POINTS OF VIEW

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3480, 16 June 1934, Page 5

POINTS OF VIEW

LETTERS FROM READERS. THE QUOTA AND WAR DEBTS.

Sir, —In you'r issue of Tuesday Mr W. G. Macky writes, inter alia: “ I don’t think Britain will impose a quota or do anything to hinder our paying our interest to her, whu|h, after all, is for a great part interest on war debt.” It is just as well to be accurate in all things. New Zealand has not paid interest (or sinking fund) on her war debt to Britain since the Hoover moratorium was first introduced. Since then New Zealand has paid nothing whatever on her war debt to Britain a saving of £BOO,OOO (or thereabouts) per annum: —I am, etc., B. ACCURATE.

HAIL, THE MILLENIUM!

Sir, —Speaking at Parawera, Mr J. M. Pennket seems to have placed it that the adoption of the Douglas credit system would bring the milleniujih. To one question, we could get £20,000,000 worth of boots and shoes in the twinkling of an eye; in fact, “we woulld have to speed up manufacture and importation of goods until the leeway had been made up.” To another question, the establishment of a flourmill and woollen mills in Te Awamutu would be achieved with consummate ease, before, indeed wheat was grown in thle district or sheep farmers could provide enough wool to keep the woollen mill going. All very interesting this inversion of the Utopian romance—a bit reminiscent of Virgil’s Elvsian Fields. But is it really possible for us poor mortals to take Utopia for granted and dream of the hard world we know ? Utopia (which Mr Penniket produces from Douglas Credit), cannot be a state: we cannot tolerate it as a state. Its real name is Heaven, and in this world it has to be a vision, and even a vision visible only for an instant, such as when a Parawera audience is entranced by the voice of the channel. And when the dream is o’er we are still faced with HARDFACTS.