Economy Measures

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 143, 13 March 1931, Page 11

Economy Measures

4ir,—l understand. the Customs Department, under instructions from the Government presumably, have stepped in this week and taken advantage of the present favourable exchange of roughly 4i per cent, which is to importers advantage. If this is not adbpting a high ■hand of interfering with what is the merchants’ .due, one has to go a long way to find a parallel; furthermore it is only adding to the landed cost of the. goods concerned (a fair percentage of which comprises every-day lines), which cost has of necessity to be passed on to the consumer or every-day private individual. Even the veriest novice must know that this unprecedented exchange must before long assume a more even level, as the inevitable lower rate of wages and salaries must be. rj-fliited by the gradually lower cost of living; and so in the natural sequence of events must rents, rates and, in due time, interest come down. ; It has been suggested that it would 1 be better for people to spend more weekly, apparently regardless of the basis of things; such a proposition is unsound ..and is only keeping up the false basis on which we have been living for'some years past. -Mr. Forbes is being acclaimed as a strong man in introducing measures for curtailment of wages, costs, etc. Had he done this several months ago he could rightly be complimented as being semi-courageous, as anticipating what was surely predicted when Sir'Otto Niemeyer’s mission was first under way; no, he preferred to be at the behest of the Labour Party, which will no doubt now make the air sonorous with their unsound cuckoo catch-voting cry of maintaining the present standard 1 of wages, when the economical position does pot for one moment warrant it. Then again we shall have a storm of protest from the wheat-growing fraternity in the South Island that the present scale of duties should be maintained so that a sufficient quantity of wheat should be produced in the Dominion to maintain the wheat industry: certainly we should have protection, but not to the extent of the existing shelter which our South Island growers have had for years past. Strong measures are necessary on occasion, ns has been evidenced In New South Wales lately, where there is a movement for that State to have another Parliament, and if Mr. Forbes eannot recognise that some ameliorative measures should be at once introduced, with the cost of flour and bread also being lowered as a consequence, at all events for 1932 season, together with his apparent decision to continue the South Island Main Trunk, then it is about time the North Island should demand a Parliament of its own, and not be taxed unduly for political favourit-* ism. The South Island could then face its own music brought about by extravagance on the part of political “catchcry” individuals, and we in the North Island would be free to import Australian wheat, etc., and the South Island find an outlet in its own quarter for its products. The extraordinary higher charges in regard to postage covering letters, parcels, etc., clearly shows that the Post and’Telegraph Department is not being mm on the lines it should, as it is a reflection on those in charge that more revenue will be attained when postage, etc., i« doubled; had the extra charge been 50 per cent., i.e., lid. for letters and on that basis for other matter, merchants and others would not be resorting to other means of delivery of correspondence, etc. Everyone admits that the Government have to find more money, but they should have put their own house in order months ago by curtailment of undue extravagance, and also abow an earnestness of endeavour which „n be honestly