WHAT THE PAPERS SAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 117, 20 May 1933, Page 8

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY.

POINTS FROM THE PRESS.

"THEY WANT CITY LIFE."

Since it is hard enough for youths to. find employment of any kind in these times, it is the ; more deplorable when, for no adequate reason, they throw away offers of it. Some days ajjo we published a letter from a Dunedin resident iii which an appeal was made for assistance in the way of 1 shelter or employment for two youths under twenty years of age. But in what they possibly regard as a spirit of manly independence, the youths concerned have declined to go to the country. They want a city life. That presumably means that they prefer: to hang about the streets, doing nothing, and being a burden on others, to going where "the opportunity of leading a healthful and useful existence "awaits them. We have had the opport'un'tiy ,of perusing the offers of employment that were made them, and truly, as our correspondent they were of a kind which many adults would be pleaded to accept. In each instance a good home and 'food such as that enjoyed by the family were offered, toother with the opportunity of learning farm work. In two cases a readiness to pay wages was signified. In a third the chance of .learning sheep-farming and all stock work under experienced guidance, in -a deer-shooting and trout-fishing district, might have seemed of a kind that any young man. without resources wishing to get on the land : would be glad to embrace. But evidently in the case of too many youths v'lio are drifting about the towns without prospects, the offer of plenty of good food afc the farmer's table and other material benefits in return for ' willingness to assist in country work arouses no enthusiasm. Such an attitude constitutes in itself one of the problems of the hour.—"Otago' Daily Times."

PLURAL VOTING. It will surprise most people in Christehurch to learn that one person in the recent municipal election exercised eleven votes under a comparatively recent amendment of the Municipal Corporations Act which gives a vote in respect to registered companies. Formerly there was a limit of three to the votes that one person could exercise, but now there is 110 limit', and the principle of plural voting has been reintroduced with a vengeance, and probably without members of Parliament realising the possibilities of its abuse. But to tell the truth, Parliament has lately shown little regard for the preservation of democratic institutions, and there is a Government bill now in print which proposes to give all local bodies a three years' tenure of office from 1935. The trend of such legislation is clearly reactionary.—"Christchurch Star."

A NEW ECONOMIC ORDERt

A correspondent, writing to- "The Times" recently, said that one of the most conspicuous changes of the. past year had been the dramatic end of the historic British attitude of laissezfaire. Similar developments in the United States since President, Roosevelt took office may. later be noted as one of the *inost significant trends of tho current year. To-day is published a forecast of legislation which provides, among other things, for the Federal control of American industry. It is a pity that the details supplied are tantalisingly scant. Even without this bill, however, the United States in the last two months has travelled a long way from, its traditional individualist position in commerce and industry. Germany is going even faster and farther in the direction of collectivism- In her case the tendency is not so surprising. Her efficient bureaucracy led her in the direction of State socialism; her modern history was born out of the zollverein 01- Customs union; trusts, cartels, syndicates and the like are everyday phenomena of her economic progress. The strong movement of Great Britain and the United States in the direction of planning, with a larger or smaller measure of- State control, is a much more portentous event'. The strange thing is that in neither country are manj' stopping to ask, "Where are we going?" Action is not being taken by reference to a new set of adopted principles. Tho policy is on<y"of economic opportunism dictated by the facts : — and chiefly the facts of over-supply. Writing in the "Round Table," one commentator re-, marks that the British Government is introducing "the principle of controlled production to an extent that would make the hair of tho oldfashioned Conservative stand on. end, if only hc t realised what was happening/* Probably the. Conservatives know Very well what-is happening:. At any rate, the Minister of Agriculture,. Major Elliot, leaves no room for 'misunderstanding, in statements such as that he made last week. If the world is really evolving a new economy, if tho present depression really represents the birthpangs of a new order, it behoves New to inquire into the implications of the impending change. Since the Dominion . can exert- little influence to retard or alter the movement, she should be studying how she can keep step -with it.—"Dominion."