FACT-FINDING APPROACH

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 13 April 1939, Page 8

FACT-FINDING APPROACH

’’The enormous costs heaped on a product between the factory and the consumer are a serious obstacle against raising the general standard of life,” said Dr James A. Bowie, principal of the Dundee School of Economics, in addressing the Insurance Institute at Peitli. “The issue here is not between Capitalism and Socialism ; the whole controversy is to-day unimportant, a mere academic abstraction. The real question is not whether the State should intervene in economic activity, hut i i whuse interest and as whose servant it should do so, and with what competency. I add that because I believe the State often iails in its intervention, not because its purpose was wrong or it regulation unneeded, hut bacause its personnel are

seldom or never trained administrators. The holy war between Capitalism, Communism and Fascism is one of the greatest obstacles to practical treatment of our actual day-to day problems. In the din of battle all sorts of sensible suggestions are drowned. Most wars have ben fought not on practical issues, but over pure rretophysics. Man should everywhere he distrusted as soon as lie begins to generalise, and especially is this true in political, social and economic affairs. Most men talk sense only when they talk shop. In the great changes (hat are coming over the world, the open mind, (he fact finding approach, are needed as never be-