NEW REGIME IN NEW ZEALAND

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20672, 10 March 1937, Page 9

NEW REGIME IN NEW ZEALAND

SIR A. ATKEY’S COMPARISON LONDON, February 3. Sir Albert Atkey evidently found plenty of food for thought and material for speeches during his recent visit to New Zealand. His latest comments have been made to the Nottingham City Business Club, when he drew a comparison between the experiments in Social Credit In Alberta and the New Zealand Socialist Government. These experiments, he said, were of great interest, and one hoped there might be something from them of advantage to this country. A business man in New Zealand however, had revealed facts about his income tax showing that whereas he paid £15.000 under the old regime, he paid £27,000 under the new regime. So, added Sir Albert, it would appear that even with high principles the old slogan applied that if one wanted anything that was really good it was apt to be a bit expensive.—(Laughter). The only difficulty he could see with regard to carrying out the programme in New Zealand was that there was not in that country—nor in Great Britain, he believed—a well sufficiently full of real gold or other wealth to do it. He thought Mr Nash. Minister of Finance in New Zealand, believed this too. Another view, which should be more to the liking of the Government’s followers, was expressed in the Saturday Review, a weekly paper formerly notable for the eccentric literary outbursts of the late Lady Houston. "When the Savage Government took office in New Zealand as the first Labour Administration in the history of the Dominion, its objectives were hot unnaturally regarded with some suspicion not to say apprehension. That is why the visit to the United Kingdom of Mr Walter Nash, New Zealand’s Minister of Finance, is serving such a valuable purpose. It may be safely said that, since Mr Nash landed in England, he has done much to clarify the air regarding his Government's motives and policies. In his conversations with British Cabinet Ministers and leaders of commercial life throughout the British Isles, he has made it plain that the New Zealand Labour Party’s policy has nothing in common with the freak Socialism practised by extremists who have, from time to time, risen to brief authority in certain other dominions. The chief purpose of Mr Nash’s mission is to negotiate reciprocal agreements with Great Britain which will increase the flow of trade between the two countries. Mr Nash has an excellent case to present. He can produce figures which prove that New Zealand offers to Britain the best trading facilities of any country. Empire or foreign, in the world. His task is to acquaint British thought with the main problems confronting the New Zealand Government.