Thames Star WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1938 MORE STATE CONTROL.

Thames Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 20239, 16 February 1938, Page 2

Thames Star

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1938 MORE STATE CONTROL.

"With malic* towards nona; with charity for all; with firmnata In th# right, aa God gives ua to to* tha right."—Lincoln.

The heavy hand of State control presses down on one more section of commercial life with the authoritative statement that the Government proposes to take over control of the importation of all fruit into the Dominion as from April 1 next (says a Southern journal). This move, to be interpreted as the next step of the Internal Marketing Department's programme as announced early in December, will be justified by the Government as being in the interests of "orderly and efficient" marketing. Small regard will be paid to the unfairness of taking away 50 per cent, of the business of firms that have spent anything up to £250,000 in developing their trade in imported fruit. 'There is to be no compensation for the loss of connections that have existed in some instances during the past 50 years. A Government turning on its socialist screw has no time for such trifles of commercial morality and no doubt is anxious to justify that goodwill payment made but not disclosed when it took over the business of the present Director of Internal Marketing. Will the change mean better and cheaper fruit? That is the question the general public is most interested in. Food dictatorship legislation and the setting up of the department to control prices and .fix conditions of sale for essential foodstuffs, .were accepted by many philosophical people as likely to reduce the <-ost of living. By now the ihope must be wearing thin, to be replaced soon by scepticism. The measure of control of fruit imports up to the present has not meant cheaper fruit. Cook Island oranges have risen in prices and Samoan bananas have steadily become dearer since the Government instituted the quota system to save, losses on the operation of the Government fruit steamer. An export duty of 2/6 a ease had been imposed on all Samoan bananas exported other than, by the Government. Australian oranges have also been more expensive as a result of the Government's quota system. The conviction is inescapable that the State's continued interference with commercial life and the consequent limiting of enterprise is eonfering no benefits at all upon New Zealaders. The acid test of the "food dictatorship" theories is the price and quality of food and the cost of living. When no relief is forthcoming the public is bound to regard each new advance of Mr. Pieot's bureaucracy with disquiet and scepticism.