OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 221, 1 September 1932, Page 4

OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK

PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND’S PROSPECTS. AUCKLAND MAYOR’S IMPRESSIONS. Auckland, Aug. 31. Of the many people whom I met not one mentioned the word ‘depression’ ; the prevailing spirit seemed to bo optimistic confidence,” said the Mayor, Mr G. W’. Hutchison, who returned to Auckland yesterday after visiting Sydney; “The defeat of Mr Lang and the results of the Ottawa Conterenee have given new hope for the future. "One must admire their spirit in the face of crushing public and municipal financial obligations and resultant tax burdens," said Mr Hutchison. "Everyone, including many unemployed, with whom 1 spoke praised New Zealand’s method of dealing with unemployment —that is work in preference to the dole. A Minister of the Crown said to me: ‘For God’s sake do not go on to' the dole, it is bleeding a race of ‘hoboes’ in Australia.’

“The dote is not paid in cash, but in rations. The scale is: Single men, 11/4 a fortnight; married couples, 17/3}; married couples with one child, 27/11-J; two to three children, 37/10}; four to five children, 44/9}; six to seven children, 5'3/2). Out of this the 1/uneniploymeiit tax is deduced.

“Last Friday the basic wage was reduced from £4 2/6 to £3 10/- for males and from £2 4/6 to £1 18/- for females, but, as many workers are rationed, their income is far below these rates. The new rates are still above the 1918 rates, which were 60/and 30/- respectively. Last week a city block in Sydney sold for'over £1,500 a foot, which Was £9O a foot higher than the 1929 valuation.

“The opinion' is held in Australia, and jn this I concur, that New Zealand will 'recover more quickly. The reason is that in New- Zealand even our politicians are exploring business and economic methods of overcoming our difficulties,, while in k Australia even business men are seeking political methods of tiding them over. Party politics has also crept into municipal affairs. To combat this, legislation is contemplated to do away with the ‘lodger vote,’ which is equivalent to our ‘elector’s’ vote as distinct from ratepayers. The Government is also considering putting a Greater Sydney scheme into effect.

“The busiest place in Sydney is the lottery office. Some 30 girls sell tickets to 30 queues of people, and tickets are on sale alsq at agencies throughout the city. It is argued in favour of the tottery that it has stopped the flow cf money to Tasmania, and it is likely to continue in some form while the Tasmanian lottery continues.".

BUSINESS ON UP-GRADE. EXPORT PRICES IMPROVING. “Business conditions in Australia are definitely on the up-grade,” said Mr. Frank Goldberg, of Sydney, governing director of the .Goldberg Advertising Agency, Limited, who arrived oh Tuesday on a business trip to New Zealand. “Australia has put her house in order, ’ ’ said Mr. Goldberg, ‘ 1 and I confidently anticipate that she will be one of the first nations in the world to recover from the difficulties caused by iestrieted trade. Overseas trade figures of the Commonwealth for the year eneb ed June 30, 1932, show a favonrable balance of £34,000,000, and this has had a very marked effect upon Australian credit. In addition, the prices of export commodities, although still very low, show symptoms of a rise, and the generaT outlook is considerably improved. • “Internal trading conditions show little change, but there is evidence of a gradual increase in business activity, and it is claimed by reliable authorities that unemployment in the skilled trades particularly is on the decrease. The return to stability in politics also has had the effect of increasing business men’s confidence, and this has been still farther developed by the recent announcement regarding the Federal Budget, which indicates a decrease of £2,200,000 in annual expenditure. “Australian business men are fully alive to the advantages of interDominion trade and, with tho~energetic co-operation of Now Zealanders, will do much to increase the purchasing power of both nations by means of reciprocal effort. There are big unexploited markets in Australia for many New Zealand products, and there is no doubt whatever that increased purchases of Australian-made products in New Zealand would help considerably in developing the goodwill necessary to fully explore these opportunities. “There is every indication that New Zealand has now begun to overcome her problems and to return to .prosperity. The financial outlook is more reassuring, the condition of the primary producing industries is definitely improved and general trading is on a Sounder basis. The time-is ripe for increased enterprise and more courageous efforts, and if individual business men fail to take advantage of the turn of the tide they may well discover that they have missed a golden opportunity.”