Meeting a National Crisis

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 120, 14 February 1935, Page 11

Meeting a National Crisis

Sir, —Is “B.L”. 40’’ sure that total cessation of international trade jvill ever happen? Surely that is improbable, as some nations canont produce everything necessary. Should it occur it is no more likely to cause war than a competitive systeni that depends on sweating men, women and children, which would reduce the great mass of people to a state of peuqry. If New Zealand should be the first to open its ports to a free exchange of goods, it is probable that the country that could flood us with cheap goods would command, anil probably our secondary industry workers would then have to work so cheaply that we could supply say, the Argentine, with £1,900,1X10 of woollen goods in return for cheap butter and meat —some prospect for the farmers. This would probably result in some other nation setting the price of our produce at a very low figure. Individuals in th? aggregate are the nation, and as such'the nation's trade. Unless all nations insist on the same relative standard of work, pay and living, there will always be tariffs. All countries will have to balance trade. To put a rent on land for revenue purposes is a tax, no matter what it is called, and would have to be paid out of the products. No matter what a person produces by his capital, or labour for sale, exchange or hire, the value is community created. —I am. etc.. DEFENCE. Wairarapa, February 9.