Iron Industry In Zealand

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 142, 12 March 1938, Page 13

Iron Industry In Zealand

Sir, —Mr. Jorrocks, of immortal memory, when endeavouring to reduce the price of some piece of fancy horseflesh which he intended . .purchasing, so thoroughly “faulted” “ ’is ’ead, ’is ’ocks, ’is ’eels an’ ’is haction” that the despondent owner was often glad to quit the animal at "the price o’ cat’s-meat.” ‘fjronnio,” as a student of the classics, is no doubt conversant with the methods of Mr. Jorrocks, and his particularised and crushing condemnation of the establishment of the iron industry in this Dominion seems to indicate that he, doubtless unconsciously, follows the example of “The Master; 1 ’ His arguments are typical of the “can’t be done” school, which attitude so disastrously affected the late administration, and in my . opinion will,, unless radically altered, affect the result of the forthcoming election. More of a philosopher than a politician, perhaps little enough of either, the inaction of the present Opposition astounds me, assuming, of course, that its members are as greedy for office as I am given to understand is the usual condition of all “outs.” No political party, so far as I know, ever yet attained power on a policy of “can’t” and “don’t,” which, if maintained, must inevitably keep the National Party in the cold and overdraughty shades of Opposition. And yet from a philosophic point of view the matter seems so simple and amusing. In this little country where every good mechanic, efficient artisan, struggling tradesman, and hard-working farmer, is. at heart .a Conservative, it -needs but a bold political programme to ensure success. And any such programme is so far only forthcoming from the present Government —better a bad programme than none at all—and because of that, the freedom which it has takeu uh (I am no New Zealander) 500 years to obtain, is being filched from us. It is well said that “There is nothing so timid as a million of money,” and it almost seems nothing so stupid. But there is a large body of silent electors waiting for a captain who will steer this happj litilland away from the shackle*- of Socialism, fettering the efficient to the incompetent, the lazy to the hard-work-ing, the disloyal to the loyal, and the dishonest to the honest. Do not say that the iron industry, or any other form of industry, “can’t be done.” On the contrary, the country needs encouragement, help, advice—in other words, leadership. A leadership to attack real abuses, the abuses of the combiner, the land speculator, the mal-ad-ministrator, the soap-boxer. Let us remember Mr. Jorrocks’s axiom, “Yer can’t give a lame ’oroe a sound leg, but yer can always put a stone under 'is .other three shoes.”—l am, etc.. ANNE ECHO. Napier, March 9.