NEW ZEALAND CRITICISED

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4957, 18 February 1937, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND CRITICISED

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DELEGATE. London, January 23. Sharp criticisms of New Zealand were made by Mr. J. A. Aiton, who represented the Derby and Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce at the Congress of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire, held in Wellington, when he presented a report to his local chamber. According to the Derby Evening Telegraph, Mr. Aiton said that if one dared to criticise anything that the people of the Dominion did one was "for it." He dared to say that depreciation of currency was a somewhat nefarious process, and he "got it," but he had refused to withdraw. Mr. Aiton told the Derby Chamber that the present Government of New Zealand came in with the swing of the pendulum and was looked upon by some people as an advanced Socialist Government. It had a full and complete majority, and the second Chamber, which was subject to the first Chamber, was useless. He was told by a prominent New Zealander in London that the Government should be viewed as a Liberal Government. He left that for Derby people to decide for themselves. He had decided the point in his own mind. Instancing the "peculiarities" of the New Zealand Government, Mr. Aiton referred to the establishment of the Reserve Bank. He said that in its original charter the bank was kept very much apart from political opinion. The Government was to have only one representative, and there was a provision that he should be a nativeborn New Zealander. But this advanced Liberal, Socialist, or Labour Government (however they like to term it) appointed a Polish Jew as its representative of the Reserve Bank. When it was pointed out that this was illegal, the Government passed a law to make it legal. Dictatorial Agents. This "go-ahead" Government started a Primary Product Marketing Act which dealt with all agricultural products. It' took possession of the commodities for the export trade, and its agents sold in Great Britain all New Zealand exports in the agricultural line. They laboured under the idea that they could come over to England and dictate how the products should be dealt with. It had to be pointed out to them that this was a mistaken outlook. Immigration was a big subject in New Zealand, with its area somewhat larger than Great Britain and a population of one good-sized city in Great Britain. It was a thorny question in both New Zealand and Australia, and although there were over 1,000,000 unemployed in Great Britain it was doubted whether they would make suitable settlers. The Commonwealth preferred Britishers, but there was a strong Labour element that feared the cutting of wage rates and the lowering of the entirely fictitious standard of living which had been set up. "The New Zealand Government think they can do anything they like," Mr. Aiton is reported to have said, "and the best thing to do is to leave them alone to come to their senses." He added that, speaking generally, he thought the delegates accomplished a great deal of good by their visit, and they were given a most hospitable welcome. He hoped that they would do more good now they had got back home.