GOAL FOR 1939

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 83, 31 December 1938, Page 10

GOAL FOR 1939

Sound And Contented Country

PRIME MINISTER’S MESSAGE Industrial Expansion And More Production / The determination of the Government to encourage further industrialization and to secure a more rapid increase in production is referred to by the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, in a New Year message issued yesterday to the people of New” Zealand. The present prosperity and rising standard of living, he said, were worth defending. Slumps could be overcome by vigorous, intelligent measures, and by a spirit of confidence and optimism. He trusted that 1939 would see them a step nearer to the goal of a sound and contented country. “The beginning of a New Year affords a suitable opportunity for all of us to pause for a while to take stock of our year’s achievements and to give some thought to the future,” said Mr. Savage. “It is the practice, I know, for the Prime Minister’s message to set out the sum of achievement of the year and, from the sources of information at liis disposal, to give some indication of what he believes to be the prospects of the year ahead. But since the events of the past year are still very clearly in people’s minds, I should like to confine myself to the present and the future. “Those who serve the public have a great responsibility in constantly looking ahead in order to form opinions about the future before deciding what courses to follow. Obviously the wisdom of their actions depends upon the wisdom of their judgment on future trends. Anxiety Overseas. “Overseas there have been few years in living memory of greater anxiety and sorrow. During 1938 there have been, and indeed there are still, wars in progress and threats of war. In the economic sphere the great world centres have experienced a serious trade recession, which fortunately now shows an upward trend. But so long as the countries of the world are engaged in nn insane and gigantic scramble for armaments, there can be little likelihood of a return to normal trading conditions. To a country like New Zealand this is a serious matter.

“From this far-off and well-favoured land, we can remark the contrast of our own peaceful prosperity with the uncertainty abroad with feelings of the deepest thankfulness. As a result of three years of a Labour Government we have made a notable recovery from the nation-wide distress of the slump period. Today living standards are high and we have embarked on a programme of expanding social services which must raise those standards still higher. National Income Expanded.

“The Government has spent money in order to get the business machine back into running order, the national income has been expanded by increasing the purchasing power of the people and by increasing the country’s powers of production. Trade and income have been maintained and, given the effort and the will, they cau be increased. The government is d&tenuined to encourage further industrialization and to secure a more rapid

increase iu production. Above all, it is necessary to bring into existence industries which serve a sound economic purpose. “If slumps are felt abroad, we would be worse than foolish in tins country if we did not apply the experience we have gained in their treatment in the recent past. To the extent that we have acted in accordance with those teachings, we have succeeded in keeping prosperity here and we mean to keep it here. I would like to repeat now what I have stated many times — we will fight slumps aud not go with them. We will fight them with a poli-

cy of expansion, not of retrenchment. Slumps are not inevitable; they can be overcome by vigorous, intelligent measures and, above all, by a spirit of confidence and optimism. Standard of Living. “Those who attempt to undermine confidence in the Government or who resort to the unpatriotic practice of financial sabotage are doing a grave disservice to tl.eir country: Neither financial desertion nor industrial strife can be permitted to endanger our economy. Our present prosperity and rising standard of living are worth defending, and I would like to take this opportunity to c ill on everybody to cooperate with tlie Government to that end. Co-operatioi. can take many forms. First of all then is the spirit of goodwill and optimism. More than that, there is the wi. lingness to help. The Government has not hesitated to act in

accordance with its plans, but success must always lie with the people themselves. I have already stressed the need for maintaining and increasing the volume of production—the co-oper-ation of everybody can take its most practical course in this way. “The message I would give for 1939 is this: Let us keep what we have gained and let us all work with a will to build a still richer and happier New Zealand. Above all, let us show the world that we still have faith in our democratic institutions by making them function efficiently and well. If our heritage of the democratic way of life is worth enjoying, it is worth defending with all the spirit we possess. And 1 think we in New Zealand have that spirit and that faith. I trust that 1931) will -see us a step nearer to our goal of a sound and contented country. “A happy and prosperous New Year to you all.”