The Christchurch Star published by New Zealand Newspapers Ltd. London Representative R. B. BRETT A SON HEW BRIDGE HOUSE,38/31 NE! BRIDGE STREET LONDON. ECS TUESDAY. JULY 17, 1934. TOPSY-TURVY MINDS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20359, 17 July 1934, Page 6

The Christchurch Star published by New Zealand Newspapers Ltd. London Representative R. B. BRETT A SON HEW BRIDGE HOUSE,3B/31 NE! BRIDGE STREET LONDON. ECS TUESDAY. JULY 17, 1934. TOPSY-TURVY MINDS.

r T'HE DIREST CONFUSION exists in New Zealand to-day in many directions where even a little thinking would clear away the clouds. We have noted this topsy-turvy stale of mind in the submission of tariff schedules that are ostensibly intended to reduce Customs duties but are introduced by the Minister of Finance with a note to the effect that they will bring about an increase of £90,000 in Customs revenue—and will, incidentally, increase the cost of smoking substantially to poorer people. We have seen the same tariff schedule, which admittedly will squeeze certain small and promising industries out of existence, brought down in the same week in which the Minister of Finance declares proudly that he is going to slice £250,000 off the unemployment fund for the encouragement of new industries. Now we have the Unemployment Board cutting down the allowance to men who are unfit for heavy work or unfit for any' work. This proposal is absurdly and gratuitously wrong. It is wrong in principle, above all, because many of the men who are most fit to work are engaged in weaving ropes of sand. The value of the work done, in any’ case, is not an element in the computation of the payment. Seemingly the Unemploy’ment Board hopes to push these unfortunates on to the Hospital Board for what, after all, is charitable relief, but this in turn is a complete denial of the principle by' which we have so far successfully and properly preserved the self-respect of the unemployed by insisting that relief shall be paid only for work done. In any case, additional payments by’ Hospital Boards would mean additional rating, and this -would be an unbearable imposition in view of the tremendously large and adequate fund that the Unemployment Board already has for the relief of distress. Taxation to this end is the heaviest in the world, and provides a greater per capita sum for distribution in relief than is available in any other country'. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that the City’ Council and the Citizens’ Unemployrpent Relief Committee have unanimously protested against this sustenance proposal, and the work of Parliament might very well be held up to thrash out this and many’ another absurdity that the too-patient public have put up with long enough.

SAN FRANCISCO’S ORDEAL. ALL STRIKES are intended to impose some degree of inconvenience on the public for the purpose of marshalling public opinion, under the pressure of self-interest, in favour of the strikers’ cause. The strike weapon has failed in the past, however, and has been scrapped by intelligent leaders, for the two-fold reason that it imposes the greatest hardship on the strikers and their families, and by a gratuitous interference in the lives of persons who are not remotely concerned with the dispute, sets the public against those who have precipitated the strike. In all cases, too, the Government is pledged to maintain essential services, and London has a vivid recollection of the manner in which this was done in recent times by the mobilisation of public opinion. The determination of the San Francisco strikers to starve out that vast city must be met by even more determined action on the part of the Federal Government, for irrespective of the merits of the longshoremen’s case, the Government must pledge itself to this task, even though it may mean a sectional civil war. In fact, the maintenance of the Roosevelt regime may depend on swift and, if necessary, relentless action to crush disorder, whatever may be done later to settle the longshoremen’s grievances.