STATE ABSOLUTISM IN NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 71, 17 December 1937, Page 13

STATE ABSOLUTISM IN NEW ZEALAND

Criticism Of Government

At Upper Huft

A declaration that the Labour Government’s plans would lead to the State absolutism that existed in Russia, Germany, Italy and Japan was made at Upper Hutt last evening by Mr. AV. L. Barker in an adress he gave at the Druid’s Hall under the auspices of the National Party. He criticised at length and in detail the policy of the Labour Party. "The policy of the present Government has raised our internal costs to such a level that we have no hope of competing with imported secondary goods,” he said. “And the higher our internal costs rise the greater will be our difficulty in maintaining secondary industries in this country. Yet in 1935, and'Since, the Hon. W. Nash and his colleagues have vigorously maintained that secondary industries must be built up in order to find natural employment for our unemployed and younger people. But ever since they have been in power they have done everythong they possibly can to destroy industries in New Zealand. The rising level of costs and the increasing interference of the State with private enterprise plus their imposed burden of taxation which frightens capital out of business and out of New Zealand, is making the position of secondary industries very dangerous. The Labour Government, in order to carry out their promises of 1935, must either reduce costs, impose further tariffs on imports. inflate the exchange, or introduce a planned economy on the lines of Russia so as to control all industry and smash the international exchanges.

“The Socialism at which the Labour Government is aiming is the State absolutism that exists in Russia, Germany, Italy or Japan. The funny thing about these Socialist politicians in New Zealand is that they speak of democracy and Socialism as though they were much the same thing. Democracy is actually a form of State in which is found a variety of conflicting economic interests—farmers, manufacturers, industrialists, importers, shopkeepers, tradesmen, professional men, investors, and labourers competing with one another and among themselves. The State in which they live is this democratic State. The system they follow is the system known as capitalism of which the incentive to succeed is profit. “In order to establish Socialism all these conflicting interests must be eliminated and the profit element removed from the reach of the individual. In other words, the democratic State and the capitalistic system (which are mutually interdependent) must be removed. Socialism means State ownership of all industry and enterprise so that the individual becomes but a serf dependent on the questionable beneficence of the despots who are- in power at the time and control everything within the State. “History—even modern history—shows that when the democratic State is replaced by some form of absolute State then party government is overthrown and the Government entrenches’ Itself behind force.” Mr. J. Maher, Mangaroa, presided. There was a pood attendance.