PROSPECTS OF CO-OPERATION SHATTERED

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 November 1939, Page 7

PROSPECTS OF CO-OPERATION SHATTERED

“COMPLETE SOCIALISATION OF DOMINION” THREAT TO BOYCOTT COMMERCIAL BROADCASTING ' -i ' BUSINESSMEN ON THE WARPATH By Telegraph —Press Association AUCKLAND, Nov. 23. Further outspoken criticism of the present legislative policy, particularly ’ in the economic sphere, was made at a largejy-attended meeting of Auckland businessmen .when a report was received from a committee set up several weeks ago to consider the best means of bringing the numerous complaints of the commercial community before the Government. Proposals for doing this by means of a representative national after Christmas were outlined, but details of the scheme were not made public. In opening the meeting, the chairman i(Mr. Howie) reviewed the various circumstances which had given rise to the original meeting and to the formation of the committee to take action. He reiterated the point that the business men attending would yield second place to no one in their loyalty to King an ■Empire, and that their_ uppermost thought would be co-operation with the Government to enable New Zealand to play a worthy part in the present war. It was regrettable, however, that the Government by its policy should • shatter the prospects of co-opera- ■ ' turn. “Neither at home nor abroad ’ is there any confidence in our pre- ; sent Government,” he said. “Sterling funds continue at a low ebb, the bothersome restrictions of import control have not brought any ' ‘ -worthwhile results, and the figures recently published show that with- : drawals from the Post Office . savings Bank have been mounting • at an alarming rate and this process bas been going on for months. The ■Government cannot describe its own jpost Office Savings Bank as a ' ■‘gangster institution.’ “We cannot possibly expect any improvement in our economic situation unless and until the Government itself decides to call a halt ■ in its experimental legislation for ' • the complete socialisation of the 1 Dominion and until it also decides to rescind those measures that are crushing Industry and destroying the whole commercial structure of 1 the country,” he added, saying ho was speaking in a personal capacity. ‘ Mr. W. J. Roach, a member of the special committee, said that in investigating Government interference in local marketing he had been amazed at the extent to which industries that were now complaining were responsible for their own troubles. In many cases it was they who had asked the Government to interfere. “I freely admit that in taking control the Government wenl altogether too far and badly messed up the job in a-number of glaring cases,” he said, “but by providing the Government with pretexts—often flimsy—to Step in some of us deserve all we are getting.” Mr. Roach urged that no similar action of this nature be taken until the committee was able to bring DominionWide pressure to bear in an effort to persuade the Government to “ease up on its dictator programme.” i Mr. S. B. Macdonald said that in ‘ view of the radio activities of the Director of Commercial Broadcast- ’ ing (Mr. Scrimgeour) he felt it was the bounden duty of all right-think-ing people in Auckland to refuse to buy any article advertised over IZB. He noticed that a meeting of fanners had decided to make a similar request. When farmers, who 1 were the backbone of the country, I -were described by Mr. Scrimgeour ’ as “Public Enemy No. 3,” then it was about time he was told to get off the air or he would he put off. At the conclusion of the meeting a resolution was passed to the effect that all present, representative of wide city and country interests, completely approved of the steps so far taken by the committee and endorsed the procedure set out. Future support and cooperation was also pledged. “SOFT SORT OR SLABBER” FARMERS HIT BACK AT RADIO INSULTS CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 23. Reference to the Farmers' Union as “Public Enemy No. 3” by the c^ tr( ”’ • ler of Commercial Broadcasting, Mr. L. G. Scrimgeour, in a recent broadcast, brought a strong protest from members ©f the executive of the North Canterbury branch of the union yesterday. A resolution deploring the attack, and expressing the fullest confidence in the president of the union, Mr. W. W. Mulholland, was carried. Farmers had - offered the Government their fullest co-operation and had undertaken to increase production, said Mr. A. M. Carpenter, and he was therefore amazed to find that the Government, Government Departments, and the broadcasting authorities were abusing the Farmers Union, “It is terrible to think that we farmers, who_ the vital finance and production of the country, should be, by Mr. Scrimgeour or any other man, dubbed Public Enemy No. 3,” said Mr. Carpenter. “After sacrificing ourselves to ■production at a time when the Empire has its back to the wall, this abuse is intolerable. . , “I am sorrv for the people in the towns who hear and believe this •Stuff,” said Mr. Carpenter. They do not understand the position. I am

sorry if they are taken in by this and the soft sort of slabber that goes with it. But why does he single us out? What have we done?” Mr. E. G. Bishop; We are agin the Government. Mr. Carpenter said that the union simply could not allow the untruthful and unjust calumny to go without the strongest protest. The forces appeared to be gathering against the farmer, and it was time to affirm that the union was never more united than it was to-day. That was true also of farmers as a whole. “We want to scotch at once the idea that the Dominion president does not speak for all farmers, and that we are not united,” he said. The following resolution was carried: “That this branch deplores such attacks over the air as that recently delivered by the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting, Mr. C. G. Scrimgeour, in which he described the Farmers’ Union as Public Enemy. No. 3, thus seeking to divide the people at such a critical time, especially as the Farmers’ Union is co-operating fully with the Government; and that this branch fully supports the efforts of the president in protecting the interests of farmers and in seeking higher production.”

LARGEST OPEN-AIR MEETING IN DOMINION HAMILTON’S DEMONSTRATION GROWING AUCKLAND, Nov. 23. Following the decision of representatives of the farming and business interests in Hamilton it has been decided by representatives of sirrfilar interests in Cambridge, Te Awarautu, Morrinsville, Matamata and Te Aroha that shops in those towns will also close on the afternoon of December 4 so that businessmen and their employees may attend the mass meeting in Hamilton which it is anticipated will be the largest open air meeting staged in New Zealand.

" WHOLESALE AND RETAIL BUYERS ALARMED FEARS OF MUCH UNEMPLOYMENT WELLINGTON, Nov. 23. What was described as the alarming effefet of the import restrictions on retail stores in Wellington was discussed at a meeting of about 150 Wellington wholesale and retail buyers to-night. A statement issued after the meeting said the employers were unanimous Hhat a serious position would develop in the trade after Christmas and it was feared the situation would result in much unemployment in the New Year.

A committee was set up to bring forward concrete proposals to be discussed at a general meeting to be held at an early date. It was emphasised that the meeting was non-political. It was convened and organised entirely by the buyers of wholesale and retail concerns.