NEW ZEALAND’S PROBLEMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 March 1934, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND’S PROBLEMS

HOW BEST TO SOLVE

LABOUR LEADER’S LATEST

[PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.]

GORE, March 16.

A speech was delivered at Gore tonight, by Mr M. J. Savage, the Leader of the Opposition. He stated that the time was long overdue for the proper placing of New Zealand production and its overseas trade. The present tendency, he said, was to retrict the existing form of production by means of the introduction of a. quota. If the Dominion exports were going to be restricted, then there appeared to be only one logical alternative, namely, to build up a home market here. That could be done only by the development of New Zealand industries. New Zealand woollens, he said, were amongst the best in the world, and in many other lines the Dominion’s products would compare favourably with the best that were being imported. There was no reason for their waiting for other countries to move before beginning to put their own house in order. The children leaving their schools were entitled to expect re.munerative positions in the work of building up our industries. If we could not exchange primary products for the manufactures of other countries, there was only one reasonable thing left. That was to exchange a greater percentage of our primary products with additional purchasers engaged in manufactures and in other services in our own country. The time had come for a stock taking, and, after having considered the country’s natural resources and its external commitments, we should begin upon a national plan of‘reconstruction. With our present annual expenditure of well over £4,000,000 on questionable forms of relief work, on which all kinds of skilled labour was beingemployed, it was not difficult to form some estimate of the real cost of a large part of our imports, which might have been produced in the Dominion. The planning of our external trade was of equal importance. Immediate steps should be taken to enter into definite agreements with other parts of the British Commonwealth with the object of exchanging our primary products for those goods that cannot be economically produced in the Dominion. Those goods which must be imported should enter New Zealand free of duty. There was no logical argument in favour- of tariffs in the case of the goods which must be imported. .

A vote of thanks and of confidence was accorded Mr Savage by the meeting.

MR. SHAW AGAIN

GRATIFIED BY WELCOME

[SPECIAL TO “STAR.”]

AUCKLAND, March 16.

Mr. George Bernard Shaw expressed pleasure, this morning at the reception accorded to him in Auckland. He said he had been received as enthusiastically here as in Russia. Referring to the fact that there had been no civic reception he said: What are civic receptions? I made it quite plain when I decided to visit New Zealand that I did not -want anything of the kind; that I was coming out to spend a quiet holiday. This I intend to do.

Referring to New' Zealand’s dependence on the British market for her primary products, Mr Shaw indicated that as far as the general public w r as concerned, it was not caring very much where the butter came from as long as it was within their means to buy it. “You of course, are dependent on England, but England is not putting herself in the position of being, dependent on New Zealand,” he said.

He dismissed the Ottawa Conference in a few -words, saying that British representatives came back from that gathering with their tails between their legs. The British delegates had found the Dominions powerful with strong demands and they had been put on the defensive. At the Grand Hotel, last evening. Mr. Shaw met a number of representative Auckland citizens, who had been invited by the New Zealand Treasury to dine with Mr. Leslie Lefeux, Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

Hon. W. Downie Stewart, in a humorous speech welcomed Mr. Shaw and invited him to speak of New Zealand but warned him to speak kindly of the country.

In the course of a short speech, Mr. Shaw said that New Zealand would have to get rid of the old cobwebby Parliament. He drew a sharp distinction between municipal and parliamentary Government. The municipal clan was a -working clan and got things done, but Parliaments were obstructive and the members were always votingon the question whether the Party was to remain in power or not. He concluded by advising New Zealand to look after university colleges and to cease cramming students with useless knowledge: They must understand that in Russia and Germany students had to have knowledge of subjects that, they had to deal with. He would cease teaching them of the past era. something which was supposed to be knowledge but which was not knowledge at all.