AUSTRALIA'S NEED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17028, 13 August 1929, Page 11

AUSTRALIA'S NEED

TO LIVE ON WHAT IT EARNS NOT WHAT IT BORROWS BRISBANE, July 29. The Premier, Mr. Moore, said to-day that Queensland and Australia were up against a very difficult position. u was no use people expecting a miracle to take place. The fact had to be recognised that Australia for some years had been looking for borrowed money to pay people what they did not earn. They' had to come down to the solid basis of the fact that tbe country must live on what it could earn, not on what it could borrow, lie wanted tho people thoroughly to understand that, because it was a vital factor and tho idea of people going about saying the difficulties of the State could be eliminated by working 40 instead of 44 hours was absolute nonsense. The trouble was that many people did not work long enough, but they expected sufficient money to come into the country to maintain the conditions which had been established. It was only by bard work that the conditions now existing could be maintained. Peoplo who spoke about over-produc-tion in Queensland made one tired, continued Mr. Moore. The only question was bow the present conditions could be improved aud better methods found so that an article could bo produced and placed on the world's markets at a price people could pay. Tire room for expansion in Australia was unlimited, but unfortunately, owing to urttf/Lcial causes, production was being limited in a, way it should never Jte. All that was needed was common" sense in the government of the country: hu,t that rould not be brought about by attempting to deceive the people that everything was all right in Australia, because it was not. "We have come to the stage." said Mr. Moorefi " ' we must tell tbe people it is no use for them to think that they can live any longer in luxury when they are not earning what they should be earning. That, I think, is the basic, fact which we have to recognise. We must look for the extension of primary industries in Australia, giving a greater exportable surplus, so that new money can be brought into the country. We have to see to ; * that a man is given reasonable opportunities to get a living aud not worry whether he is making too much. The vacant spaces should be filled up and every encouragement given to men to go on the land."