MANY DIFFERENCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26980, 15 January 1949, Page 7

MANY DIFFERENCES

AUSTRALIAN AND DOMINION GOVERNMENTS t NOT REALISED BY BRITONS NZPA—Special Correspondent Rec. 5 p.m. LONDON, Jan. 14. The recent action of New Zealand in devaluing the New Zealand £ apparently gave the British investor and industrialist something of a shock, says Sir Bertram Stevens, former Premier of New South Wales, writing in the Financial Times on “Australia To-day.” Sometimes critics, hearing of activities of certain trade unions in Australia, lump both the southern dominions together in general condemnation as “ socialistic and unreliable," he continues. “ This is regrettable and detrimental to the interests of British industrialists, who are considering expanding their activities into Australia. “ I have no brief,” he says, “ to defend, reprehend, or even explain New Zealand’s actions, but the talk in British circles I have heard in the last few weeks only goes to show that too few Britons realise the great difference between the two countries economically, indus-. trially, socially, and temperamentally. The fact that they both have a Labour Government in name is indeed one of the few things they have in common.” “ But the position of the Labour Government in New Zealand is vastly different from that of its Australian counterpart. New Zealand has for many years had a Socialist Government which has steadily implemented a socialist policy in so far as it can in a country almost devoid of secondary industries and dependent on one great market (the United Kingdom) to dispose of its limited range of exportable produce. There is no constitutional bar in New Zealand to the imposition of any measure of socialism by the Government. In Australia, however, the Federal Constitution has proved an effective barrier to extreme measures by a Labour Government—far more effective than any second house of Parliament could ever dare to interpose. The article goes on to dilate upon Australia as a field for investment.