LABOUR POLICY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22468, 11 July 1936, Page 14

LABOUR POLICY

WARNING BY AMERICAN "ATTEMPTING TOO MUCH" UNITED STATES' EXPERIENCE "Too in noli is hoi 11 g attempted hv the Labour Government of Now Zealand in its efforts to improve tlio living conditions of tlio people. Its legislation to control hours and wages is going to lead it into financial difficulties. Under the National Recovery Act the Government of the United States tried to do much the same tiling, but now the attempt in that direction has been abandoned." These views wore expressed yesterday by Dr. William Bennett Munro, until recently Professor of History and Government at, Harvard University, and an authority on political science and municipal government. Ho passed through Auckland on tlio Monterey on a holiday tour. "I do not think very well of the Labour Government of New Zealand," said Dr. Munro. "I have watched events in this country and have observed what the Government is doing. It is going to get into difficulties. 1 do not think it can control the economic affairs of the country to the extent it is trying to do. "Your Labour Government is trying to control hours and wages, to fix maximum hours and minimum wages. This means the control of prices and the control of industry. They can't do it. I think the Labour Government is going to get New Zealand into financial difficulties. As 1 see it, New Zealand is trying to do what we under the so-called National Recovery Act did. After a while the Government will find it is controlling every bootblack and beauty parlour in New Zealand. "We threw it over. "The whole trouble is this. You start out to do one thing. But this leads to a second thing, and that to a third thing, and before you know where you are the position is out of hand. \ou just can't do it. I think the Labour Government will have to be very careful in what it attempts."