Points of View Throughout The World

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17608, 26 October 1931, Page 10

Points of View Throughout The World

TAXATION AND INDUSTRY .Melbourne Australasian: Crushing taxation -if k f6iW"bf 'industrial'sfebo' tage. Wet cannoF look with 1 ni’uch hope for a healthy'revival of trade" as long as anundue 'amount o bf ’Money which ought to circulate in the 'purchase of Wages is soaked up bv <?6v* ernments. GIFTS AND' POVERTY Municipal Journal (London): When Malthus in a famous passage maintained that poverty could not be eradicated by the gift’ 'of money, he propounded a truth which can be employed with equal power’to support’a scheme for the rational organisation of industry,, dr the* callous neglect’-of the prior. No bnb propbSck tb give tlic argument a' turn in’th'c latter .direction: But ahribst everyone sees nbw that the continued' distribution of money’ 1 or relief among' a growing army of unemployed workpeople could have but one' inevitable reSiilf in ’tile present state of the world. ' • A VETO ON WORK London Observer: The trade unions are always-pVeafihing' that indiifctry needs “reorganising/-’ but are-mot particularly helpful • when’ it is •attempted. The negbfjatibiis' for a wage basis on wliich to introduce the more looms system in Lancashire broke down last week, - and oric of the Most hopeful paths by which (lie- Cotton trade may’ regain is(llvericy‘'’still ■ rd 1 mains clbhecUT In ono" district the operatives, preferring Work to dole, have agreed on' terms with their ® ployer and ' throw'll' the" union' overboard. The l 'bxtifipleT looks-'us if ‘‘it would spread.' • M v ’«•> ■ ij.

THE RIGHT SPIRIT London Observer: Faced with the prospect of tie worst winter in her history, Canada is proposing to- rnakc her unemployed a truly National cfoneern. Apart f rom the' programme of public works that tile Government is drawing up, there is to bo something approaching a house-to-house canvass to enlist the cooperation of private Enterprise; 1 Already those who cannot offer work are‘‘giving of‘seH vices, and- the action-- of the" Toronto police in'giving up a day’s pay a month, and of "the Winnipeg barbers in providing free shaves and. hair-cuts, is typical, of tli'o spirit bfbd-operatidh with which Ulrfe r p.dkihioh 'is ShbtfldoV l ing her brirden. • *, A DESTROYING WEALTH

Spectator (London): Mr. Snowden’s last Budget speech was tin ' : "adiiussion that the zenith'df’Vlirect been reached; that heavier taxes would produce less Money'/’ Mr. Snowden admitted it, though’ he has also admitted that he has desired to use taxation to redistribute wealth. These Ministers know that if by direct taxation—call it predatory*’ or not—you take property i-romUho rich beyond a limit, you may indeed ! make Mtlikm poor, but you find'that you have nothing of value by - which/ to mlike-The poor rich. You have only destroyed wealth’by destroying security. If you take away the income or the market value of property, Tlic riches’’melt in your hand,'aim there is nothing l '!’!) give away. PRICE STABILISATION Sydney Bulletin: There is a good deal of talk to-day about stabilisation. There could bo no better thing for the world. It is shocking that a man should borrow the equal of one bale of wool this year and through a change in the purchasing power of gbM ’hhonld fitfveiWi)fiJ r two half bitletf'ii \tW hence.d’fiuf"at \vMt • Ji6int ; ' a^%^ v 'gbiufe to stalllllsd? N6bbdy':fHiggests i > l thlit"we shodldlw-if lit the lbWT.pfides; always it.' , ls :i 'tli«i ficAitioiid* t pn<jdsp f thc result, of iVlnfiist iinrestrictbd'h'tedit, which it fs'-'&fcfei# ed to imiintpin.b The questioA ! '% Whether'MlUit’Sftn ft' ttui be <loHttj\wh‘ether it!Wdnld : bc wm to Ao id'd'-ComSfily in but*’6wif baktf we shall have to realise th’at tM stfiii* dards which we set up during the past few years were fictitious, being built largely on credit; and' ; fke 'credit ‘kvks ib‘*'wi ! ld that ■ \vb mavb'inbW* fetust'WftW off ' fibine' ’dbbt, *br the-inferest all tho : debt, .vJftidP&itKe same thing. Gr

PROTEST*"fbO MUCH xJfa'fßP faV teachers thfo'uglfdht be feeling that the extremely efficient organisation which represents the majority of them is exceeding its mandate. The ©mes'%!lj gaWiSfb&f l fcronco to their interests or to "the importance of their work, and so a word of warning from a friend will not bo Ufni'&C" TheAc hastiiy , togatii’sed''prtf-' cessions are a mistake unwortjiyi of what the; leaders l of - the ! Katiouni Union of Toacliers : frecfuently'i'amj tightly describe-as'ht great-profession; and' tho subsequent speeches arid resolutions uto bllittleyif'any, value: Such' resolutions toe' to . easy tm obtain as signatures to a 'petition'; rind' both haveb'to nitifch 1 effect" 1 on 1 the3GoveVhlricnt as "stroking the- dome 'Of' St. Paul’s- t'o 'pleario the Dean'-’* aiiti Chapter.” No'Pnc of'iiri likes’to haM oto> ih'cbmc r'cduccd,’ :uvd if-is shfe’ td siVy thiit- oVory iWcAmh is rioW in' pro'eCssJdf hoditbtioiii' V| T|m&' pfde'css .is at least * the 'foundatioli ■ of 1 cquMity 6f sabrif}cc, which can only riuHih' equal payments by all wheii : wo' rCaeh" the Socialist paradise of equal incomes for all. “i Menu while the .old rule -stands that all-’taxation must- be-based' on Capacity to 'priyf In the teachers', to in other professions, • there - will be many hard cases; but in the teachers? profession, as •in few others tollay, there' nrC . security of tenure, practically no-unemployment, increased ineoriies .since the war, and good arid regular holidays. : ' ! More "teacjicrs"in these days are probably taking tho old advice "to count our blessings’” than are shouting' protests’ to -tho 'empty air. ■' ' v!.-* -P ■ 1

ENSEpjJG Ottawa .Citizen: According to the woolgrowers, one factor in' farm depression .is that’Clothing manufacturers are now making two-trousered suits. This makes tTfemuit last So s long that the demand for wool has slackened. It sounds reasonable enough, but we shall not be satisfied until regular suits consist of three pairs of trousers and two 'coats. THE SILVER REMEDY London Timas City Editor: Because of- the-‘prospect that some time will elapse before the great masses of hoiirded gold are pumped back into tho world’s economic machine, a growing body of opinion is in favor of atiitiiiptih*g td v t>rfng 'About a rise in the wofld level of prices by the remonetishiioU 1 'of ‘iftlVer” Remonetisation would, 'of l! revive the purchasing'power of th% Far East particularly, and this could not fail to have a considerably stimulating effect on worid-trade. It would also lessen the need for painful feadjustmbhts'm this touiitry which" otherwise 1 would be necessary iii order to bring our prices into equilibrium with the present low lbvel'of World 1 pfiefes. 1 ~ m’ M 11 u '’' •vt f —i-_— A QUACK REMEDY Toronto Telegram: ! George Bernard Shaw’s cure for the ills of Britain is-’a four-hour day. And as usual-Mr. Shaw’is talking 1 ragtime'.! Britain is 1 -hi) industtfal nation that defends 1 tcf J a’ gre'af.’•’•"extebt bit exports for ’its existence.

Perhaps Mr. Shaw will explain how merchandise • produfeed 'by 1 Mot ’wbrking ’ji' foui'-honr day- could compete with merchandise produced 'by labor working - eight' "hours''it" day. ’ The cost for labor ‘would- be exactly doubled. Of course, Mr. Shaw would have Britain live within herself and let the rest .-of the'' world' go- 1 hang. But as that procedure would close dowm- niost‘ ! of- htfr 'factohjes perhaps ‘Mr Shaw will toll a waiting world what tile' 'Motherland w-buld' do f-With a few million more unemployed.. " Pbrliaps' Mr. "ShAw intends to head a pilgrimage to that new paradise he has discovered under tlWrulo of the Soviet ! \:ir /< " .'W ;■ c a.-e Vl ..i'A tv;.:':

DEPENDS WHO SPENDS Miimeapdjid lotlnlal: When" men do things for themselves, the money 'is spent-moro or less thriftily.- • Ishea gtiVel-nmoht does'thihgs'-for thenif “the money "usually is spent dxtraMgantly and -inefficiently. 6 |Whatever "the service that' is' bought,’ government does not get’ as 3 nfufcn ! fob 'its' dollar—collected from the citizens—as the citi-/ zbn , 'coiif l (T i ’gct 'by ddlih!r himself. 1 ’ 1 It ii this .surplus of-govern-ment'that'has pyramided laxes-to the point of conliscatidh -'6f ! ’fbaT estate values; to ’th'e ’pdifiS of niSßing citizens the serfs of their government rather than the beneficiaries of wise gWm-hniMfar ’'cbiihbWf' fdrthgir Welfare.

"There now appear signs that the peak bf’the sifrplu'i ! 'dfi gfevehihienV has been reached. - ‘ln' Variods prifti’bf this country I’taxpajfcVs'’ 1 ’ taxpajfcVs'’- dbdgueS,’ Aorife l W them Organised on ’a ’ st&ttf-ividd basis* are demanding of municipal, township, county and state governments a drastic shearing'off of "jwx-finanCed functions and'robMgatioftfcs. ..fghy* ‘ft-“If - it* Msbbrdnght home to the pcopjo. a realisation that they have sentatives, taxing themselves twice aiT rriueli "as 'there has been any* real need for, this depression may go down into history as- not entirely a public calamity.”