STATE PATERNALISM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20643, 15 February 1929, Page 10

STATE PATERNALISM.

' PREJUDICIAL TO INDUSTRY. ADVICE TO THE GOVERNMENT. (Special to Daily -Times.). AUCKLAND, February 14. “ A reduction in taxation is one of the most vital, needs of_ industry,” said Mr H. T. Merritt (president) at the annual meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. “The Government must' be urged to review expenditure and to eliminate anything that is superfluous or unnecessary. Only in this way can taxation be reduced.” The present Parliament, continued Mr Merritt, was more representative of the commercial community than had been the case for many years, and it was to the new members that they made an appeal to tackle the problem in the light of their commercial knowledge and experience. “We appeal to them to check the growing tendency towards State paternalism,” he said, “ to eradicate from the departments of State and traces of interference in business and anything suggestive of unfair trading in opposition to private enterprise t above the limits of extreme necessity, and to'-, call a halt in the increasing growth of the percentage of civil servants,” Mr Merritt added. “By this means they will not only earn the gratitude of the whole community, but will enable the Government to bring about a reduction of taxation which at present is such a heavy burden upon industry, and which is responsible more than anything else for checking a return of that spirit of confidence so necessary to a settled and normal state of prosperity.”