BRAVE MINORITY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19887, 15 March 1939, Page 5

BRAVE MINORITY

REPLY TO CRITIC STATEMENT BY MINISTER STANDARDS OF LIVING MAN U FACT U RIN G TR AD E S INCREASE IN EMPLOYMENT (Special to the Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. A reply to criticism of some aspects of the Government’s policy, made by the president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Mr. P. E. Pattrick. m his address at the annual meeting of the chamber last night, was made by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, when speaking later in the evening. Mr. Pattrick had expressed views. Mr. Sullivan said, at variance with those of the majority of the people as shown at the election. The Gov-

ernment was out to increase the standard of living for the whole of the people, he said, and if it made mistakes would have the courage to i-ectify them. Mr. Sullivan said he felt that the president had displayed a great deal of courage in what he had said. He had given adherence to an outlook and a philosophy that the Minister could not agree with. “At the same time it is obvious that, however sincere the president was in the statements he made, and which he had a perfect right to make, his views were at variance with those of the overwhelming majority of the people of the country as expressed last October,” Mr. Sullivan said. “That.. I think, will go without saying, and 1 have no doubt that you, Mr. President, are pleased to be one of a brave small minority.

“It is quite true that the Government is out to increase the standard of living for the whole of our people,” the Minister continued. “The ideal by which we are actuated is one some of us have gathered from Scripture and which some of us have gathered in other ways. We are endeavouring to give expression to that ideal in a concrete way. We believe that it is possible and we ai'e trying to do it. Will Rectify Mistakes “I am not going to say that we will not make mistakes. I will not say that we perhaps have not made mistakes, out I will say this: that to whatever extent we become conscious ot the tact that we have made a mistake at any point, you can be. assured the Government will have the courage to rectify that mistake, and to do the very best it can to do those things that wili at one and the same time give expression to its ideals, and do it in tne way that is most sensible and least hurtful to any section o) the community. "The man hasn’t lived —the organisation, the Government, the nation —that has not made mistakes. We may make mistakes. But, to use the Prime Minister’s language, we will make other things, too. We wish to raise the prosperity of the whole of our people and increase their happiness.”

Mr. Sullivan said that he was to a large extent in sympathy with Mr. Pattrick’s references to production. Though many of those present might not agree with its methods, the Government was striving to increase production on the part of every section —workers, farmers, and manufacturers—because, unless there was such an increase, the Government would be unable to achieve its ideal of greatei health, happiness and prosperity fo? everyone, irrespective of class or occupation. Decline in Production

There lias been a falling-off of production and export values, which bad caused some disquiet, but there were reasons for these things, said Mr, Sullivan. For three years, for instance, he had been trying to induce wheatgrowers to provide all the wheat for New Zealand’s needs; the growers had done their best to respond, but neither they nor the Government could control the weather, which had been persistently bad and had prevented the realisation of the objective. Similar factors applied to some extent to the falling-off in dairy production.

New Zealand had some big problems to overcome in connection with production—-among them animal and plant diseases, land deterioration and erosion—and the Government was laying itself out to try to find a solution.

“I know that • there is a difference in the outlook' and philosophy of the president and those associated with him and the Government and its halfmillion supporters,” said Mr. Sullivan, “but I think this is probably the truth of the position: Both you and I, and those associated with each of us, are glad to be New Zealanders and are proud of what our country has accomplished; underneath the differences of opinion is a fundamental love of our land and a confidence that it will win through to play a greater part in the future.”

Mr. Sullivan said he was confident that the ultimate outcome of the import licensing system would not be to reduce the total volume of trade with the United Kingdom, though there would probably be a change in the kind of goods imported. In he long run the result of the policy >f building up lbcal industries would probably be an even greater trade

with the United Kingdom, but in raw materials and plant instead of finished products.

“In 1938, for the first time in the history of the 'Dominion, more than 100,000 persons were engaged in manufacturing industries,” Mr. Sullivan said. “Compared Avith 1935-36, the number of male workers employed increased from 65,197 to 76,151, and female workers from 21,391 to 26,193, a total increase of 15,756 persons. The total wages paid showed an increase in the two years from £14,844,367 to £20,981,587. Not only have more workers been employed. but their 'average wages have been increased 'by just on 20 per cent from £l7l lo £205 a head. “We have been criticised for increasing wages, but business men generally have benefited by the greater demand fbr goods by workers who have more wages to spend. The greater demand for goods is shown by the figures of factory production, which in two years rose from £90,000,000 to £113,000,000.” The general increase in employment in industry, he said, had a tremendous effect upon tine lives of young people leaving school. Industries which showed an expanding number of employees included: Clothing, 1088; sawmilling, 359; furniture, 338; electrical engineering, 257: and printing and publishing, 250.

“We must look to the manufacturing industries to provide employment for our pebplc,” said the Minister. “The expansion of manufacturing lias not been confined to any one centre. It is general throughout the whole Dominion."