WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION

Evening Star, Issue 20779, 29 April 1931, Page 5

WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION

ECONOMISTS AND THE DEPRESSION The first meeting of the Economic Class was devoted to a lecture by Mr Lloyd Hess on ‘ The Economist and the Depression.’ There was a good attendance and it is hoped that enough students will join the class to justify foitnightly meetings. The lecturer said that the economist was unfortunate, oecause just at the time people were beginning to take an interest in economics they were beginning to criticise the economist. The chief criticisms were that economists disagreed on the causes and cure for the depression, that they h found no solution, and that they had done nothing to prevent the depression. These criticisms were to some degree valid, but the lecturer said that the first difficulty was that people were too eager to put forward their criticisms without tlie preparatory study. Those who hesitated to offer an opinion on the causes of physical health were almost invariably willing to say what they thought should be done about economic health. People who gaped with uncritical wonder at the tales of astronomers would write letters To the papers on difficult economic theory, merely because were suffering from the depression. Although certain limits must bo set after knowledge, and those limits must recognise that the economist was moio likely to bo nearer the truth than the untrained layman, because the economist was spending a lifetime studying the problem. It was just as absurd to declare that because debtors disagreed, or because cancer had not been abolished, therefore there was no value in medicine or surgery, as it was to say that there was no value in economics because economists disagreed or had no simple solution. When people said that the economist had no solution they generally meant that ho was not prepared to state that their particular solution was the only possible one. The doctor was in a much happier position, because his advice was more generally taken; but people were much more afraid of physical sickness than they were of economic sickness. Moreover, the only method that economists had of influencing public opinion was in classes, that few attended; in articles that had to be so simplified that they tended to bo unsound, or at Royal commissions, whose conclusions Governments would not follow. The final arbiter of the economist was the electorate, which was often swayed by issues that had little or no relation with the economic problems.

A reply to the criticisms the economist might make was that no one took any notice of the economist. Australian economists were unanimous on the unfortunate results of the Australian tariff, but the electorate supported ever-increasing duties. Mr Keynes had written ' The Economic Consequences of the Peace,’ and much of the later depression was due to the failure to accept his advice. On tariff policy throughout the world the consensus of economic opinion was opposed to tariff restrictions. ft was true that Mr Keynes was supporting a revenue tariff, hut his reasons and theories were very different from the average supporter of protection. The simplicity of the public on economic issues was clearly shown in their reaction to the announcement that Mr Keynes was supporting tariff s. When ho opposed them no’ one took any notice. When it was impossible to cite an economist in support of such ideas as Empire Freetrade the economist was not followed or listened to, but when Mr Keynes modified his ideas the public was given to understand that tliis modification meant that Keynes had given up all his former ideas. Yet it was impossible to decide what his proposals meant without a knowledge of economics, ft was true that in some cases the economist had been wrong, but no one dreamed of repudiating science merely because Einstein had modified Newton. Probably - if Einstein’s ideas influenced the price of bread everybody wouM begin to enter into the controversy without bothering to study the problems at issue. Even if tbo people decided that’the economist could give them nothing, and they would follow their own leaders, the time would come when their leaders would disagree, and so the people would have to decide for themselves. All the lecturer would say dogmatically was that the more thought and knowledge the more likely were the people to choose wisely.

The lecturer repudiated any suggestion that the economist should bo made a dictator, but ho insisted that the more learned in economics, the more fitted would people be to judge the issues. Because the opinion of the economist was based on study, it should be respected, and if criticised the criticism should come only after knowledge. If the people said that they had not the time to study, this was no excuse for putting forward ideas without study. It was as if a railway had to be built, and the people said that they had not the time themselves to study the problem, but they had to use it, and so they .would do what they could to make a railway. Two engineers had disagreed on the gauge, and so the engineers could not be trusted. When the railway collapsed, the economist would be blamed. It was very important that if ethical questions were introduced that they should not be a substitute for economics. The economist said that if such and such a course were adopted, such results would follow economically, but could take no blame if these results were unfortunate, because the people had been willing to take the risk. The final point was that the economist should not bo the dictator, but that since the people had to choose, the people must bo prepared to study. LITERATURE CLASS. All W.E.A. city classes for the year have now opened, except the music class, which will not open until next term! Despite the depression, the attendances have all been well _ maintained. The literature class will survey English literature from earliest times to the present day. As an introduction, the tutor. Miss King, pointed out that the'history of the language and literature was inevitably bound up with the chronicle of social and political progress. Thus the language began in ,the fifth century, when the English went to Britain. Romo left an influence, but the Saxons produced the first real English literature. The period of Old English literature dated from about 450 to 1100 A.i). The outstanding epic of the earlier years was the story ofßeowult. ARTS CLASS. The class that last year was run at Dundas Street Church has now been reorganised at the University on a Saturday night, and will keep m close touch with the drama class. The two classes will bo quite separately organised. but Mr Ross will be in charge of both, and combined meetings will bo held. Miss D. Rosevear has been elected president of the arts class, with Mr E. Crawley secretary and _ Miss Knox. Mr Trochon, and Mr Smith a (-Sinniittee. (first readings will ho ‘ Applejohn’s Adventure,

‘ Admirable Crichton,' and short plays. COUNTRY CLASSES. V Over eighty attended a public meeting at Gamaru as a preliminary to the class which will be conducted by Mr K. M'Donald and Mr Ross. The attendance at the Waitaki Hydro lectures has averaged about sixty. Hampden class decided to take the box scheme on the evenings when the tutor is unable to attend. Mr G. M'Cracken is now rapidly recovering from his illness, and will soon open his classes.