CONSCRIPTION OF WEALTH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23592, 28 February 1940, Page 15

CONSCRIPTION OF WEALTH

Sir.—Mr. W. Gray seems dissatisfied and annoyed at the brevity of my reply to his earlier letter. You will, perhaps, allow me space to extend it and reply to his Intest.

What 1 understand by the meaning of "conscription of wealth" is the reouisitioning by the State, through its Government, of any resources of wealth within its jurisdiction for national service in time of war, irrespective of its private ownership. There can be private ownership and sole individual control of wealth, in whatever form,it may exist, only so long as the State is able to afford its protection, either from the national enemy without or from the private robber within. Surely, therefore, the State would have the fullest possible justification for its use of all private wealth—by conscription if necessary—during a period of war. I have no intention of attempting a public solution of the £2OOO cash and property conundrum presented by Mr. Gray; but I suggest that if both were required for national service and were conscripted each individual private owner would receive equal credit. It would he, however, obviously a matter for administration. In conclusion and in reply to Mr. Gray's ultimate paragraph, I would sav that I am not inviting the people to accept anything. This correspondence was started bv Mr. Johnstone on his adverse view of the Government's intimation regarding the possibility of the conscription of wealth equally with man-power, if the lattor were deemed necessary. I simply expounded an opposite viewpoint. G. Hinton Knowles. Howick.