POVERTY AND FOOD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22540, 3 October 1936, Page 17

POVERTY AND FOOD

Sir. —Dr. Gunson is mistaken in supposing that the production of food depends upon financial systems of any kind. The truth is the other way round. It is financial systems that are always and everywhere dependent upon the production of food. Money is purely a medium of exchange and production must always precede exchange. Unless industry first functioned in the production of wealth no financial system would be required for the purpose of exchanging wealth. The necessary economic factors in the production of food are labour and land. Get these two complementary factors into their right economic relationship and there is never the slightest difficulty about the production of food in any quantity at any time. The poor and needy whom Dr. Gunson wishes to help have the labour, but they haven't got the land. ]f the doctor has any doubts on the question he should peruse the very interesting account of food production on Sunday Island reported in the Herald of a week ago. Under what most people would consider to bo the most disadvantageous conditions imaginable food is produced by the inhabitants of this isolated spot in the most lavish and luxuriant way. Large quantities of it cannot be consumed and proposals are now being made for the inauguration of a shipping service in order that shiploads of it may be carried away. The Herald reports that kindly-intentioned offers of food from passing vessels haw been refused by the residents, who prefer to use their own. A visitor declares that he received free of charge from Sunday Island a supply of the finest oranges in the world. Dr. Gunson will note perhaps that there are no banks on Sunday Island, no money and no financial system of any kind, proving conclusively, I think, that the production of food is quite independent of these things. A consideration of these facts may supply Dr. Gunson with the clue for which he is searching. The difference between New Zealand and Sunday Island is that on Sunday Island labour has the free use of land. G. Henrt.