THE H.B. TRIBUNE TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1936 THE FIRST STEP.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 81, 17 March 1936, Page 6

THE H.B. TRIBUNE TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1936 THE FIRST STEP.

In dairying districts throughout the Dominion, or at any rate throughout the North Island, loud complaints are being voiced regarding the Government’s reticence as to the legislation it intends to pass with a view to bringing its scheme of guaranteed prices into operation. To all the many protests that have been thus entered the Government has so far turned an entirely deaf ear, yet it can scarcely but be admitted that there Is some warrant for them. The plan that is in prospect is, in the broad application to be eventually given to it, something that is fundamentally new, and not only those directly affected, but the whole community also, are entitled to the fullest possible information about it and to have time given them for considering it in all its many aspects. But this is just what the Government would seemingly have made up its mind to deny them.

This is no new cause of complaint, for the same thing has had to be said about previous Governments. It has, however, also to be said that latterly there has been a distinct disposition evinced to take the people into the confidence of the Government regarding the more important items of novel legislation that were in view. Ministers have, indeed, gone the length of making public, with explanatory notes, contemplated legislation that was not to come before Parliament for months. Nothing of this kind could, of course, be expected from a Government which has come into office as the result of a comparatively recent election. Still it has to be remembered that our new Government was set up a good deal more than three months ago and that it now claims to have ready the major policy measures it proposes to submit when Parliament opens.

There would thus seem to be no very cogent reason why at least those measures which are to have the earliest consideration should not be at once disclosed, in outline if nothing more. So far as concerns the dairying industry, the first with which the experiment of guaranteed prices is to be tried, the Minister excuses his silence on the ground that full opportunity has been given those engaged in it to lay their views before Cabinet. That may be very well so far as it goes, but it is very obvious that there can bo no very intelligent or helpful comment made upon proposals that are being kept a profound .secret. It may even be that, as the Hon. Lee Martin was yesterday reported as saying, that 90 per cent, of the producers will approve of the legislation that is in view, though

most of us will probably regard his percentage forecast as being a little over-sanguine where farmers are concerned. Leaving this aside, however, there are other interests beside those of the producers to be taken into account and possible reactions upon them are deserving of some preliminary discussion. What has to be borne constantly in mind is that this scheme of guaranteed prices for dairy produce—under which the Government is apparently to take the whole output into its own ownership and take complete control of its marketing—is only the first step towards the ultimate control of “all means of production, distribution and exchange” — the basic principle to which the whole Labour Party is firmly bound. It is therefore of supreme importance that all should be in a position thoroughly to understand and appreciate the methods by which this eventual end—embracing the land itself and all that is to be got out of it—is to be achieved. Even in connection with the scheme of guaranteed prices we have to remember that the promise is that it will, as soon as possible, be extended to all primary products, presumably with some like, if not identical, governmental control. It is thus very much the concern of us all that both the purpose in view and the manner of carrying it out should, from the outset, be thor oughly ventilated and its possible effects upon the community at large carefully considered.