LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Waipa Post, Volume 45, Issue 3250, 3 November 1932, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

PUBLIC SAFETY CONSERVATION ACT. Six*, —In y/our account of the Farmers’ Union meeting in Tuesday’s issue I am reported as having said that the piwisions of the Public S. a *- e ty Conservation Act had been applied to establishing a quota system lor b<i:nanas. This is not correct. ihe Public Safety Conservation Act of 1932 gives the Governor General by proclamation approved in executive council, power to declare a state ol emergency to exist, if in his opmionaction has been taken or is threatened to be taken which will interfere with supplies of food, water,, fuel, etc., or if it appears that circumstances exist oi* are likely to come into existence whereby the public safety or public order is likely to be imperilled. (What is meant by ‘ public order”?). Paragraph (4) on page 3 of this act is as follows: “Every person who comimits, or attempts to commit, or does any act with intent to commit, 'or counsels, procures, aids, abets or incites any other person to commit, or conspires with any other person (whether in New Zealand or elsewhere) to commit), any offence against any such regulation shall be liable on summary conviction before a magistrate to imprisonment for a term of three months and a fine_ of one hundred pounds, or both such imprisonment and fine, together with the forfeiture of any goods or money in respect of which the offence has been committed. In any prosecution for any such offence the court may admit such evidence as it thinks fit, whether such evidence would be admissible in other proceedings or not.” The banana quota regulation whereby a limit is imposed on the number (of cases of bananas which may be imported, and those only through certain appointed merchants, was mentioned along with the Public Safety Conservation Act, as examples of the extraordinary legislation and orders-in-oouncil which are being imposed on us by the present Government. If the proposed Niemeyer Reserve Bank Act is passed, New Zealand will be under the complete domination of international financiers. The purchasing power of th© New Zealand pound will vary to suit the interest of the shareholders tof the bank, without any consideration for the welfare of the people as a whole. Mr Coates has stated recently that more drastic economies must be effected and has hinted at increased taxation in the near future. When all of the people are thrown out of work, and taxation has taken our wealth, what then?.—l amj. etc., G. T. CRAWLEY.