The City Elections

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 190, 10 May 1938, Page 13

The City Elections

Sir, —One of the greatest _ diflieuities tlie Reform, Liberal and Coalition parties have always had to contend with is the failure of their lady supporters to take the trouble to record their votes. The citizens’ party suffers from the same trouble in municipal elections. Ami therefore I should like to place before these ladies the one is=ne. that the. poll, next Wednesday will decide. It is, if the Socialists gain a majority of seats on the various boards op the council, the various affairs of the city will be conducted solely on Socialist lines and not on what is best for the city and its citizens. If the Socialists win a majority on the hospital board again, for instance, their half-baked project of a new hospital at a cost of £756,000 to £1.000,000 will be carried out before it has been investigated by competent experts. Such an expenditure will mean a heavy increase in the rates. And an increase in the rates does not affect ratepayers only. It affects tenants equally, because if the owner has to pay higher rates he has to charge a higher rent. Therefore, ladies, do not fail to vote next Wednesday. Husbands, make sure that your wives vote.—l am. etc., ANTI-SOCIALIST. YVellington, May 9. Sir, —Many electors must fear to visualise what will happen to hard-earued savings, or in other words “accumulated labour” unless this Dominion returns to sane, economic thinking. The dangerous spiral of rising costs at every turn will make it impossible to create a reservoir of wealth for any emergency that may arise. There is little if any difference between socialistic and communistic economics. To believe that the conditions of all classes of the community be levelled and kept level by “the equal distribution of wealth” is too absurd for words in a British community. Right down the ages history proves that a country that will not permit its thrifty to save, and save for itself, must sink in the scale of civilisation. We New Zealanders were never destined to forfeit our heritage of freedom and individualism. Any person would be crazy to believe that if all classes of the community “be levelled and kept level” we could escape becoming economically stagnant. What this Dominion wants to-day more than at anv time before is the restoration, of confidence. But confidence can only be restored by giving reasonable hope for the security of capital and reward for thrift and initiative. . Duties of citizenship must in the first instance be inculcated in both young and old. Self-indulgence and indifference must go by the board and be replaced by service. In the past the service of citizenship mentioned has been the exception rather than the rule. , ~ , . . , Is New Zealand to be the last to. learn what has happened in other countries? — 1 am ’ etC ” ... _T. A. FRASER. YVellington, May 5.