THE LEAN YEARS.

Evening Star, Issue 21099, 11 May 1932, Page 6

THE LEAN YEARS.

In the face of a common danger this country showed a united front in the years from 1914 to 1918. Following this there was a period of peace, in which money was plentiful. Wages were good, the standard of living high. Now the lean years are upon ns. Again we are beset with perils. They are financial and economic, and once more we are called upon to show solidarity. Thousands in our midst are unemployed, with their families on the bread line. The crisis developed so quickly that the dominion’s Cabinet found it very difficult to meet .the conditions, but with the mandate given to the Coalition Government tho whole position was carefully reviewed, and the stormy session of Parliament just ended has seen drastic measures passed with the object of relieving unemployment, helping our primary industries, and establishing financial equilibrium. No one likes the Government’s proposals. The taxation imposed is the highest on record, the reduction in wages and salaries and other charges is severe, and heavy economies and retrenchment in public and social services _ involve hardships and inconveniences in many directions. Fierce criticism has been directed against the Government’s policy, and ugly manifestations have been recorded in the chief cities, but no constructive scheme has been put forward by the critics as an alternative to the measures that have been agreed to by the House. The main cause of our troubles can be expressed in a few words. In an appeal to the people sent out by the Government we find these words under the heading “ Facing the Issue”: “The prosperity of New Zealand depends in the main on the price at which its primary products sells in the overseas markets of the world. Striking evidence of the reduction in our national income is shown by the fact that for the year ended December 31, 1931, our total exports were only £35,153,028, as compared with £56,188,481 for the year ended 1928. And this drop of over £21,000,000 occurs in spite of a substantial increase in the quantity of production.” One of the principal aims of the Government is to get men back to the land. For many years the dangers of the steady drift to the towns throughout the Empire harm been stressed in the Press and on the platform. In France and other Continental countries large populations are maintained by means of small holdings and intensive fanning. That knowledge has no oubt influenced the Government in devising its small farm plan and a scheme for subdividing largo areas into small lots of from five to forty acres on a community basis. It relies on the rural community for assistance in prosecuting these projects. Their success is greatly to bo desired, for, looking at present conditions and the prospects for the immediate future, it is difficult to see how tho men out of work in the towns can be absorbed by our secondary industries. The Government’s proposals carry tho possibilities of success, but there is tho human equation to be considered. Farmers ars asked to increase their production by securing supplies of labour that will bo available, and to hold out a helping hand to the new .settlers, and the unemployed are invited to go into the country and wring a living from the land on the small allotments. Unfortunately, many of those who are out of work in the towns have neither the flair nor the desire for agricultural occupations, and lack the knowledge essential to efficient farming. The Government, however, has embarked on these schemes. It proposes to spend half a million a year on the experiment, and its success would bring important results to the dominion. Obviously, it can hardly be a road to fortune, but it provides opportunities for men of grit and determination to make a living for themselves and their families, and it will be infinitely better for their self-respect than subsisting on tho unemployment relief afforded in the towns. Tho present is a testing time for everybody, a call to help and sacrifice. We have emulated the Motherland in many ways. Can we do better than follow the example of cheerfulness and good humour among her people that have been so obvious in tho last few distressful years? Our Government is doing its best in trying circumstances. They will not be ameliorated by carping criticism and wilful obstruction.