“UNJUSTIFIABLE ARBITRARY ENACTMENT"

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 186, 9 May 1928, Page 12

“UNJUSTIFIABLE ARBITRARY ENACTMENT"

Sir, —Rising and falling,- but never at rest, the'values of New Zealand’s export‘produce flow into and out of the lap of finance. From it are drawn sums due for interest on our external national and private debts, payment for imports, freights of tonnage, insurance oil floating consignments and a proportion of yie costs of defence. Further important charges are deducted for organisation and administrative purposes, interest on internal debts ; and railway, postal an pension expenditure. When production has languished and values have been low there has usually been a surplus, but of some millions of pounds less than under brighter conditions. It is from such fluctuating receipts New Zealand’s population is supplied with rewards for labour in the way of salaries, wages and other emoluments. Support to industries and returns to primary producers require to be provided for, and this necessary division of the remnant of incofne causes wasteful friction through political strife. . ' The sum to be divided is dependent not only on the quantity and quality of our exports and the demand for them in our Imperial and foreign markets. It is affected by the character of our laws and the thrift or improvidence of our people. In a changing world with shifting values a political party asks for fixed awards, higher wages, decreased hours of work and freedom from agreements for the quantity and quality of work to be done for such wages. Not satisfied with, these modest demands, they propose to extend them to farm workers generally. Logically in support of their suggestions they must provide fixed payments to farmers for the hours worked on the land, irrespective of the quality and quantity of their meat, butter, eggs and potatoes. Having stepped so far on the way to Communism, their next step will naturally be to make all farms' State institutions. Such theories are quite impracticable, _ are hal-. lucinations, and in line with “usehold” tenure, preference to unionists, standardised costs of commodities and of living, arbitrary awards, and other means to secure votes and support for partv and electioneering, funds.. This party does not concern itself with the. real welfare of the farmers and other' workers of New Zealand, or that of the many supporters of unionism who are. not misguided by foolish theories, and whose interests a wise Government considers paramount and protects. It is therefore necessary to .warn workers against the extremists who are truly, though blindly, working against Labour’s welfare.

The wages of those union men who happen to be in regular work, only appear to be larger than before the war. They truly are of less value, because the increase has heavily raised the cost of commodities. Further advances if acceded to will impose weightier burdens on unionists, and make the greater publie, on whom all are dependent, less and less able to carry the load. The lap of finance has been so depleted through the present fixed charges that many producers have been left with insufficient funds to employ surplus labour and materials to drain lands, maintain fences and buildings, renew crops, and refertilise their farms. The party’s policy has raised the price of bread a hundred per cent., has made it necessary to protect wheat growers, and will render assistance indispensable to producers of other classes of produce in the way of bonuses on food produced. According to the programme, awards must be paid on the same basis as for union work, and no preference must be given for quantity or quality of either food or labour. _ The whole policy is a farce. There is too much top hamper. Arbitrary awards and preference to unionists are onesided, unwise, selfish, and unreliable. They are an incubus on employer and employee alike. They are fetters on industry'. They are at war with the supreme economic law, and at variance with the best ethical practice. The great majority of the public is suffering from unjustifiable arbitrary enactments, and will assuredly take steps to protect themselves from inefficient leaders who oppose reform. There cau be no effective increase m wages, nor can present rates be maintained. unless a corresponding value m loyal labour is rendered in exchange.— 1 etC " A. BUCHANAN. Palmerston North, April 30, 1928.