IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 209, 4 September 1935, Page 6

IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

POPULATION PROBLEMS

EXPANSION AND BIRTH CONTROL.

(To the Edi«»r.> j. +„+„ «f +hp New Zealand popuThe present state of the New uc territory At the present time the world is divided agricultural The industrial areas are well populated, and any increase of population would be forced into the agricultural areas, causing a further tensificatlon of already wasteful agricultural methods. If an agricultural country has a population large enough to obtam all the raw materials the country can produce, without overtaxing these resources for the generations yet to come, there is certainly a need of population control. Likewise an industrial country must control its population so that the wealth its goods create ensures its population with a "ood standard of living. Over-produc-tion on" either side means distress, and as over-population would create over-production, population control must be practised so that an even trade balance can be ensured. Japan, I think, is the cause of most of the overpopulation fears, but she is essentially an industrial country and would remain one without need of expansion if the other nations were to lower their tariffs against her. Expansion or birth control are the answers to overpopulation and with assured open markets Japan would take the latter course. No nation is economically independent, and better international feeling with free trade and a new financial system would lessen the desire for expansion and create a happier and more prosperous world. G- GRAHA'M.

THE POLITICAL GUESSERS. After affirming that the Nationalist (Coalition) "have followed a policy . . . which is the subjugation of the people to a socialistic and bureaucratic control," the Mayor of Wellington, leader of the Democrat party, says he will "now touch ... on some of the major points" of his party's policy; and he "touches on" twelve points, of which the last is education! May Ibe permitted to say that after the downright clarity of the charge of subjugating the people to a policy of bureaucratic control (a charge flatly made, but without any pretence at demonstration), one would expect Mr. Hislop to state his party's ■policy with equal clarity. But, instead, his twelve "points" are clouded in vague verbiage that were the despair of a desperate share salesman. I cannot expect space to traverse the whole of that precious morass of verbal mystification; but one or two quotations will serve. Under the heading "Exchange," Mr. Bislop says: "We propose ... to allow exchange to reach its true economic relation with sterling." Now, "how many electors in 10,000 have the remotest knowledge of what he means? Does Mr. Hislop himself know what he means by that jargon? Again, under "Mortgage Adjustment," "to preserve the spirit of the sanctity of contracts." I suppose he means the "inviolability" of contracts; but is it merely another verbal carelessness that leads him to omit the qualifying adjective "free"'? Or does he intend enforcing all contracts, whether freely entered into or not? Again, under "Parliamentary Reforms," Mr. Hislop is delightfully vague; lie' intends "introducing more businesslike methods." Jast that. Xo word of smashing that negation of democracy —party government —and no word of democracy's one sure safeguard —secret voting in Parliamentary divisions. Xo word, either, of placing the members' pay upon the same basis as that governing the pay of No. 5 scheme workers. And no word of cutting down the extravagant allowances drawn by Cabinet Ministers. But the gem of the bunch is the "more practical and useful lines" which Mr. Hislop will impose on the Department of Education. Judged by that claptrap, Mr. Hislop knows nothing of the science of pedagogy. The whole manifesto is a splendid example of what one would expect where political insincerity is starkly in the saddle. HUGH MeHAIGH.

BANKS AND MONEY. Of course banks charge higher rates of interest than they pay their depositors, just as grocers charge higher prices than they pay to the merchants who supply them. Does "Plain Bill" expect banking to be conducted for nothing? Advances bring cheques into circulation, but to say that every fresh advance adds to the circulation is gross error. Advances are granted and cancelled every day and unless the community is progressing the cheque circulation is likely to remain about constant. To say that the Government or any other party borrows cheques and pays interest on them is nonsense. Bank borrowers obtain goods or service of the full value of their loans, and it is for the use of these they pay interest, and it is for their ownership they pny when returning their advances. Cheques tire not drawn and then lent by banks; they are drawn by borrowers, and neither the borrower who draws the cheque nor the bank on which it is drawn gains one farthing from the process. "Plain Bill" is entirely wrong in regard to notes. They are purchased fronT the Keserve Bank, not obtained for nothing, and *Reserve Bank profits go to the State. In my letter I asked a plain question, which "Plain Bill" has not attempted to answer. Howcould a State bank, run on Douglas Credit principles, meet the obligations to its depositors its advances would create when those advances, having been ladled out as #ifts. could not t>e recalled? J. JOHXSTONE.

PRICE OF CREAM. May I have space to correct these errors! Cream is not butterfat; butterfat is not butter —your correspondents confuse the terms. The Chamber of Commerce was correct: 4oz carton of cream at 2;2(>oz would be for butter at about soz. Cream never goes over 4."> per cent test, and rarely that—the average for factories is about 3(5 to 38 test. For this season and last the farmer has averasred about 6d per lb for butterfat, not 12.2512 d per lb, as stated by Mr. Chapman, and I challenge him to prove his statement. The fid per lb the supplier to the factory gets is delivered in Britain. Mr. Goldstine is apparently a poor prophet. FARMER.

I Mr. Chapman states that the average test of cream last mouth, on the Health Department's figure*, was 4<i per cent butterfat. delivered to the public. The actual figures of six tests were 4(i..">. 4S. 47, 49.5, 4ti.o and 35..">; average. 40 per cent. Milk, said Mr. Chapman, averaged 4.4 per cent butterfat.— Ed.]

STREET COLLECTIONS. May I protest against these never-ending street collections? We business people find things hard enough, goodness knows, without a collection box poked under our noses every week. We certainly feel this injustice when we are called into" our shop when engaged, thinking it is a cash customer, but to our 'honor are met by a canvasser for donations to some fund or other. I .sincerely trust that the next Government will have sufficient backbone to prohibit such numerous appeal* t> 1 unfortunate business people who are striving to make both ends meet in these trying time-. DIStJUSTKIV