferred (by last year's Act. The farmers promptly and properly protested, and the duties were removed. Had the tariff "been administered on business principles such duties would not have 'been imposed on articles that were necessary for local production and could not 'be obtained in New Zealand. The "Lyttelton Times" uses this as a text for an article on the need to which we have just referred. "Leaving party politics out of consideration altogether, it is Out stating an indubitable fact to say that there is not in the present Ministry one man who has been trained in the schools of trade, commerce and industry. Lawyers and fanners, and retired schoolmasters may be all very well in their way, but it is beyond reason to expect them to possess the kind of knowledge that makes a successful merchant. Yet the progress of the country, the soundness of its policy, the management of its finances, the direction of its railways, its post and telegraph and telephone services, depend for success upon exactly the description of knowledge and training that the Ministry lacks; and we believe it may fairly be said that a large part of the troubles that new handicap New Zealand, such as heavy taxation, swollen expenditure, inefficiency and insolvency of public services, clumsy tariffs and shifting tariffs, may be traced to the one defect in the Ministry that it knows little of business rules, methods and governing conditions." The "Lyttelton Times" appeals ;to business men to come forward and actively engage in politics. For many j years, so it says with too much truth, it has been the custom of (business men to wash their hands of politics, and it has been difficult and almost impossible to induce them to come forward as candidates. We hope the change in ecoI nomic conditions and the very unsatis- | factory state of national affairs will j bring about a change of attitude, and that at this year's election leading . business men will offer themselves. ! Chambers of Commerce and individual business men have been free with criticism of Government actions and advice to the Government and Parliament. Let them go further and put individual business ability at tho disposal of the country.