HOW MUCH PLANNING?

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 9 June 1945, Page 2

HOW MUCH PLANNING?

DANGER TO DEMOCRACY In the modern world some sort of national planning is necessary. The crucial test is • What sort of planning, and how much? Tt is possible to plan so as to provide a fair field for free enterprise, small businesses, equality of opportunity, and personal liberty And it is possible to plan—as the State Socialises hope to do—with a v ew to the centrabeed control of all the business of production, distribution and transport. That means dictatorship over the jobs, the work, the business. the money and the lives of practically everybody. "Planning” can be made very alluring However, the public should beware of plans designed on Socialist lines and which are bound to end in despotism over the ordinary individual. Are the public going to hand themselves over to a central group of dictators, and await orders as to what they can do with thei r lives 7 Things are rapidly moving that way in New Zealand Dictatorship beginwith the growth of State direction. State restrictions. State monopolies. The Governn»**n % plans to become the owner of the Bank of New Zealand as the first step towards the control of all banking by eliminating the other Trading Banks With this expansion of Stale control, the stage will be set for a further shackling of the liberties of the people. Modern history proves that Socialism inevitably leads to despotism Whi’e cur fighting men have been battling for liberty for over five years, the bureaucrats on the home front have become more strongly entrenched, ami the State socialists have become more confident and ambitious They can see that restrictions on the personal liberty of others mean* increased power for themselves. Will the public of Neve Zealand stand for morp of this* The future liberty of each individual is at stake. •