AN ECONOMIC PARADOX.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 1941, 8 October 1921, Page 4

AN ECONOMIC PARADOX.

The attitude of Governments and people towards the economic problem is" as conflicting as it is paradoxical. Tho Melbourno "Age" puts the position neatly as follows:—Political effort in these days of wisdom consists largely of efforts on one hand to make things cheap, and on the other to make theni dear. The union organiser commands the worker to keep'up prices by limiting tho amount of labour employed in producing them, and then complains that tho commodities are not plentiful and cheap. Certain large firms treat their employees handsomely, while they exact stiff profits from the people, knowing that if they are liberal in sharing their gains, labour difficulties and discontent are not for them. At the same time both the directors of these concerns and their employees are ordinarily clamorous about the high prices that are levied in businesses other than their own. Governments do the quick-change turn rather boldly. They pass Acts of Parliament or make agreements to prevent wheat, flour, bread, jam, wool, sugar, fruits or other staple commodities being sold below high prices, and then they explain wha* they intend to do to make things cheap. They make profiteering legal, and immediately swagger out with a pop-gun, as shrieking examples of political daring, to "shoot the profiteer." < As for the ordinary citizen, it is clear to him that prices ought to come down, as long as they do not come down sufficiently in his own trade to endanger his employment or threaten a reduction of wages.