"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"
Edmund Burke
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28 June 1985. Thought for the Week: "Supposing
there is a total loss of confidence leading to a universal
economic crisis? Supposing the United States, the headquarters
of International Finance; and Russia logistically and strategically
placed by its Middle East and North African dispositions to
take over Europe in the event of an economic crisis, agreed
to set up a World Government of the United Nations to avert
nuclear war? Control of the whole of Africa is essential to
effective World Government; and, in the face of the population
explosion, so is de-population. The Republic of South Africa
stands in the way."
B.W.Monahan, in The Moving Storm. (1969) |
WE ARE VICTORIA'S FARMERS"Through the 1970s and 80s wage and salary earners have been able to increase their earnings from $3,920 to $17,670. This increase was achieved through militant action and Government pay setting arrangements. Over the same time farmers have slogged through droughts and seen their incomes move from $5,570 in 1970 to $9,630 in 1985. Average weekly earnings have increased by 350% since 1970, whereas farm incomes have increased by 73%. Many factors prevent farmers from having any control over their income levels but why should they be burdened with excessive costs?….." - from the Victorian Farmers' hand-out brochure (Melbourne march) Why indeed? The rural industries are virtually at the end of the cost-price line: they are unable to recover, anywhere near fully, their basic costs by way of price increases, as do other industries. This has been called "the cost-price squeeze". This brochure draws attention to Fuel Prices, Red Meat Trading Hours, Grain Freight, and other cost disadvantages. Looming over the depressing rural scene in Australia like a black cloud is the "spectre" of gigantic farm surpluses now being held by the E.E.C. and the United States. Already there have been the rumblings of a threatened "dumping war" between the U.S.A. and the E.E.C. (Common Market). Where would that leave nations like Australia? No doubt Victoria's farmers intend to draw public, and particularly, Government attention to their increasing plight - by means of their Melbourne march. But nothing will happen unless the basic causes are removed; and the basic causes are financial. Unless and until the rural industries gain financial relief, such as, for example, taxation relief and low interest loans, there can be no alleviation of their plight: rather will that plight deepen. So, these fine farmers can march up and down the cities until they are exhausted - nothing, nothing will happen to their advantage until financial policy is shifted to one in their favour. What of the National Party (the old Country Party)? What is it doing for its rural base? Trying to shift its rural base into the cities that's what it's doing; by attempting to offer a "more conservative" image than the Liberal Party, and so pick up the support of those Liberal voters who, by nature, dislike the soft "trendiness" of so many of the "modern" Liberals. However, the Nationals still won't go anywhere near those forces bringing the Western World to its destruction, viz, the finance-economic system, itself: the United Nations "Conventions" and "Declarations" which, when enacted into national laws of the various nations, will wreak social havoc, as intended. These are "no-nos", not to be touched by politicians under any circumstances - if they wish to remain politicians. Firmly controlled' mass media see to that. We urge all readers to purchase a copy
of Jeremy Lee's new work "Australia's Looming Farm Disaster"
(Price; $5.00 posted from all League Bookshops). This excellent
work is in three sections. AND, for the best excellent review fully documented of those forces now rapidly bringing Western Civilisation to it knees, we urge and urge again all readers to have several copies (some for campaigning purposes) of "How to Avoid the Looming Catastrophe" from the Survival Association (Price: $5.00 posted from G.P.O. Box 1052J, Melbourne, Vic., 3001. Six copies for $20.00 posted). |
DOLLARS DILEMMAby Neil G. McDonald"Choosing between two unfavourable alternatives is a dilemma. A choice between hanging and the electric chair leaves no chance of survival. "C.H.Douglas likened this technique to jugglers who emphasise the unimportant and slip in the inessential. In his 'Programme for the Third World War', C.H.Douglas wrote - 'If you can get up a furious debate as to whether income tax shall be ten or fifteen shillings, you stand a fair chance of drowning the small, but rapidly increasing number of people who say that taxation is robbery.' "Prime Minister Hawke juggles the clubs of taxation and hides the yellow ball, marked 'Reduce'. "Confusion obscures the act as proposed increases are sliced into sections....fringe benefits, capital gains, sales tax, consumer tax, indirect tax, increased wage tax, value added tax, petrol tax, land tax, wealth tax, and death duties. "Further discord arises when proposed tax increases vary from nearly 20% to a modest 7½%. "The surgeon's knife is plunged ever slowly and the patient's protests are lost in a conflict of rival rises. "While Australia is hooked on to a billion dollar deficit unpayable under present financial rules - and unrealistic when physical assets are not counted, taxation concessions are impossible. "The deficit is a set of phantom zeros, owed to everyone in general and Australia will be no poorer, physically. "Already many employees have nearly half their wages taken. Increased direct taxation will heavily reduce the value of the remainder. The task of tackling taxation appears beyond the capacity of another dilemma...Labor and Liberal." |
FROM 'ON TARGET' (New Zealand) - June 17thC.H.Douglas correctly predicted the Great Depression, which started in 1929, as it was clear that the controllers of financial policy had no other method - under orthodox financial policies - of curbing the 'boom' of the twenties, except by credit contraction. The Depression provided the conditions in which the Marxist virus spread like a plague through the whole world. It set the stage for the Second World War, and international tragedy, which made it possible to intensify the drive for world power. "Every new crisis results in yet another manifestation of an ongoing power programme.Our regular readers will not be surprised by the growing number of pessimistic economic reports appearing. We are now told that the tyre industry, which was 'restructured' only a few years ago under the Muldoon Government, is again in trouble and must be further 'restructured', this to make it wore 'efficient'. Under the Muldoon Government, New Zealand's own tyre manufacturer, Reidrubber, was forced out in favour of the multi-nationals. The Auckland Star of May 5th, under the heading - 'Mass Farm Sellout Forecast' - states that, 'Up to 4,000 sheep farmers will have to leave farming in the next two years, says a report in the latest issue of the Journal of Agriculture! The Star report 'goes on to predict that this could result in a collapse from real estate prices with many farmers facing forced sales. In Australia the sugar and dairy industries are in dire straits, with the sugar industry on the verge of total collapse, while desperate Victorian dairy farmers are pouring their milk down the drains and attempting to set up milk blockades...." |
BRIEF COMMENTSWe could not avoid hearing the message, loud
and clear, which was contained in the words of the Victorian
Chief Commissioner of Police (Mr. Miller) on the occasion
of the opening of a new police station in a northern Melbourne
suburb. This particular suburb, Broadmeadows, has given the
police and concerned citizens a great deal of trouble in recent
times. Remarking on the particular problems in Broadmeadows,
the Chief Commissioner stated (and he may not have been aware
of the full implications of his remarks!) that -"It (crime)
goes far beyond the immediate system of vandalism, and is
really a problem of population mix". Big Brother is at it again. Federal police (the embryonic "national" police force for intended explosive expansion if and when the States have been abolished) have raided the chambers of a Melbourne Barrister, and seized many documents on taxation matters, which had been prepared for the barrister's clients. Civil liberties groups have protested, and also the Victorian Bar Association. The barrister successfully launched a Federal Court action, which removed the documents from the police to the custody of the Court. The "raid" was either legal or illegal. If legal, then it shouldn't be; and the relevant laws should be amended. If illegal (which we suspect strongly, it is) then the matter should be made an issue; the abusers of power and law punished. No less than 69% approve of the so-called Australian "rebel" cricketers who are to tour South Africa. Nevertheless, these 69% of Australians are officially wrong, and the 31% or less (there would be many -"don't knows") officially right. Many of the politicians of all parties would, personally, be in support of Kim Hughes and his colleagues but would not put their heads up, or else! This is "social democracy" in the 1980s. |
NATIONAL PARTY M.P. ATTACKS CONSUMPTION TAXA Media Release from Mr. Peter Fisher, Federal Member for Mallee"LABOR MUST BE JOKING ON OIL PRICE PROPOSALS" "The National Party Member for Mallee said in Bendigo last night it was difficult to believe that the Labor Government could be serious in its tax white paper proposal to apply a 12.5% Consumption Tax to the price of fuel without any offsetting arrangements. "He said that this is the Government which came to office promising to cut petrol prices by 3 cents a litre, yet in just 26 months, we have seen prices rise by over 10 cents a litre. "Now we see the Government proposing a 12.5% Consumption Tax on all retail sales of fuel. "There is no plan for reduction in Government fuel tax or excise to compensate for the increase and there is no plan for any rebate scheme such as that which previously applied to the excise on diesel used for off-road. "In other words, petrol and diesel prices will rise between 6 cents and 10 cents a litre if this proposal is ever implemented. "Mr. Fisher said that this huge increase in fuel prices would put many farmers and small business people under tremendous pressure. "He said that because of this large increase following devaluation and the virtual abolition of the fuel freight subsidy scheme, the National Party will be pushing the Government for a reduction in Federal excise on petrol and diesel. "Mr. Fisher said that the Parliamentary National Party has totally reviewed its oil pricing policies and has agreed that it will support the freeing of the market for crude oil and a move away from import parity pricing arrangements. "Mr. Fisher said that the National Party is also reviewing *the existing well head tax arrangements *State Government taxes on fuel *abolishing indexation of taxes, especially fuel excise, to the C.P.I. *making the excise rebate for diesel used off-road totally exempt *and developing a new fuel freight equalisation scheme |
ALICE IN WONDERLANDFrom (New Zealand) On Target Bulletin (June 17th) we take this letter, which was published in the Auckland Star (May 11th) above the name of a "W.M.Smith":"Curiouser and curiouser", said Alice, after I had explained to her that if I withdrew, say $10,000, which is just peanuts these days, from a 3% savings account and invested it at 18%, I would be losing money because the increased return would be eaten up by tax and inflation, while my income would be reckoned to have increased so that the now meager amount of my National superannuation would be still further reduced. "Alice appeared flummoxed, but declared that our Mr. Douglas (N.Z. Minister for Finance) must have read Economics at the University of Wonderland, and graduated with honours". |