The middle class

Press, 19 February 1986, Page 18

The middle class

Sir,—Mark Sadler puts his finger on the major economic ills of the nation: the greed for luxury imports, particularly pretty cars and packaged tours. However, his economic theories are no answer. Reversing the abject sell-out of Labour to big business is no help, for any Government would have the big guns of local and overseas usurers trained upon it. Spending within our means would be ratting on agreements. Yet New Zealand emerged from the century’s worst depression far ahead of other countries under the first Labour Government. Within a year the Reserve Bank, imposed by overseas financiers, was nationalised, workers, money and material harnessed against unemployment, marketing of. primary produce organised toprotect farmers with guaranteed prices, compulsory industrial arbitration reinstated and the 40hour week established, wage and salary cuts being restored. Health, education, housing and works > were handled positively. Now, only gloom.—Yours, etc., VARIAN J. WILSON. February 16, 1986.