"PULL TOGETHER"

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 80, 5 April 1933, Page 8

"PULL TOGETHER"

MR. FORBES'S APPEAL FURTHER ECONOMIES COUNTRY'S PROBLEMS

' In an address at the annual meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce last evening,' the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) dealt with some of the problems with which the country il1 faced. He said that, in view of the reduction in the national income, further economies were necessary. Mr. Forbes said that wncn lie got the invitation to the.annual meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce he thought he would like to come down, and, as Burns said, "See ourselves as others see us," to hear at short range what one was usually obliged to hear at a. long distance. There was one. thing that made him feel at home, and that was when the president announced that tho Chamber of- Commerce had had a deficit. (Laughter.) That deficit might be of less ample proportions than that of the Government, but it had still a family likeness. (Laughter.) TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT. "I am very interested," said Mr. Forbes, "to hear what was said by the president of the Chamber of Commerce as to how he and the chamber viewed things in regard to the very difficult times- through which wo are passing. There are, I was going >to say, two schools of thought, but there seems to be fully a' dozen. I have had communications from more than a dozen bodies Which asserted that they had a panacea which would put everything right." There were, continued the\Prime Minister, two important schools of thought. One school believed in individual enterprise, the other State regulation. They were not fixed schools, however," because those who believed in individual initiative, when it came to ; a matter in which they were interested, and when they thought that a Government regulation would bo of assistance to them, came along with a. deputation and suggested that the Government might interfere in respect to that particular item in which they were specially concerned. They then returned to their original belief that things would be very niuch better if the Government did not interfere in any way. It was, of course, very difficult to please-everyone, and a Government that set out to, do that ended by pleasing no one. "What has to be done, as far. as the Government is concerned, is to try to carry on the affairs of the country to the best advantage of the country and everyone In it," said Mr. Forbes. In endeavouring to do that, one did not expect any thanks. While they might be able to do things that pleased one section, they would bo certain to have criticism from other sections. However, one did not complain of that, because, after all, that must be anticipated, and it was. what had occurred-ever since there had been governments. Governments were expected to stand criticism, and* take alike the blame and praise that camo to them. BARRIERS TO TRADE. A good deal of the trouble had been put down by the president of the chamber, .Mr. Luke, to the lack of the flow of trade between the various countries; That subject had been dealt with, by various eminent writers, and there was a rooted belief in a great many minds that artificial barriers prevented the free flow of trade. ' Instead of a spirit .of international trade, we were developing more and more a spirit of national trade. There was a strong belief that a* country should bo self-sustaining, that a country should bo able to carry on its business within its own borders. That spirit had been developing all over the world. As soon as trade was developed betweon one country and another pressure was brought to bear to put up a barrier to the trade from the other country. That/ made _ the position very ' difficult, especially in a country like New: Zealand which depended on its overseas markets, and we must do our best to promote reciprocal trade. The financial and commercial difficulties which had arisen between Great Britain and the. United States showed what happened under certain conditions. When' one studied the complexity of the problems, one realised how! difficult it was to, arrive at a solution. They had to take into account the realities of the position. The president of the Chamber of Commerce had said that they must win their way back to prosperity by the sweat of their brow. They had, however, advanced to such a stag© that they could produce many things > by pressing a button or turning on electric power, and they were thus getting away from the sweat of their brow. A great many of their difficulties were being brought about by tho abundance of their pro : : ductions and not by' scarcity. Then it was said that their difficulties were caused by faulty methods of distribution. Being largely distributors, members of the Chamber of Commerce must recognise the difficulties of tho problem. On the one hand there was an abundance, and on tho other hand large numbers of people wero short of commodities. : .