A MAD WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, 6 August 1934, Page 2

A MAD WORLD

MAGIC PLANNING.

WHERE IS IT LANDING US?

(By E. Earle Vaile). Is it to be wondered at that our lot is cast in unpleasant places, and business is bad to the point of bankruptcy, when those in authority throughout the world seem completely off their balance.’ Without mentioning the murderous madness of foreigners, let us look it English-speaking countries. In the United States acclaiming itself “The greatest country on this planet, yes sir,” we have the misgovernment burning wheat, ploughing in cotton, and paying people not to £row crops! Now, Almighty God has sent a fierce sun to burn up their remaining wheat, but the great President Roosevelt bids Him defiance, saying, “I will vote a trifle of 500,000,000 dollars to put that matter right.” The accumulated deficits of the United States during the past three years amount to the truly terrible total cf 10,000,000,000 dollars. While this frantic capital expenditure has been going on, unemployment has been somewhat reduced. But what will be the state of affairs when the expenditure stops and the interest upon it has to be wrung out of the people? And even England is being led astray and losing her traditional sound judgment. The gallant Major Elliot, when .we offer our best butter and meat at the lowest prices ever known, says: “My dear fellows, I lovq you very much, but the fact is I keep a cow myself and cannot make her pay unless I get double your prices, so I tell you what —you give me only half the butter and meat. That will raise the money values, and my family will thrive amazingly by eating less good food.” As has been truly said, we experience poverty in the midst of plenty and we seek to cure matters by abolishing the plenty. And Major Douglas, gallant to the point of recklessness, says: “I’ll print millions and millions of paper money to equate and purchase your goods. True I cannot tell you what words will be printed on this paper, but you have my word for it that unprecedented prosperity will ensue. I will fill your heads to confusion with my celebrated A -f- B mixture, and your pockets with my national dividend without any work on your part.” And multitudes, because they are desperately destitute, and cannot themselves see any way of escape, accept this calamitously false doctrine as a new

gospel. In our own New Zealand is not everything “planned” and mismanaged to the limit of vexation of the spirit and weariness of the flesh? If, for our living, we desir-e to run a bus or feed a fowl, or raise a tomato, or transact any business whatever, pur freedom of action is impeded in every direction by Government regulations, and we are subjected to -i horde of expensive inspectors. Is not our Government for ever attempting to put things right by imposing more taxes, by falsifying our money and by borrowing abroad? _ e Criticism of the doings of others is, of course, useless without constructive suggestion of a better line of action. Le» me then say that any remedies based on (1) charity and subsidies, '2l gambling, (3) destruction of useful goods, (4)reduction of human effort, are useless and worse than useless. Charity, like medicine, is excellent in small doses, but poison in large ones. All plans so far tried for the relief of unemployment amount to nothing but charity, and our dependence upon them shows a softening of the moral fibre of the people. Gambling is the policy of indolence and despair, and the 2s 6d swindles so rampant in our midst should be rigorously suppressed. The wickedness and folly of destroying useful goods when half the world is underfed and underclothed needs no demonstration, and in the like category is reduction of human effort, while these urgent wants exist. Let us put our financial trust in those experienced in and understanding finance, let us think in goods and not : n money, valuing the substance more than the shadow or reflection, let us cling m those virtues proven to produce pros■perity in the past-honest values, hardwork and reasonable saving, and quit following the false gods of something for nothing, magic “planning,” etc., and let us remember that what can be ‘ planned and “managed” can also be misconceived and mismanaged.