THE RISE AND FALL OF A NATION

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22850, 25 October 1939, Page 13

THE RISE AND FALL OF A NATION

TO TH* IOITOB Or THX FBX33. Sir—lt is not often that one is privieged to see the above phenomenon all n a few months, but it has just happened before our very eyes. To explain, I must call attention to )- the fact that the list of import restricf :ions just issued allows manufacturers f :o import only necessary raw matet, -ials to the extent of their 1938 re•■"’■"ments: also, there is no provision 'or the new lines lor the new big in-i-stnes which we were told were in | irocess of springing up all over the | ountry. ‘We also know that some of | he factories—are having the utmost $ lifficulty in getting sufficient supplies sj or continuity of work, owing to exhange shortage. Not so very long ago we had a most nthusiastic campaign to forward the d reat project of “building a nation,” iy practically giving the secondary in--4 lustries a blank cheque regarding com- ,% letition. * The Minister for Industries and Comnerce sang us to sleep night after night [- vith a wonderful account over the i.’ adio of all the new licences being i [ranted and the great number of vorkers who would get highly-paid obs in the new nation he was building. Vhat made it all so effective was that 10 criticism of any sort was allowed | iv er the air. Then we had the “Man in the Street” lalogue, wherein one man casually ieets another and informs him that we ave been tied to the apron-strings of ie farmer for too long, and we must ecome independent by means of secndary industries. No mention was ia “.e of course, that the industries till had to rely on primary products or their machinery, raw materials, tc. Even the great Mr Semple entered 16 arena and told irrigation workers wt they w°iild quadruple production, u t that we had been a glorified coward for too long; we were the world's unipmg ground for imports, and that [e would prohibit them and make aem ourselves, still presumably flndag a market for our greatly increased imports. No doubt he thought that pat sort of thing would do for irrigation workers. if all this happened _only a few ago and now the cry is for more |f“J“ still more farm production. Some ICf° j . rnay say that war has been deSlrjf* 6 ® in the interval, but it was quite ffjpwous then that war was almost inwithin a short time. That 3+ ilf a Nation” campaign was the greatest wildcat project ever entered m -^ ew Zealand, and as one who anc * gave publicity to a sticky for it, I feel entitled to write its Mutuary notice.—Yours, etc., u V. WILKINSON. Mitcham, October 21, 1939.