The Waikato Times With which is Incorporated The Waikato Argus. FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1933, BECOMING ENLIGHTENED.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18855, 27 January 1933, Page 6

The Waikato Times With which is Incorporated The Waikato Argus. FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1933, BECOMING ENLIGHTENED.

Among the good works carried out by the late Andrew Carnegie in the distribution of his great wealth is an Institution of Economics, which sits at Washington to ascertain tlie facts about current economic problems and to state them to the people in a form easily understood. The idea is one which does credit to Andrew Carnegie. The one drawback to such a body is that politicians take no notice of what it recommends. It is to be feared this is what will happen to a book recently issued by ihe Carnegie Corporation dealing with war debts due to the United States. The book points out all the facts that' have been set before the United States in English and Continental publications for a long time past, but as they have had no effect so far, it is to be feared that this hook will have no better fato than previous statements. It points out that to cancel war debts would promote the economic recovery of the world, and that their collection would injure rather than help the countries which receive them.

The instructed portion of the nation already believes this, but their numbers are far too small to influenco politicians, who are strongly of opinion in an exactly opposite direction. After all, this is not wonderful. The United States Budget is in a desperate condition, with a huge deficit last year and the promise of an equally large one this year. Receipts are little more than half the expenditure. To surrender £50,000,000 to come from other countries seems madness to men who see no further than their noses in economic matters. Apart from a pronounced anti-British sentiment there is a feeling in the remoter districts that Wall Street, under which heading are included all financial interests, is willing to ’sacrifice the debts due to the State in order to improve the chances of payment of private debt. It is a party dispute, for in the United States party divisions are only nominally Republican and Democrat. These are the headings under which the election for the President is fought, but the actual issues which divide the country are very different. It is unfortunate that international issues of such importance should turn upon party divisions in tho United States. Circumstances have placed that country in a posilion where her action is a matter of greatest Importance to the world. It is impossible to avoid a close study of conditions and personalities. It cannot bo said that the position held by the country Is due to any special ability or leadership; on the contrary its course since the war has been equally disastrous for herself and for the world. She has consistently refused to act with other countries, and has taken up a narrow nationalistic outlook. It Is village politics, but what else can be expected when the chief power lies in the hands of the Senate, which is not elected on a basis of numbers or wealth or knowledge, or character or illness of any kind, but on the arbitrary basis of Slate rights. There are five Slates which return but one member each to the House of Representatives, and several others which return two or three. Each of these Stales lias two representatives in tho Senate while New York and Pennsylvania have no more, though on a population basis New York returns 43 members and Pennsylvania 36 members to the House of Representatives. This is not government on any system whatever, but is merely handing over control to the backblocks. So far the worst results of such a want of system have been avoided, for there was always fresh land to move on to. This has come to an end, though population and settlement are still very scanty, but unless the political constitution of the United Stales is fundamentally reformed, of which there is no indication, it is certain that there must fio trouble in the future. The trouble to-day is suffered by the world though ihe United States lias not escaped. What shape it will take in the future it is impossible to