GOVERNMENT POLICY.

Evening Star, Issue 23143, 17 December 1938, Page 21

GOVERNMENT POLICY.

TO THE EDITOII. Sir, —Your reply to “ J.” in Wednesday’s issue was interesting so far as it went, but it did not go far enough. You failed to state definitely what you consider Labour’s extravagances to be, and that was the question asked. You say that when the Government took office prices were already rising, making the beginning of a new period of prosperity after the depression. That is true, but it must be remembered that, as Mr Savage has stated on numerous occasions, his Government had to rectify and remedy the shortcomings of its predecessors. This is a fact you seem unwilling to admit. Consider the cost of completing and public and railways works the previous Government abandoned and the replacing of the large quantity of plant and tools that was tipped into the Buller River. If there is no cause for real alarm at the present low level of the London funds, why was it necessary to adopt such drastic measures to build them up to almost 50 millions during a time of depression? Personally, 1 am opposed to an overlarge expenditure on public works, but if the country is to be properly developed ways and means of access must be the first consideration. Your footnote derides Mr Savage and says “ Spur of the moment ” cannot be pleaded indefinitely, but you did not ridicule Mr Hamilton when ha said that the present “emergency” unemployment charge would be retained—surely pleading “ emergency ” for ever. When one considers the large increase in Great Britain’s unemployed over the last 10 years, do you not think a similar position would obtain here under a National Government? Finally, allow me to ask liow the National Party would act under a similar set of circumstances to that which now faces the present Government?—l am, etc., A. December 16.

P.S.—lt seems that the Press in general has yet to learn that insults are not the means for correcting faults. A. [Wo do not deal in insults. Our case against the Government was made in detail at the time of the last election, and traversed, almost daily, in letters by this correspondent. We have no intention of going over the whole of that ground again now.—Ed. E.S.]