Incentive Payments

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 July 1950, Page 6

Incentive Payments

"To maintain the standards we have we will have to increase our productive effort and ways and means will have to be devised to produce to a greater degree, and to do that cheerfully," he said. He understood that the unions did not agree with the incentive payment system, but the Government wanted sound unionism to continue, and there was no suggestion that any introduction of the incentive payment system would be designed to undermine unionism. One of the reasons why incentive payments should be introduced was because it would be one way to stem Communism effectively. “You can’t push Communism down the throats of happy and contented people,” said Mr. Hayman. "If we give effect to the incentive system we shall see democracy survive.” He considered that the failure of the previous Government to survive was not failure of democracy, but was abuse of it. No other Government had set off with such possibilities before it, but the people who defeated it were those who leaned on it so heavily and brought it crashing to the ground. The honest workers’ morale had been undermined, when so many got away with doing so little. Mr. .Hayman said he believed lhe National Government was best able to preserve a fearless balance between the various sectional interests. He thought the danger of inflation lay not only in decreased purchasing power, but in the fact that too many

people came to believe—the idea was still prevalent in New Zealand —that if' money could be manufactured by the printing press they should receive their share without, too much effort One of the fundamental criticisms which could always be levelled against the former Socialist regime was that it printed too much money in times when the country’s economy was at the height of prosperity.

The new Government had taken office in difficult circumstances, after an historic election in which Socialism had been tried and found wanting at the end of 14 years’ administration. The responsibilities of the members of the present Government, as they sought to restore the country's affairs to stability, were as great as had fallen on any previous Government. Mr. Hayman spoke for three-quar-ters of an' hour, anil Mr. Tennent took almost one hour. Both were warmly congratulated by many members as the house adjourned at 9.15 until 7.30 p.m. tomorrow.