THE FALLACY OF QUOTAS.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 October 1935, Page 7

THE FALLACY OF QUOTAS.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—l have noticed that at times in newspaper correspondence, when one of the parties- have been led out of their depth, there develops a mild form of personalities and innuendoes, apd unfortunately the controversy between Mr. Kenah and myself has, on Mr. Kenah’s part, developed on these lines. I feel sure Mr. Keriah will pardon me avoiding this form of controversy.

Reading between the lines of his letters I imagine that Mr. Kenah has never read any of Henry George’s works, nor realises that he was something more than “a revolutionary schemer or a dreamer.” His political econonyc work “Progress and Poverty," stands to-day as unassailable as when he first wrote it. The close economic reasoning, that is in evidence, and the conclusions, arrived at from that reasoning, have been proved again and again. Those who have read and studied that work realise the prophetic vision this reasoning gave him. If Mr. Kenah is a seeker after truth, then let him buy “Progress and Poverty”—the cost is small —and read it in his leisure moments. It may. be news to Mr. Kenah that Henry George was chosen as a candidate for the Mayoralty of’San Francisco by the churches and citizens desirous of cleansing that city from the corruption of municipal life by the Tammany organisation, and though Henry George, being in delicate health, was warned by his medical adviser that the contest might mean his death, yet the man faced the issue, and in one of his addresses prior to the election (the series of which exposed and condemned the corrupt ramifications of Tammany organisation) he collapsed in the middle of his address, was carried home and expired, having given his life for righteous municipal administration. This was the close of the life of a man which Mr. Kenah terms, a revolutionary schemer “and dreamer.” Thank God for such men. In my letters questioning Mr. Kenah’s belief that restricting’ production by quotas would be the cure of farmers’ financial difficulties? I quoted from the Dairy Commission’s report that in their , opinion farmers’ financial difficulties were due to the high speculative value of land, and Mr. Kenah agreed that this ; contributed largely to those troubles. His solution, together with Mr. Coates’, is a restriction of producing activity, leaving the value of land alone,. although the natural common sense way would be to reduce land values. I pointed out the way it could be done. Mr. Kenah questions neither the justice, possibility or practicability of the plan, which is quite practical when the majority of voters are educated to see it. * I pointed out that the application of machinery to secondary industries, had increased production enormously, giving Mr. Kenah a source r of information that substantiated my statement, and I further supported it from evidence taken from Henry Ford’s book “My Life and Work.” I stated my belief that in the face of these productive forces quotas and restrictions would be powerless to stem production permanently and cure the problem of the farmer’s position, and I might add here the whole of the primary and industrial life of the New Zealand nation, this being just a little wider and broader than the narrow view that only farmers are in financial trouble. Mr. Kenah does not reply to these facts, forthey are facts, and though he thinks it is a pity I obtrude my single tax views, I am of the opinion that if he honestly and intelligently examines the foundation of those beliefs, he will realise that the solution and cure of financial slumps lie along this road, and not by quotas, and j restricting man’s powers to produce.—l am, etc., DAVID L. A. ASTBURY. Mangatoki, Oct. 11. ,