"RELY, ON OURSELVES"

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 25, 30 January 1932, Page 12

"RELY, ON OURSELVES"

(To the Edjtor.)

Sir, —We New Zealauders ;, have .long been in the habit of looking to our exports of primary produce for our income. We have exploited our country rather than developed an independent community, relying upon money received from abroad instead o£ upon ourselves for 'our various needs. This has now proved a broken reed, and has failed us, and; we ure in a bad way and getting worse. May I point out that the Maoris before .the white man came, had no export' trade, and yet made a good living out of what Nature provided1, in this country. I submit that we should do the same or to a much greater extent than we have in the past. Let us rely much more upon our-1 selves for the necessaries bi life. This will solve unemployment and put us on a sound footing. Here we have an ideal climate capable of producing in plenty all that man needs for a good and happy life."' All the 'machinery necessary is in the country waiting to be used. All the wool needed is lying waiting to be .made inio 'doth, all the seed for'crops is",'in t)w merchants' stores., .Let us set to work every-man according'to his trade, and in'three months we could make nearly all we need for, the whole community. t Why i'are our men uselessly hoeing weeds from the roadsides and our women half-starving at home? Why are our woollen mills not ■working three, shifts" a day making blankets and cloth for our people's use this coming winter? Why'lave we not sorted the men and women out who can work in woollen mills and set them to do this work? And why are not the farm workers growing wheat and 'potatoes and onions? And why, are not the factory workers making clothes, etc., etc.? We have to feed these'people. ,Why waste their time till soon a iamine will be upon us?

I'heartily sympathise with the man at Lower Hutt the other day who said. "We are tired of wearing second-hand clothes and living on a degrading, pittance." There 13 no need and no excuse for such a state of affairs. There is no drought, 'the earth is not barren. We have only to sow and reap to weave and to .make I clothes. The materials ' and machinery are here 'in plenty," and the labour ia .waiting. Who will take up this matter and organise it? Have our-politicians and leaders no vision? Can-.they not pull us together-and put us to/work making the things we need for ourselves?/ It is'after" this-manner'-that We can quickly" solve our -problems, or at least some of t them. The' proposal is a constructive one. Let no bogey stand in the way, ioti of course, bogeys there are already made. The first is interests." Well, it is not to anyone's interest to have the present state of affairs continue. The second bogey is "union rates of, pay." But it is not union wages that, we want: it is.food and clothes. This is not a time to hagple over rates oi pay. Let us get to work on a co-opera-tive basis and give everybody a new suit and plenty 'to" eat. Then "we can <lo the arguing afterwards.—l am, etc.,