“BRITISH GOVERNENT OUT OF ITS DEPTH AT START OF CRISIS"

Wanganui Chronicle, 16 October 1947, Page 6

“BRITISH GOVERNENT OUT OF ITS DEPTH AT START OF CRISIS"

Wellington, Oct. 13.

Though it might, be a good thing in the long run for the United Kingdom to have had a Socialist Government or Anti-Conservative Government in power just after the war, the piesent Government seemed to have been out of its depths in the last 12 months. This opinion was expressed by the secretary of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Association, Mr. D. 1. MacDonald, who returned by the Corinthic after a visit to the United Kingdom and Western Europe. “The British Government’s present position may perhaps be temporary,” Mr. MacDonaid said. “However, its procrastination has in many directions made recovery more difficult. The present crisis is more intense and has weakened Britain’s strategic position and bargaining powers with the United States. The Government’s slowness to use the full strength of British Commonwealth to help it is much to be deplored. Its lack of forthright direction and leadership to industrialists and workers has contributed to the difficulties of production.”

Against that, said Mr. MacDonald, with the swift movement of world events today, problems outside the comprehension of any political party arose from month to month. When he left England there were many hopeful signs that the Government was showing a greater understanding of the issues and was more prepared to grapple with them. Mr. MacDonold stated that amongst the industrialists and others, he had not found any policy of developing manufacturing w’ithin sensible limits.

“Compared with practically every country I have visited, New Zealand’s housing and fuel and power shortages are insignificant,” he added. “Our standard of living is high and, while ,we must suffer some of the backwash of the world recession in prices should one eventuate, we are better prepared and, I think, better able to cushion such a blow than most countries. We hear a lot in New Zealand about our high prices. In many cases they are high in comparison with pre-war figures but not in comparison with those overseas. In spite of the criticisms of our licensing laws, some of which criticisms* are well founded, and the lack of certain facilities, our first class hotels do not cost half as much as hotels providing similar and comparable accommodation in the United Kingdom or the Continent of Europe. The price of leather goods, including footwear, wollen clothing, children’s clothes, most foodstuffs, plastic articles and furniture, I found very much higher than New Zealand prices even after making allowance for the subsidies. These facts are all to our advantage. We should retain those advantages not by selfishness but by work, production and assistance to England.