PLACE IN COMMUNITY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 927, 23 November 1933, Page 9

PLACE IN COMMUNITY.

Attacks on Manufacturers Resented. Regret tliat attacks had been made on the ideals and interests of manufac- j turers by certain members of the Farmers’ Union was expressed by Mr , F. L. Ilutdhinson in his presidential j address at the annual meeting of the 1 Canterbury Alanufacturers’ Association last evening. Air Hutchinson said that he had purposely used the term “ certain members ” because large numbers of the farmers were favourable towards them and dissociated themselves • from those who would destroy their industries, or, j as an alternative, force them to pay wages low enough to compete, without duty protection, with overseas coun- j tries .which had not only low wages < and standards of living, but mass production and dumping facilities impos- J sible to Dominion manufacturers. “ There are certain basic principles I underlying the right and just govern- j ment of nations.” he continued, “ and j sooner or later these principles have ' to be adopted in some form or other. I The first principle is that the welfare of the people must be considered before that of an} - particular class; sec- i ondlv, that an advanced and prosper- i ous nation must have a diversity of ; occupations for its inhabitants. A na \ tion doing only one thing does not pro- , gress. There should be opportunities i for each type of mind and tempera- ; ment to find its expression; some .in | the country, the majority in the cities l and towns. Economically this diversity is essen- ; tiaL YY’e have passed the point at i which farming alone can serve the ! needs of our growing population and must now aim at having a balance be- | tween town and country, between manufacturing and agriculture— faririing developed to the highest point at which markets can absorb its produce —manufactures developed to their full capacity for local consumption.”