JAPAN AND SOCIAL CREDIT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21708, 15 February 1936, Page 22

JAPAN AND SOCIAL CREDIT

TO THE EDXTOft Of THE PRESS. Sir,—ln reply to “Bunk” 1 Wish to say that the reason why Japan does not embrace social credit is that the war lords of Japan do not wish to raise the standard of living of the people. If Japan adopted social Credit, home consumption would increase to such an extent that there would be a considerable decrease in the surplus of goods which is at present available for export. Without export, the importation of raw materials, from which to manufacture the munitions of war, would be impossible. Therefore social credit does not appeal to the govern* ment of Japan. But a perverted form of social credit does appeal, for it enables Japan to secure all the raw materials she requires for the manufacture of the munitions of war, Without going- headlong into debt or taxing her producers out of existence. "Bunk” discloses a child-like innocence when he assumes that - the Japanese, or for that matter, any other Government's sole object is to raise the standard of living of its people. The communists of Russia have.for mf'ipy years now kept the Russian standard of living lower than it need be so that there , shall be a greater surplus for export, And in New Zealand our late Government deliberately lowered our standard of living by means of the pegged exchange, so that there should be an. excess of exports out to '“Bunk" that no one has claimed that Japan’s sec-

ondary industries are prosperous. !To say that workers* are not sweated is not to say that they are prosperous. Neither is the fact that Japan’s lac* tones are humming hives or industry any proof that the manufacturer is making big profits. In ;fac<v the exist-> ence of a subsidy indicates that goods are being sold at under cost of proa small margin of profit.

y t *' ■y - ' -i~ (Vr^ljH ' Once and for all, theh, let understood that social claim Japan as a social crwmsgj® neither do they clauathat the w» »j of Japan are prosperous. All Sal claimed Is that apervertedus tbei** knowledge of social ww« enabled the. Japaneseto i*. • iwi* ■ r m