Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 1932. THE FIRST DUTY.

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 April 1932, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 1932. THE FIRST DUTY.

THOSE New Zealanders, resentful of wage-cuts, higher taxation, lesser avenues of employment, and other ills, consequent upon the economic depression, would be hard put to find another country better off than their own. There are no inducements for them to migrate to neighbouring Australia, where the conditions are worse, or to Canada which lacks many of the social services and labour welfare safeguards available in New Zealand, and which has had to increase taxation heavily in order to balance the budget. South Africa is in equally bad plight, and has special racial problems, in addition, to overcome. Britain is recovering, but is yet, no paradise for the poor, nor the capitalist. The United States has over eight millions unemployed, and nearly every European land is a most distressful country. These facts must be remembered by those in New Zealand inclined to blame their own Government for all their troubles.

Admittedly, it is only cold comfort to realise that other lands are worse off, but the knowledge should help the Dominion to rise to the occasion. Labour orators and other vote-catchers are eager to express sorrow for the lot of the wage-earner and the unemployed, but they offer few, if any, constructive suggestions to alleviate the evil. “Tax the rich man!” is their parrot cry, ignoring the fact that few men are really rich, today, those vjitli property being sometimes more harassed than]

those with nothing. They are being called upon to pay their quota, and much of their wealth at present, is of nominal quality. They find rents difficult to collect, but rates, interest on loans, and other outgoings have to be regularly paid, and if their case is not so desperate as, say, the unemployed, it is yet nothing near so easy and comfortable as their Labour critics claim. Uneasy lies the head of many a capitalist, these days, and they are as entitled to a fair deal, as is any other section of the community.

The country will not be restored to normal prosperity, if an attitude of class-consciousness is unduly encouraged, or if it is assumed that virtues can be found only in the ranks of the poor. Great heroism and self-respect are being displayed by many of those in distress, but there is much advantage being taken by others of the desire of the nation to help the weak. Stories, well-authenticated, abound .of those thriving on “unemployment relief,” and some of the present energies devoted to denouncing the “rich,” would be better expended in harassing those who are really robbing the poor by gross imposition and duplicity. More effort is desirable to weed out these undeserving, who do much to check private benevolence, and who add so greatly to the cost of the State’s unemployment relief efforts. There is no reason why any should starve in this country; there are adequate means to prevent such" extreme suffering, and all statements to the contrary should be closely investigated. Exceptional eases should not be used as arguments to arouse popular indignation and discontent, in order to have general standards fixed beyond the present capacity of the country to bear. Goodwill between all sections of the community will be best developed by recognition of the respective problems, leading to the co-operation which alone will permit normal conditions to be restored as early as possible. “Beware the agitator! ’ ’ should be a national slogan.