The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1920 USELESS EMPLOYMENT

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12100, 8 July 1920, Page 4

The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1920 USELESS EMPLOYMENT

IT seems to us that at this juncture when we are threatened with action that will inevitably increase the difficulties with which the people have to contend, the consideration of economic subjects is of the highest importance, far surpassing the petty personal strife of political parties, A question that may well be discussed is “What is the object in establishing industries, apart from those’ that develop naturally, such as our dairying, wool-producing and meat-growing, and those industries naturally growing out .of them, such as the railways and other transport services, and the subsidiary natural industries of meat-freezing, 6tc ? Most who give attention to the subject will agree that the first., consideration must be whether the people as a whole will benefit, because if they are not to benefit the State has no right to use any of its machinery or power to “foster’ ! any exotic. There are some who allege that it is the duty of the State to levy tribute from all the people in order that some few may be employed. These are usually men who have a monopolistic axe to grind. The idea that the State should supply employment by means of tariff charges is a fallacy, for human labour is not an end, but a means, and it is with the results of labour that the people are concerned. If it were desirable that the State should provide employment without regard to the necessity for the work on which the men were employed then the simplest way of “employing” more people would be to reduce the working hours by half. This would enable doable the number to be employed, but of coarse would co respondingly increase the cost of the product of their work. This is what we are doing under our existing policy. We are not only bearing the cost of employing useless people at unnecessary work, but are preventing these people working in our great natural industries and at the same time we are creating profits for monopolists. There would bo a ..tremendous outcry if our present vicious system were carried to a logical conclusion, say, in the case of those employed in the gasworks, or lamp and candle-makers, if the State decreed that henceforth in the interests of these people every window or opening through which the light of the sun could enter a house should be closed. There would undoubtedly be more work for the light-makers, but obviously it would be useless work, and the people would realise the folly of the policy. Yet this, in less degree, is exactly what we do when we partially close our 'ports to the trade of the nations. There are thousands in this country to-day who are costing consumers a large amount pf money for no better reason . than that they are working as the gasmen would do if all the light of the sun was excluded.

BOTH Palmerston papers are strongly opposing the proposed LevinMarton railway, principally on the ground that It would probably delay the railway improvements iu Palmerston. The Standard takes' an extremely parochial view of this important question. It is apparently not realised by either of these journals that the development of the district on this side of Palmerston must inevitably benefit that town much more than the railway alterations in Palmerston itself would do. The expenditure of public money in Palmerston would no doubt be of

benefit'to it temporarily, but the shortening of distance, saving of tiine, and easier grades would be of permanent benefit to the Main Trunk traffic. In any case traffic that merely passes through any centre does not confer any great amount of benefit, and the proposed LevinGreatford railway would not in the slightest degree affect the district traffic to and from Palmerston. If the Levin-Marton route is adopted it would be-.possible to use that line only for the Main Trunk passenger and goods traffic, for which it would mean cheaper fares and as well as the saving of time. It might then, indeed, be possible to have a real daylight service between Auckland and Wellington. If we believed that either Palmerston or Feilding would he injured, we should not be inclined to support the present movement, but it is pur firm opinion that both those centres would derive great benefit from the development of the adjacent district. The Standard indeed, in its comments on the Sanson Conference, indicates why Palmerston has nothing to fear from any railway development, for it says Palmerston North “is, and must always remain, the junction for the East and West Coast rail' ways, and the connecting link between Manawatn, the Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay.” That statement is quite'correct. It seems to tfs that the interests of both Palmerston and Feilding would be best served by supporting the Levin-Marton line, which will at least temporarily relieve the congestion in Palmerston, in which the present proposed deviation conld be hereafter undertaken when necessity demands it. The conveyance of the through traffic.on the Main Tvnnk Line via Marton-Levin would not rob either of these of any paying traiffio. It would, however, enormously benefit the district adjacent to Feilding and Palmerston, and with that development it might become desirable or necessary to construct connecting lines from Palmerston and Feilding to the Marton-Levin section of the Main Trunk line.

THE Forestry League is giving point to the fact that we should, in the interests both of this and succeeding generations, set to work to create forests wherever suitable land is available. It is no use mourning over the almost incredible folly of the policy of the past which was directed to the destruction of the finest crop the land will ever bear and one that took centuries to mature. We have bared the land with the axe and the flame and have lost millions of value in smoke and ashes. That the .policy was mad and wasteful is now admitted, and the need is urgent to repair the effects of our errors as soon as possible. We trust the League will have the effect of securing immediate attention to this great need, and that the work of afforestation will he made to proceed vigorously.