CAN THE AUSTRALIAN WOOL INDUSTRY BE PRESERVED?

"Direct subsidy of the Australian wool industry would cost the Federal Government $122 million this financial year. The Acting Minister for Primary Industry. Mr. Nixon announced yesterday that more than $20 million would be paid as a subsidy to woolgrowers as a result of sales in the first 10 weeks of the wool-selling season. These payments will bring the average price paid for wool up to the guaranteed 36 cents a pound. If wool prices do not improve, the bill for the full financial year will be $122 million" - The Australian, Nov.14

When the Federal Government introduced the deficiency payment scheme for the wool industry for one year, it was claimed that this was to cushion the effects of the price decline so that "reconstruction" could take place. "Reconstruction" means that a large number of smaller, family farms are discriminated against. The crisis in the wool industry is part of the general finance-economic crisis. While it is natural for woolgrowers like all other producers, to direct most of their concern towards prices, the truth is that, taking 1939 as the base year, when wool prices averaged 11 cents per pound, wool prices have increased by approximately 270 per cent. But the minimum wage, an indication of the rate of inflation, has increased by 590 per cent, over the same period!
Inflation, not price, has been the major cause of the wool crisis.

At present lecturing in Central Western Queensland, Mr. Eric Butler has outlined a broad programme for halting the disaster now destroying the wool industry and making a mockery of all talk about decentralisation. The essence of what Mr. Butler is putting forward, is as follows:

That the preservation of the Australian wool industry should be regarded as a major national policy, essential to protect the enormous national investment in the industry, including the development of parts of Australia which otherwise would not have taken place. Wool should be regarded as a major means of obtaining necessary foreign credits to pay for necessary imports. The present concentration upon mineral development meant the exporting of vast quantities of mineral wealth, which could not be replaced. Much of this development was being financed by foreign capital. That up to $400 million of national credit, created by any Commonwealth financial institution, is allocated to a cost compensation scheme for the wool industry at present carrying a total debt of $2,600 million with an interest burden of $100 million. Wool should be permitted to flow on to the world's markets at whatever price is paid by buyers, and that up to $300 million dollars be used to finance the deficiency between the price obtained and an established profitable price. Another $100 million should be used to finance an internal consumer subsidy scheme, which would lower the price of woollen articles to the Australian consumer.

Mr. Butler points out that the proposals suggested would stimulate wool consumption inside Australia, ensure that wool is sold freely abroad, and progressively enable the wool industry to reduce its vast debt structure, this in turn reducing costs by a lowering of interest charges. Mr. Butler charges that it is blatant hypocrisy to claim that the use of up to $400 million would be inflationary when the Government fosters an increasing flow of foreign capital, which in reality is a transfer of credits from abroad into Australia. These credits could easily be made available locally and used to finance an industry which keeps Australian assets in Australian hands. Mr. Butler observes that unless the whole Australian community unites to support a realistic financial policy to halt the decline in the rural communities, the investment required to try to make the swollen big cities work will be astronomical.

MOVING THE FUND ALONG - INVEST IN A DOG!

THE STATE AND SEX EDUCATION

What is the Australian Science Education Project, and what is its interest in "sex education"? These questions have been raised by recent press and television publicity to the plans of A.S.E.P. to promote a sex education course of instruction as normal curriculum in schools. Revelations in the Melbourne press last week followed by a T.V. programme on 'This Day Tonight' featuring members of the Bible Union and a spokesman for A.S.E.P..

A.S.E.P. was financed from a grant from the Commonwealth Government to prepare a total of 40 new science courses over a period of four years. So once again the Commonwealth Government is using its monopoly of taxpayers' funds to intrude into fields it has no right to. The destruction of individual sovereignty is obvious.

While it would be almost impossible to expose the particular termites burrowing away at the foundations of individual responsibility on matters which are peculiar to the individual responsibility of parents - both sex education, and any other form of education - it would be interesting to have exposed to the light of day those individuals within the particular Commonwealth Department responsible for the setting up of A.S.E.P. According to a report in New Life, November 11th, the "scientific" treatment of sex education given by A.S.E.P. would depict the sex act for the edification of 12 year olds! Those who object to such "scientific" teaching will no doubt be accused of being prudes, but the real issue is whether such teaching is an intrusion into the field of personal responsibility exercised by parents.

There is a great deal of scientific claptrap written about the lack of responsibility of parents in such matters, and individual cases of ignorance can always be cited. The facts are, however, that the subject is dealt with at its healthiest level in the home, and every encouragement should be made to keep it there. There are more than adequate facilities open to parents which can be publicised through the schools, as is done at the moment through the Family Life Movement. These movements encourage participation with children by the parents and are very well supported. It maintains the parent-child relationship, which has to be discussed and pre-determined in the home.

The decline of religious influences by Christian churches paralleled by the growth of State secularism results in the growth of forces destructive to individual integrity. Promotion of sex teaching by the State is just another aberration of a basic disease. To the Christian, sex education has definite spiritual connotations. To the scientific materialist it is just a function. Basic to his function is the irresponsible use of other people's money and power as is exercised by the A.S.E.P. We trust there will be increasing protest.

B.H.P. CUTS STEEL PRODUCTION

"The Amalgamated Engineering Union had opened a register for members looking for work, the union's secretary, Mr. J.F. Halfpenny said today". - The Herald, Melbourne, November 23rd.

Newspapers are headlining the BHP steel cuts. The inference is that falling production and unemployment are disastrous to the Australian economy. Under present unrealistic policies such is the case, just as in other areas rising costs and low prices are disastrous to woolgrowers. BHP spokesman attribute the closure of a blast furnace at Whyalla and the consequent reduction of steel output by 9 per cent, to the drop in orders from key customers, Vickers Ruwolt, Stewarts and Lloyds, and Johns and Waygood, all of whom are suppliers to heavy industry. It would appear that the problems evident in rural industry are now asserting themselves in secondary industry.

It is interesting that Mr. Don Dunstan, Premier of South Australia, with a vested political interest in Whyalla, has announced a 12-point plan to "stimulate the economy". Mr. Dunstan wants taxation reductions in income, excise, and sales taxes. He wants the interest on building loans reduced, and restoration of the 20 per cent taxation concession for investment in new plant and equipment.

However, the fundamental question which should be asked in secondary industry, as in rural industry, is, do we want more production or more purchasing power? Is industry unable to meet demand, and is there a genuine shortage of steel products to satisfy consumers? We doubt it. The paper from which we took the quote above devotes more than half of its space to advertising end products of both primary and secondary industry. Under the circumstances, reduced working of men and plant is sound economic policy if accompanied by distribution of sufficient purchasing power to buy goods produced.

MINING MAGNATE AND CAPITAL INFLOW

"Government had an important but strictly defined role in the development of the Australian mining industry, Sir Maurice Mawby said last night". - The Sun, Melbourne, November 23rd.
Sir Maurice Mawby indicated that role when he spoke of the Commonwealth Government's policy "which is not to interfere with the flow of overseas capital and the repatriation of profits".

We have many times pointed to the incongruity of the philosophy that imported money is not only superior to the production of the local variety, but the mesmerisation of otherwise intelligent and competent men with the belief that we would be incapable of exploiting our natural resources without that peculiarly different money, which is really no different.

Sir Maurice referred to the policy of the Commonwealth Government taking 47.5 cents in tax on profits. Surely this action demonstrates among other things that figures, which go to make up volumes of money in ledgers, result purely and simply from man made arbitrary decisions, which can increase or decrease the volume at will. Applying the same thinking to the exploitation of our natural resources, the only "inflow" necessary would be for equipment or personnel we could not supply ourselves. The reason why this is not done would probably be found in the recent conference of the International Monetary Fund attended by Mr. Snedden and the "international freemasonry of central bankers" referred to by Dr. H.C. Coombs in his recent book, "Other People's Money". Unfortunately so many of our industrial leaders appear to be blind to the falsity of such policies.

FURTHER DOUBTS EXPRESSED ON WESTERN ECONOMY

"The West's economic system has reached such a disarray that no long-range outlook of where it is heading can be made". - The Australian, November 20th.

Following our report last week of the comments of Professor Ian Bowen in a similar context preceded by the criticism of Professor A. A. Walters, it is apparent that the soul-searching is reaching a feverish pitch. However, it will only be a mild reaction to what must come. The machinery in motion will not be reversed without considerable repercussions - if it is reversed. The above report is part of an official report of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, an organisation recently joined by Australia. No doubt it sees the solution to the "disarray" in greater international control as it points to the battle by leading industrial nations to maintain industrial growth and acquire the best figures in Gross National Product percentage increases. International organisations concerned with economic development will naturally seek greater power to deal with "problems".

In this context the report of the O.E.C.D. has a different basis to our own analysis, as there is no doubt the present policies are meant to produce the necessary "disarray" to furnish the excuse to step in and take control.

ON TARGET BULLETIN

The Philosophy of Totalitarianism