EYES OF DEMOCRACY.

Thames Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 20420, 23 September 1938, Page 4

EYES OF DEMOCRACY.

NOW CENTRED ON NEW ZEALAND "GIVING IT A GO.’’ TI-IE SAVACE-NASH LEADERSHIP. Tito eyes oi' democracy are on Now Zealand, where the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, and his Treasurer, Mr. Nash, have inspired and led the Do million’s ventuVes in social welfare and public fianance says “Smith’s Weekly.’’ They command the first Labour Ministry, officially so called, that has exercised government in New Zealand; but Savage and Nash themselves often say they only bring up to date, under modern conditions, the general welfare policy of old Dick Scddon, who stayed in power for 12 years.

I would not be as ready, as r ere other people are, to say that the Savage-Nash regime is sure to boost its popular benefits beyond New Zealand’s economic power. Those “economic powers” are more elastic than diehards of the old school will generally admit: witness President Roosevelt's big whoosh of pumping-up in the U.S.A. and he hasn’t blown out the tyres yet.

The two Now Zealand leaders should

be given one name, and I will call

them jointly Savage-Nash. The first half, Savage, is the zealous, popular prophet; the Nash complement is the student-philosopher and economist. In

democracy, Savage-Nash is an impressive personality. Their lucky territory, for its popula tion has at least as much natural wealth 'as any ecpial area in the world; and being in public control of that rich asset, Savage-Nash is “giving it a go.” Australia is looking on.

Savage-Nash in New Zealand has

taken a closer Government grip of banking than Australia has yet tried. In relation to the number of people, it

went bigger licks in public works, and it paid higher relief wages in the climb-out depression. It lias moved to a 40-hour week. I wouldn’t say off-

hand whether this is readily practicable in the Commonwealth; but it isn’t a foredoomed failure. The studious Labour branch at Geneva liked it; and, if it be practicable, it is obviously desirable.

"What “Smith’s” wants and what 1 want is that industrialism shall grow more and more humane; and where’s the use of all your science and inventions if it doesn’t ease the mass working hours for mankind, including womenkind? In Australia, Mr. Lyons and Mr Casey started ahead of New Zealand with the Federal scheme of health and pension insurance; but Savage-Nash sets off at a faster gallop than LyonsCasey.

Indeed, the New Zealand Minister (Mr. Lnngstone) said last week that in comparison with their Social Security Bill (as they call it over there) the Australian scheme was “a poor,

miserable, sterile thing.” Once again, their territory of 100,000 square miles is more fortunate than Australia’s all-bjut 31,000,000. They haven’t got our huge dry inland, and our internal long-distance costs. So I jvouldn’t make an assertion that whatever gets through in New Zealand would be a soft job in Australia.

Yet all Australians are keen’y watching flic try-outs of Savage and Nash. The latter is an Englishman, but “Joe” Savage is an Austra’iau, born in Victoria. If lie and >Ta ;k could manage, without serious misfortune, to perform all they have attended and promised—well, the Australian electorates would soon be asking for Savage-Nash, whether inside the Labour Party or out of it.