The Times TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 1943. A Mother’s Rightful Place

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 51, 2 March 1943, Page 4

The Times TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 1943. A Mother’s Rightful Place

The grave question of whether mothers of young children should be encouraged to work, was raised before the Council of the Auckland Kindergarten Association. The Director of Education described in a letter arrangements made in Wellington, for enlarging kindergartens there and devoting them to day nurseries for children of mothers employed in essential industry. The Mayor of Auckland, as president of the association there, took exception to the proposal of establishing such a service in his city. He declared that it was most undesirable that mothers of young children should be diverted from the primary task of looking after their families. They should be employed in industry only as a last resort. The Mayor’s stand was strongly supported by others of his committee. Amongst the points raised was the fact that phenomenal wages to women were proving a strong lure to their entering employment. Comment was also made upon the large number of young women being employed in Ciovernmental department offices and other occupations not directly connected with the war effort, the inference being that New Zealand has not yet reached the stage of needing to call upon young mothers to work, to the neglect of their children. It is indeed .pleasing to see such a stand being taken—a stand made against tho pressure and spirit of the times wherein a “war hysteria” often inclines people to lose balance. No institution, however well organised, can replace a mother’s care. No other activity in this Dominion is so “essential” as the raising of a younger generation. To bring lip a young child is more important than to make a shell-fuse. And most certainly it cannot be claimed needful to call upon young mothers to work for the war effort when there is still retained in this country, in so many quarters, the leisurely peacetime working stroke of a 40-hour week. Equity or Greed ? Practically everyone will agree that a sound taxation policy should be based upon equity, but few with experience would claim that our New Zealand taxation system is noted for its cquitableness. Some would go so far as to say that it was forthrightly greedy. That is rather harsh in view of the fact that in many of its decisions the Taxation Department displays a quite reasonable attitude. But as the laws governing their department have been developed, particularly through the legislation of late years, there has been instituted a policy that savours all too much of squeezing the last drop from some taxpayers with all too little regard to fairness or equity. Many examples of this might be quoted but one most timely for the gressness of the injustice inflicted, is the current taxation of the farming community upon “fictitious” income. The matter has been previously raised in these columns and was under discussion at a recent meeting of the Wanganui executive of the Farmers’ Union. It is pleasing to note that the Associated Chambers of Commerce have now interested themselves’ in the matter—a pleasant example of town and country co-operation such as is rather too seldom seen. Tlie point at issue is this. Farmers to-day are tillable to secure labour and/or materials to carry out normal maintenance works. As a result of this they arc unable to expend in customary fashion, so their profits arc inflated. Upon these profits they have to pay taxation at the current high level prevailing in the country. It is not that they object to being taxed to the same extent as others in the community. But quite properly do they object to being taxed on fictitious profits. Factories working overtime arc permitted to declare extra depreciation as an expense and so as a deduction from their profits. Businesses generally keep maintenance and depreciation accounts and so have opportunity to create special reserves for such purposes. By and large, farmers keep their accounts largely oil a cash basis. So when they are unable to spend, their profits are automatically inflated. A quite sensible and practical proposal has been put forward. This would provide that farmers be allowed to set aside during this emergency, such a sum as they used to expend upon maintenance in normal times, and that, whether or not this sum he so expended during the current period, it would be treated still as an expense. They ask that they should not be taxed upon it for either social security or income tax purposes. It appears that quite heavy pressure will require to he brought to bear, if the justice of this request is to be conceded and the authority to so act gained. The campaign of the farming community to this end merits the support of townspeople. Without a sound farming foundation, New Zealand would be lost.

Splendid Patriotic Effort As a result of its recent presentation of a three-act play in the Opera House, the Palmerston North Little Theatre Society will be able to forward a cheque for £SO to the Zone D Patriotic Society,

City’s Vital Statistics The vital statistics for the month of February as .against last year’s in parenthesis, arc as follows:—Births, 51 (59); deaths, 29 (29); marriages, 17 (38); registration office marriages 3 .(6).