“The New Deal In Rome”

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 May 1949, Page 3

“The New Deal In Rome”

Sir, —To many of your readers the published remarks of Mr E. B. E. Taylor, as chairman of the Canterbury division of the New Zealand National Party, would come as timely and sound. Higher standards of citizenship and home life and a greater respect for law and order, as urged by him, are traits inherent in most New Zealanders. All that is required is a lead from a , Government such as the National Party offers. Mr Taylor’s remarks that Socialist legislation breeds disrespect for law and order thereby bringing about the downfall of any nation prompts me to quote a synopsis of H. J. Haskell’s book “The New Deal in Rome.” “History repeats itself. Every prosperous nation has to fight for its life against dictators, or against demagogues, officials and parasites. This is a startling fact, that ancient Rome when it began to go down, had the same sort of Government departments that Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States have today. It had a farm debt conciliation committee, a resettlement administration, a public works administration, a food relief scheme, a home owners’ loan corporation, an agricultural adjustment administration, a farm debt administration, a price and wages act, and so on. The old bogey of the ‘profit motive’ was attacked. There was a price control act in A.D. 301, when the end of the Roman Empire was near. Prices were set too low, and at once there was a shortage of commodities. “Rome was eaten up by doles and subsidies. At one time, 320,000 people ; were on the role for wheat. To keep ; the masses quiet, they were given i ‘bread and games.’ They were pau- 1 perised by State help. As many as I 200,000 were given free bread—2lbs , per day. Also, they were given pork, | olive oil, and salt every now and . then. The Government became a giver. '

“The dole attracted to Rome the vagrants and the lazy people. They attracted the German tribes too, and they began to filter in to Rome while most of the enterprising self-reliant men left Rome and went elsewhere. The soldiers and the Government employees clamoured for more and more money. They made incessant raids on the Treasury. As a result, taxation steadily increased until it became intolerable.

“Then the currency was inflated by a flood of new money. This inflation destroyed the rich and middle classes. Almost all private enterprise came to an end, and the whole nation came to a standstill and decayed. “Rome fell because of internal decay. The heart was taken out of enterprising men. The masses were taught to expect something for nothing. “Rome became totalitarian. The Government set out to control everything. As a result there was soon not much to control. The controlled industries became extinct. Just before Rome collapsed, half of the people were on the public pay-roll, and there was not enough money to pay them, as the tax-payers had been bled to death.

“At the height of its power, Rome had a population of 1,000,000, and ruled an empire of 71,000,000 people, but in the year 1400 it had only 20,000 and no Empire. It went back to pasture land, and cattle and sheep wandered about in the city.

“The Romans were the greatest and wisest people in the world for 400 years. Then the rot set in. Then came degeneracy—a degeneracy that still exists, as we have seen in recent years. From Marcus Aurelius to Mussolini is a tragic drop from the heights to lowest depths. “Rome had a ‘golden age’ under the ‘five good Emperors.’ It lasted for 84 years. It was the peak of ancient civilisation. During this period taxes were low. Private enterprise was encouraged, and business men were in high positions. There was real ‘social security’ for all industrious people. Then came the ‘planners’ and the whole shining structure of Roman life was broken down.” It is not too late for New Zealand to learn from others’ mistakes. — Yours, etc., SOCRATES. Greymouth, May 18.