MORE LIGHT NEEDED

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 56, 4 September 1944, Page 1

MORE LIGHT NEEDED

When referring on Friday to some aspects of post-war policy the Prime Minister spoke mostly in general terms. He declared, for instance, that the policy * the Government was to n-to-tain import control, to negotiate internationally, and to hav° a realisation of our particular economies and the Sust™ s th, c ft? mus^? tor various types of industries. That was the right policy. In the absence of something much more specific and 116 T""'^. in, the country will have the greatest

difficulty in deciding whether it Is the best policy. The Minister of Supply (Mr. Sullivan) has referred to the committees which are now at work under the national development plan, but here again there was an absence of detail, and certainly very little that would enable industry, primary and secondary, to shape its future course with confidence. It is true that there are a number of unknown factors which make complete planning impossible, but this.has not prevented the British Government, in its recent White Paper, from laying down certain welldefined principles which at least give industry an idea of the place it will be expected to fill in the post-war world. In New Zealand industry generally is still awaiting a lead from the Government. The need for amplification of the policy is illustrated by Mr. Fraser's | reference to international negotiation-. ( What does this mean for the primary producers? Does it mean that the Government proposes to operate a policy of purchasing the produce and selling it on the markets of the world, accepting any loss and taking any profit that may result, or does it mean that the Government intends to _act merely as the agent of the producers? If the former is the case, it is reasonable to ask 'if this will not lead in the future to difficulty similar to that which has arisen regarding lump-sum payments. The producers, whose interests are at stake, are entitled to know more of the Government's intentions than has been indicated so far. Other sections, too, are concerned about their future, and it cannot be expected that they will be satisfied with generalities. It is to be hoped that if, and when, the Prime Minister takes part in the Budget debate he will take the opportunity, not only of telling the primary producers' more about the recent agreement with Great Britain, but aiso of elaborating the policy which he so briefly outlined on Friday.