THE WAY OUT.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20233, 17 February 1934, Page 17 (Supplement)

THE WAY OUT.

Solution of New Zealand s Problem. OLD SYSTEM BREAKS DOWN’.

(By

E. J. HOWARD,

M.P.)

T THINK it was James who said: “ We know nothing of absolute truth.” So that if we are humble enough to accept that and not to pose as being the Moses of the moment, who can lead to the promised land, it may be possible to oiler a suggestion that may help the struggling mass Our recent visitor, Major Douglas, may and vet mav not have stumbled on something that is going to help, but at least he deserves the thanks of thoughtful people. The only test of truth up to now has been “ will it work? Or does it work?” Well, the answer to that is that the old system has worked because we knew nothing better. About twenty years ago every dozen bricks built into any building in Christchurch were carried on a man s shoulder, and sometimes up tall and steep ladders. That system worked all right for the times but it has gone and gone for ever. We have reached a stage when an old system is breaking down. And when we use the word “ old ” we also use the word that means the handicap to the introduction of a new system. Social Credit. Tt will be harder to break from the old to the new because of the connecting link that we lost in those young men who sleep in Flanders. Social credit as laid down by Douglas may not work. We don't know. It las never been tried. Rut the term or title appeals to me—Social credit! Of course. Major Douglas will be laughed at The cheap wits will make uo jokes at hi" expense but that does not matter much. Even the capitalist has had fun poked at him, as Freud points out in one of his books. Speaking of laughter, he says: This is illustrated by the case of a spectator who on seeing the r>ortrait of two financiers said, “ But where is the Saviour?” Our modern problem is an easy one. What is our modern problem? Three meals per day and a bed: Is that an easy problem in New Zealand? Not bread alone, oh no, but secure that and see the big things we can do. And can we produce that in New Zealand? If that is the problem what is holding us up? It seems so simple that it is laughable. As one gentleman whom I offended said: “It is kindergarten stuff.’* It is, too! Eat dripping in a country that can produce butterfat in abundance? Go cold and ragged in a country that can produce wool in abundance? Live in shacks in a country that gruws timber in abundance? Of course it’s kindergarten stuff. But the way we have been taught to produce and distribute has broken down. We cannot get the machine to go. It is started by dropping a disc in a slot and we have no discs. It is easy to understand Great Britain's problems. She could not feed her own people off her own lands. We can. It is doubtful if she could house her own people from her own soil. We can! We could re-build the whole of our houses, factories, libraries, and even bridges without importing even a nail. It is doubtful if Great Britain could clothe her own people from the product of her own soil, but we could. Influence of Environment. Our problem! There is t\o problem in New Zealand except the psychic. What do we mean by psychic? Well, the way we react to our environment. So soon as we realise we can feed, clothe and house ourselves from our own soil we shall square our shoulders and do the job. At present we think we must sell our good butter to someone outside of New Zealand or starve. We must sell our wool and import wood pulp termed rayon or go cold. We built a beautiful marble house to house Parliament in. All the marble, the cement and the timber came from New Zealand. From New Zealand! Of course we could have imported splendid marble from Italy. Look in our churchyards and cemeteries: Splendid monuments from the best imported ) marble. When our Public Works Department built a sea wall around Apia beach and left a debt of £IOO,OOO, the poor natives were staggered. They argued: “We built the wall from material found here in Samoa. Why do we owe money for it?” They don’t understand political economy, poor souls. So Major Douglas comes along and says we can do our own job in our own w’ay if we like to use our own credit. But it has never been done that way before, say all the “ Wise men from the East.” If you want to build a bridge you must ask permission of the banks. The banks own all the discs and you cannot build bridges without discs. It has never been done. The man in the street says that the reason why we are in trouble is the Great War. But why the war? says you. We got into debt. England owes discs to America: America owes discs to some other country; we owe discs to England. And so on. Everybody is in debt. But for every debtor there is a creditor. But where? As a fact, the cause of the war was —ah. steady there! Stages in Development. There were three stages in our development—mercantilism, nationalism and imperialism. We have passed through those three and we are on the doorstep of a new’ system. What shall we call it? If we want to see how we reached the present stage of development, watch Japan. There we can see the little play re-played. But, oh! we wouldn’t do things that way. Well, why have we got Samoa? What good is it to us? Why did w’e demand it at the signing of the Peace Treaty? It certainly is not paying us. It is not paying the Samoans. Well, why did we ask for it, and why do we hang on to it? Finally, what is our problem? Ask the relief worker! Ask the hungrv children: ask the tired mothers. Major Douglas’s national dividend may not be a way out, but is the unemploy, ment tax the way out? Are we going to be content with that sugarbag brigade? Is there a way out? Of course there is. and the way is so easv that my friends of the Legion call it kindergarten stuff. And they are right. It is kindergarten. It is so easy that it is laughable, except to the hungry, when it becomes a tragedy.