THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY “Public Service” FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1950. FROM HOPE TO DISMAY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 60, Issue 4366, 8 December 1950, Page 4

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY “Public Service” FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1950. FROM HOPE TO DISMAY

When just a year ago the new Government was elected, the majority of the citizens of the Dominion were confident in the hope that Mr Holland and his colleagues would be able to stem the drift to socialism and would be able to remove the interfering hands of the State from many of the economic activities of the people. It was the fear of the consequences of the policies pursued by the previous Government which brought about its defeat. Confidence in Mr Holland’s ability to rid us of our economic ills by the method of restoring freedom to the individual created a strong feeling of relief that at last we were to be rid of socialism and its misguided policies. That confidence has kept fading and the most recent ministerial statements and actions must, for many, have turned hope into dismay. Even those who have thought there was no alternative to the freezing of a portion of the farmers’ wool cheque appreciate the obvious fact that such a precedent has now been established that, in the future, any protest will be futile against the State’s arbitrary interference with any kind of private property. Last week, November 30, brought further shocks to those who hoped we would be led away from socialism, for on that day the Minister in Charge of Import Control, which has always been denounced by the present Government, stated that the removal of control would leave to impporters the selection of the classes of goods without any real check as to the essentiality of those goods. That is a straight out declaration for the principles of socialism and a repudiation of the very principles which the New Zealand National Party has emphatically declared it believed in. To make matters worse on the same day the Prime Minister took pride in explaining to Parliament that in all things he had done exactly what had been done by the Labour Government. The subsidies which he denounced as iniquitous are being rapidly restored, though Mr Holland’s own statement shows clearly that he is fully aware he is leading us into a trap. The supporters of the Labour Party will no doubt be comforted to learn that Mr Holland is adopting the socialist method in all things but that comfort will certainlv nnt Bp

shared by those who looked to the new Government to take the opposite course. The Government’s difficulties are increasing as is evidenced by the fact that in order to try and check the ever rising costs the policy with regard to subsidies has had to b reversed and a method adoptee which all of Mr Holland’s party have vigorously condemned. In actual fact the new Government has accomplished little. It has solved nothing and will solve nothing so long as it always applies socialist methods. Its alteration in the law as to the contrd

of the Reserve Bank was a piece Of political nonsense. Its recent measure in connection with the Internal Marketing Division alters nothing except the name of those who have unitary anc monopoly control of the import ation of fruit. The setting up of a new Board of Trade merely increases the number of bureaucrats to advise the Minister. Such measures merely perpetuate the methods of the previous Government. It is not that Mr Holland merely lacks the courage to put into operation the principles of a

free economy he was so lotid in championing but a short time ago. The truth is that the belief in such principles is dying for the lack of cultivation and Mr Holland and so many are simply capitulating to the one and only politicad fidea being cultivated. What has happened had to hap-

pen to any political party which imagines it can fight a political philbsophy with practical policy. That is the simple but correct explanation of the mounting, difficulties confronting Mr Holland and why the hopes which his supporters had but a year ago were doomed to turn to dismay.

ation and had merely drawn attention to what was customary. 'Cr Lee was accordingly elected deputy-mayor. Big issues had to be decided by the new council, said the d .puty mayor in? returning thanks for his election. The* programme i ahead of the council wasprobably the heaviest faced by any council in Paeroa.

The mayor proposed that three main, committees be set*up and the, follow--ing councillors were elected to those* committees and other special commit--tees:— Legal and finance: Crs Button (chairman), Walmsley and Bartlett.. Works and domain: Crs Lee (chairman), Derit, Hughes and O’Brien. General purposes: Crs Dent (chairman), Crimmins and O’Brien. Waitawheta water scheme: The mayor, Crs Lee, Button and Walmsley. Delegates to the Paeroa Municipal Band: Crs Crimmins and Bartlett.. Representatives to the Paeroa Urban Fire Committee: Crs Wahns- - sley and Hughes.