LESSONS FOR U.S.A.

Grey River Argus, 10 January 1944, Page 2

LESSONS FOR U.S.A.

From N.Z. and Australia SOCIALISATION POLICY SYDNEY, Jan. 8. New Zealand and Australia on one hand, and the United States on the other, have much to learn from each other, said Dr. Allan Nevins, professor of history at Columbia University, New York City. Dr. Nevins is now completing a tour of New Zealand and Australia on behalf of the United States Office of War Information. Some revision of the educational systems of Australia. New Zealand and the United States was an essential first step towards effective co-oneration between the countries. “Going beyond this, the United States must realise that she has very special lessons to learn from New Zealand and Australia,” added Dr. Nevins. “These countries have carried out a number of interesting experiments in the relation between government and industry, having the profoundest significence to the United States. The United ■ States, which in the depression years; had had to abandon her traditional laissez faire policy of democracy, mbs-t go further along the road New Zealand and Australia began to follow, many years ago. She must learn from your experience not only in what to do but in what not to do. Dr. Nevins emphasised the lessons which the United Stated) might learn from the study of Zealand thought towards a mote socialised State. It was perfectly clear, for example, that price 'control was working much better in'', both New Zealand and Australia than in the United States and Americans must realise the significance of w the fact that New Zealanders and Australians were conditioned to State;? interference whereas Americans Ware not. On the other hand. Newt Zealand and Australia might take cognisance of the high incentive for individual

initiative- which the Americans maintained in a system of free enterprise. Americans, on the social and cultural side, could learn much from -the orderliness and sobrity of New Zealand and Australian life. These two countries in turn had much to learn from America in the value of heterogeneity. There war too much uniformity in New Zealand and Australian life.

“There is a certain • tendency *in New Zealand and Australia to become monolithic t in social structure. You are entirely British in your social structure. We Americans gained something, by our rich variety of social heritages from Europe. New Zealand and Australia might therefore reconcile ithemselves to what they could gain from a more diversified immigration system which would mean a more diversified cultural life.”