Employment

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31407, 28 June 1967, Page 16

Employment

Sir, —We live in an affluent society in spite of the waste of war preparations and the frustrations of industrial disputes. There are very great dangers in the continued efforts of our rulers to maintain full employment under their debt system in face of the obvious facts of plenty for all. They are supported by far too many otherwise good people who are opposed to the idea that the common man should have the pleasure of his potential leisure and think that his closeness to poverty should be the driving force to make him work. The classes privileged to have leisure after their taxes are paid must realise that they are being taxed out of existence in the political democracy that has to buy its votes from the intransigent mob. They could well be the leaders of an orderly people who know what they want and know they can get it from an economic democracy founded on the regular distribution of voting tickets, better known as money.—Yours etc. W. B. BRAY. Leeston, June 27, 1967.

Sir, —"A. B. Cedarian” tells us: “In Lenin Hills, Moscow, the elite live in stately white mansions." 1 was recently in Moscow and visited the Lenin Hills district a number of times on foot, by public transport, and by taxi, sometimes travelling on my own. I saw a university, film studios, blocks of flats, parkland, a garage, a children’s play centre, even railway sidings, but nowhere did 1 see any stately white mansions. Perhaps “A. B. Cedarian” would care to lodge with the editor a sketch map of where in the Lenin Hills district these mansions are to be found, or perhaps he would tell us where he himself saw them.—Yours etc. R.A.M.G. June 27, 1967.

Sir, —“P. J. A..” letter regarding the “haves” and “have-nots” in New Zealand seems to me. an ordinary housewife, quite absurd. In New Zealand we are ail given equal opportunities in every sphere. That some prefer to work hard and diligently and after many years even become "a have,” is a logical aim and to their credit. It would seem that if it were not for the “haves” who pay high income tax to provide, proportionately, so much for maintaining social services, the “have-nots” in this country would suffer in social security concessions. Finally, we have no peasant communities here living in poverty, or in fear of their wealthy landlords, hence the revolutions iri the U.S.S.R. and China have passed us by. How could one compare the conditions that existed in those countries to those in New Zealand where we are asked to tighten our belts a little? This may well be the makings of the young people in New (Zealand today. May they aspire to be “haves.”—Yours, : etc. V.M. June 26, 1967. Sir, —One would have thought “P. J. A.” too experienced a man to spread rebellion among our youth. He speaks of “haves” and “havenots.” The “haves” have mainly saved for some desirable purpose: a home, a little business, perhaps security in old age. Whv exploit such people? The “have-nots,” often with their parents, live for a day and spend everything they can get. Certainly the Government should help the unemployed, and their interim plans are already announced. Violence gets us nowhere.— Yours, etc. LIVE IN PEACE. June 27, 1967.