INDUSTRIAL SITUATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 100, 25 March 1930, Page 7

INDUSTRIAL SITUATION.

DEALING WITH PRESENT PROBLEMS. ATTITUDE OF THE MERCHANTS. (By Telegraph.—Special to Standard.) AUCKLAND., March 25. “The - merchants in New Zealand are standing idle. While they are apostles of land settlement, they are not interested in the development of industry, and they are more anxious to push the sale of imported goods to make this country reasonably independent,” said Mr J. Fletcher at the Rotary Club luncheon yesterday in an address on “The industrial situation in New Zealand.’ ’ Mr Fletcher said that while business men and merchants ' were croaking about the present bad times and the prospects of a hard winter, they were really belittling their own capabilities for dealing with the problem, which required only courage, initiative and outlook. Instead of looking for a lead to put things on a better tooting, they were content to watch the application of futile expediences for a solution of the problem of depression. The cure of the unemployment problem was based not only on a land settlement policy, but also on a vigorous industrial movement, and in this respect the Government, merchants, financiers and professional men were failing in their duty. The Department of Industries and Commerce was a good institution, but apart from making investigations and suggesting remedies it had no executive power. If the department were removed from political influence it might be ablo to do much more for industry .by insisting on better factories, better machinery, better amenities' for employees, and easier finance. It ooulcl make for efficiency and thus help to cure the unemployment evil.