Page 3 Advertisements Column 3

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23287, 24 August 1945, Page 3

THE PEOPLE PROVIDE

State Is Servant, Not Master Again and again statements have been made that the acquisition of the Bank of New Zealand by the State will be “giving the bank to the people." This is a delusion. When the Bank becomes a State institution, the ordinary man and woman will not “own" it or "direct” it to any greater extent than now. Mr Nash himself has said —in order to put a favourable gloss on the purchase—that the Bank will continue to be conducted as it is now. There is a lot of loose talk and thinking about State enterprises “belonging" to the people. The Socialises talk that way when they wish to acquire anything, but afterwards the State takes up a possessive and dictatorial attitude. The State then tells the people what to do and what to pay. The State likes to spread the impression that it “gives” the people generous pensions, that it "gives” the people subsidies on clothes and butter and coal, that it “gives” our children free milk. “See how wonderful and powerful we are!” the State would like to exclaim. But all the money the State handles—all the pensions and subsidies and social services it dispenses -all the power it r possesses - come from the people. The people themselves pay io direct taxes and indirect taxes, ami In im teased elianms hidden in the eosl ot living. The more money tiial L is.sned, the less llie Vallie of all inom-v. ami Ila- lower Hagoods eaeli pouml-nole will buy. Tile resllll is slavery to Ila- SLiliTlie question that citizens should ronstanl.ly ask is this; Slrmld Die Slal.e be the servant of. or the innsler of.