PROPHETS OF GLOOM

Grey River Argus, 16 January 1940, Page 11

PROPHETS OF GLOOM

Warning from Mr Savage WELLINGTON, January 15. A warning to his listeners to beware of “prophets of gloom” was made by the Prime Minister (the Rt Hon. M. J. Savage) in his weekly broadcast last evening. Mr Savage said that the people of New Zealand were as happy as they could be in war time, and that with the national production increasing there was every reason to feel secure. Mr Savage gave a short review of the Government’s achievements in its fouflt years of office. He challenged anyone to name a country in which greater progress had been made by constitutional means in that time. He spoke particularly of increases in the national production, the raising of the purchasing power of the peop’e, and the extension of pensions. Mr Savage said that prophets had predicted dismissals of staffs, especially among shops, but a glance at the evening paper in Wellington on Saturday showed that through the advertising columns there was plenty of employment offering, over a wide range of industry.

An attempt had been made to use the shop assistants against the Government, out the shop assistants themselves should know the difference between their position in the years 1932-35 and their position in the years 1935-39.