Conscription Of Wealth

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 87, 6 January 1940, Page 13

Conscription Of Wealth

Sir,— Probably, many of your readers were curious to see ■whether Mi. Barnard would attempt to reply to Mr. Downie Stewart’s logical criticism of the former’s strange public statement on conscription. Well, he has made the attempt. But it is a reply only in name. Now that the holiday season is over, the public would be glad to have clear answers by Mr. Barnard to. all Mr. Stewart’s searching questions. Wul he give those answers i Conscription of men naturally reminds one of conscription of wealth. The two things almost run in double harness. Conscription of wealth is, a loose and undefined' expression very popular with Mr. Savage and a section of the Socialist party. There are twt methods of conscription of wealth. One means a compulsory loan to New Zealand by all citizens owning more than a stated minimum of wealth. The amount of contribution is fixed by the amount of the lender’s wealth. It bears interest at a fixed rate, and is v repayable at a fixed date. This was the scheme prepared by Sir Joseph Ward' as Finance Minister and adopted by Mr. Massey’s War Cabinet. And it worked smoothly, the only few complaints against it were made by those who to find their quota of contributions to the loan had to sell some securities that were giving them a higher rate of interest than the loan did. But they were all well-to-do people, ami the slight loss of income was not in any case serious. They still had pleasing incomes and all their capital left to them.

The other method is simply confiscation of money without its ever being returned or any interest ever being paid for it. This method is very popular with some minor mem tiers of the Socialist Parliamentary Party, for it appeals to the have-nots and gains their votes. Apart from its unfairness, it lias another serious drawback. It would add much to unemployment. For it should be clear to the dullest mind that if a person is deprived to the extent of one-quarter or one-half or even more of his property, which it seems is the goal aimed at by the extremists, he must immediately, whether in business or not, reduce his expenses to the like extent if he is to remain solvent. This means a considerable discharge of his present staff, whether domestic servants or other classes of workers. Many of them will be old or over military'age or not Fit A. Many of them will be women, who, however, do not count for much with the Socialist Party except at election time. All these people will have to live on the unemployment “dole,” i.e., charity. And the very great majority of them will not like the idea of living on charity, a thing they have never done before or expected to be forced to do now in God’s own country.

Will Mr. Savage and Mr. .1. A. Lee kindly state exactly what they mean bv conscription of wealth?—l am, etc., JUSTITIA. Wellington, January 5.