“Back To The Hay-burners.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 77, 31 March 1931, Page 8

“ Back To The Hay-burners.”

To the Editor. Dear Sir, —I am afraid I must disagree in part with Mr Morgan Williams. He says that we want Russia’s economic system here in New Zealand. I am sure all rightthinking people will disagree with that. In the first place, how did she get one at all? Where did the money come from? By wholesale pillage, murder, daylight robbery and plain theft. It was called confiscation, and it was, with a vengeance. Now just to help New Zealand’s economic system would Mr Williams cheerfully part up his farm and fittings as a generous gesture? Not on your life, and neither would, anyone else, myself included. With regard to trade relations, to be successful a nation must havg the confidence and goodwill of other powers. As a direct result of their own double-dealing, dishonesty and pig-headedness or at anyrqte the Soviet, must surely be the most despised and loathed of all Governments. Could Mr Williams enjoy a party at another man’s place if he knew that the beer had been obtained by knocking some poor old chap on the head and pinching his keg?, Yet he commends as practical and honourable the methods of these lousy skunks in Bolshevik Russia. They openly announce that they are doing their best to stir up industrial trouble the whole world oyer. Why, even here in Christchurch there is a handful of lazy, miserable and disreputable individuals who receive pay from Moscow for that very purpose. Take the case of Australia, where we see how the addled brain of one Labour Minister has brought shame and dishonour upon the heads of his own people. _ However, when, as in parts o! ha letter he gets down to constructive criticism inasfar as he wants a rearrangement of the economic machine, then we can be. with him all the way. May X endeavqur to point out a great part of the trouble? Take the procedure known as the balancing of trade. Now when we send ££,000,000 in goods to England we demand or require a like amount in return, and here is the rub. Our farmers work like the very devil and produce £1,000,000 in wool and a like amount in butter. Back comes £1,000,000 in machinery, etc., for reproductive labour, and £1,000,000 in cars to do no one any good and use up millions in buying American petrol. If only we could use the slogan: “ Back to the hay-burners! ” and put all our cars away for a year, that twelve months would see New Zealand rise like a kite. Now I have a table to show how marvellously such a policy would pay. , Take a milkman: His expenditure would be, approximately, horse £25, cart £2O. all of which stays in the country. Charges are: Depreciation, £8: traffic fees, 30/-; chaff, £10; shoeing and repairs, £4—a total of £23 10s, of which £ls 10s stays in the country and the £8 is an annual charge. Now the car. Car £240 (all out of the country for a start); charges, tyres £2O. petrol £6O; traffic, £3 12s; repairs, say, £ls; depreciation, £3o—a total of £l2B 12s, of which £7O goes out, never to return. The farmer* and milkmen are beginning to realise this at last, and one coachbuilder tells me that enquiries are now quite frequent for horsedrawn vehicles. Would it not be better to assist In paying dividends to our own people than the shareholders of the tank, oil, tyre and car companies? Now it is Mr William s turn to trot out some outstanding scheme, such as (in all modesty), the above.—l am. etc., m y R. ANDERSON. P.S.—Have just read to-night’s “Star** and think you could add £ls for a “drunk in charge ” conviction to the car charges. (That stays in the country, anyway.) RA.