FALSE PHILOSOPHY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27038, 24 March 1949, Page 8

FALSE PHILOSOPHY

Sir,—l thank “Young Sarah’ for her (or his) frank tribute to my prowess. A good tip and run artist, as any cricketer will tell you, Is one who pierces the defence with easy and well-timed shots and who, while keeping his wicket intact, continues to score freely off the opposition bowling. The accountancy experts can juggle with figures as they like, but the acid test of our alleged price control is what one has to pay his tailor for a suit, his mercer for a shirt and his butcher for his meat. " Young Sarah ” has been compelled to admit the existence of the black market. The black market does not trouble the wealthy monopolist (who is almost exclusively the creation of our Present Government) one iota, but it gives the small-salaried worker, the age beneficiary, and the pensioner no chance at all. And it can only exist where you have controls and rationing which are an integral part of the totalitarian system which our present Government is determined to implement. After all, it takes the genius of an institution like the Internal Marketing Department to ship fresh eggs from Balclutha to Dunedin and then back again to the place where they were laid. Tne extra handling and cartage is a sure device for keeping prices down and a deadly reply to that Tory inefficiency which used to allow eggs produced m the Balclutha district to be sold to buyers on the spot. We are heavily taxed, amongst other things, to pay for Health Department advertisements urging us to eat more lemons, yet, according to reliable northern reports the Internal Marketing Department is daily dumping lemons at the Grey Lynn tip. This, of course, is just one more proof of Socialnot only immigrant trainee nurses but scores of other immigrants have changed their minds. The selection of these people was not to the hands of trained experts but of Socialist Party hacks reaping the reward of services rendered. Still, what can one expect from a Government which consists of self-confessed puppets of the Federation of Labour?—l am, etc.. Incredulous Ike.

Sir.—When correspondents set out to criticise they should at least tell the whole story and not just quote one year, which serves their purpose to misrepresent the facts. Your correspondent “ Dad “ comes within this category. Coal output in Britain had been declining for more than 30 years when the Labour Government came into office in 1945. In the year 1918 it was 287,000,0001 tons: in 1927, 250,000.000 tons; in 1938, 226,900,000 tons; and when Labour took office it was only 174,650,000 tons. Immediately, this decline Was arrested, and in 1948 it had risen sharply to 208,000,000 tons, and the output per worker at the coal face had increased from 2.7 tons in 1944 to 2.91 tons in 1948. State planning for this year has set a minimum target of 215,000,000 tons. " Dad’s ” figures for the building of houses in England of 256,000 per year for the pre-war years will be easily eclipsed when Labour has been in office for 10 years. But housing Is only part of the huge post-war building programme. What about the farm buildings to house the greatly increased agricultural production? What about the thousands of modern factories, many of them on a rental basis of Is per square foot per annum? No wonder that Labour is confident of going before the electors in 1950 and being returned with a loss of not more than nine seats. The Tories have nothing to offer either in Britain or New Zealand.—l am. etc.. Rags.

Sir,—" Matilda ” has wisely avoided the pitfall my question invited him to step jnto. He now appears with a fresh load of disaster and chaos, which he distributes with gusto. A veritable messenger of woe! Does he not see that his diatribes against the Labour Government for its Socialism are in reality an unwitting indictment of the very capitalist system which he believes he is championing so ardently? Labour has not introduced Socialism into this country—or, at least, not more than 3 per cent, of it All it has done is to hang one or two Socialistic benefits on the branches while the capitalist tree flourishes more vigorously than ever. Under the aegis of the State bureaux, the profits of wholesale and retail industry are assured on a scale that Is framed to cover all contingencies, even to “go slow ” and inefficiency. Never was the going so good as it is under Labour. Most of us know of instances in which a wage-earner, having got tired of working for a boss, has opened a shop on some street corner, and is soon making three times as much as he earned before. Shortly, perhaps, he drives to business in his motor car, and, maybe, owns a crib at the seaside. This is not Socialism, but private capitalism under State protection. Bernard Shaw has pointed out that there is more private enterprise under Socialism than under capitalism. Under the former, the State owns and controls the means of production, but every householder who cultivates a garden, or is handy with tools, or clever in other ways, can sell his produce freely on the open market for what the trade will bear; and black-market goods are channelised into State shops opened for the purpose, where they are sold for what they will fetch. Even 3 per cent Socialism helps to ameliorate the harsh conditions of laissez-faire, but in the long run it merely accentuates the contradictions inherent in the private capitalist system.—l am, etc., A. Rattar.

oil,—Your correspondent “ Evil to Him Who Evil Thinks ” writes of “ loudmouthed warmongers ” and leaves us to surmise by inference whom he means. Would he please tell us more explicitly those to whom he refers. It is inappropriate for your multiple-named correspondent to write at all on the subject of ” False Philosophy,” because he shows himself as having a very false philosophy Indeed in choosing such a nom-de-plume. The name manifests a charitable philosophy. Yet “ Evil to Him Who Evil “ Matilda ” a ’’ spiv,” and jeers at her for having considerable time in which to write letters. Now, I can assure you that Ido not know who ,is ‘‘Matilda.” For all I know she may have time on her hands. But this may be, perchance, to her sorrow’. There are, indeed, ladies who to their misfortune, have more time than the rest of us, due to a number of things —disabilities and so forth. Personally, I feel very grateful indeed to " Matilda for her sound philosophy and useful contributions.—l am. etc., An tJ-churlishness.