ECONOMY RESPONDS TO STIMULUS: UNWELCOME SHADOW APPROACHING

"The September fall in unemployment, and information on retail sales, home-building approvals, and bank lending all point to the gathering pace of the Australian economy, the Minister for Labor, Mr. P. Lynch, said last night." - The Australian, October 17th.

All who understand the finance economic mechanisms that operate in modern Western societies know that if purchasing power is increased, then the economy moves forward. This was set in motion when the Treasurer, Mr. Snedden, brought down his expansionary Budget. Some observers, who have the penchant for calling a spade a spade, have referred to the 1972 Budget as the "election year bribery Budget", and there must be more than a grain of truth in this.

Under the financial rules which govern the modern Western economy, a policy of reduced taxation, increased credit facilities by banks, increased Government spending in such avenues as housing, pensions, defence, etc., does put purchasing power into the hands of the individual, which he is only too eager to spend on utter necessities; never mind about luxuries; repayment of outstanding debts being first and foremost amongst his priorities.

It is rather pathetic, really, to witness the party politicians as they argue and debate heatedly with each other over unemployment figures; figures which we warned well over twelve months ago would be certain to show up when Mr. Snedden announced that his 1971 Budget would be "tough". For mere party political purposes the Government is putting the best front on the employment figures that is possible; and the Opposition is putting the worst. Neither Government nor Opposition deal with the underlying causes of the jerky economic fluctuations which have taken place over the past quarter century.

We forecast that so far from the problem of inflation being kept under control, it will be surging ahead by this time next year. This is inherent under the rules of the modern finance economic system; a deficit Budget will generate a rising rate of inflation; especially as the bank (interest) rate has not been reduced. Generally, the greater the deficit budgeted for, the greater will be the increase in the rate of inflation. We further forecast that the time will not be long coming before the Treasurer (whether A.L.P. or L.C.P.) will impose taxation increases, and other measures, even a further rise in the bank rate, to curb a "dangerous inflationary spiral". The current inflation rate in Australia is 6 percent. What an achievement after two years of "controlling" inflation.

MORE EVIDENCE AGAINST "PROGRESSIVE" EDUCATION

"Progressive methods of teaching children in British schools are a direct cause of the growing violence and vandalism in schools and society." - The Australian, October 12th.

This was a finding of the British National Association of Schoolmasters, and it put much of the blame on the frustrations, which are developed in children because of lack of competitiveness in the classroom. It is interesting to note that the abolition of external examinations came under fire; this removed a goal; a challenge from the pupil, towards which he could aim his efforts throughout the school year. Also condemned was the practice of "unstreamed" classes; this refers to the grouping of children of very limited ability together - again no challenge or competitiveness.

This report does not surprise us at all. It is natural surely, for youth to need constant challenge, and to be confronted with competitiveness in order for young minds and bodies to develop in a healthy manner. We can recall our grandparents telling us that "a bored child is a naughty child" - if the young do not have this constant challenge then they will, and do become rebellious and destructive.

We know that employers in general are all too enthusiastic to have the external examination system retained; at least under these conditions there is some guarantee that a young person has attained a certain degree of proficiency in required directions. The cry of anguish from the progressives in the educational field here is that children are merely being "educated" to feed into the giant economic machine, that this is not education at all, and that most accepted and traditional standards and practices in education must be jettisoned. This is like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

The point which the progressives make concerning the misdirection of education does have some validity, but unfortunately this misdirection has been seized on by the subversives and their dupes to throw the whole system of education into chaos. The position will not become fully rectified until Western society is able to correct the destructive course along which it is proceeding; or rather being driven, by the financial policies, which we are ever highlighting in these pages.

THE HON. R. HUNT ON HIS DEPUTY LEADER

On Monday, October 2nd, the Hon. Ralph Hunt, Country Party Minister for the Interior, addressed a meeting in Perenjori, Western Australia. In discussion after the meeting Mr. Hunt told League of Rights supporters that Mr. Eric Butler and The League of Rights were doing a good job and that he had at one time subscribed to The New Times for three years. Mr. Hunt expressed the view that the Communists were behind the Ustasha business and the agitation for aboriginal land rights. When asked why had his deputy leader, the Hon. Ian Sinclair, Minister for Primary Industries, attacked the League of Rights, which was doing so much against Communism, Mr. Hunt replied that Mr. Sinclair had been "brainwashed."
It is a pity that Mr. Hunt was not asked who did the brainwashing.

Like many modern politicians, Mr. Hunt is a man for all seasons. His favourable words about the League of Rights at Perenjori, expressed when he knew he was in the middle of a group of League supporters, are rather different from his blatant misrepresentation of Mr. Eric Butler and Mr. Jeremy Lee, at a Wellington, N.S.W. meeting, when he attacked them for going around the country advocating "unlimited printing-press money". It should also be recorded that Mr. Hunt was quick to make it clear to The Sydney Morning Herald that he had not dissociated himself from the Sinclair attack on the League by writing to Mr. Lee following Mr. Lee's resignation from the Country Party. All that he had done was to express regret that Mr. Lee had felt it necessary to resign from the Country Party.

In a letter to one of his electors, dated September 6th, the Country Party Member for Moore, Mr. Don Maisey, commented on the Sinclair charge of an association between the League of Rights and the Nazi Party: "As you rightly assume I regret this indiscretion on the part of Mr. Sinclair as much as anybody, and I will most certainly take your letter to Canberra." Not one Country Party Member can be found prepared to associate himself with the Sinclair smear. Contrary to Mr. Hunt's explanation that Mr. Sinclair has been "brainwashed", we are satisfied that this is far from being the real explanation of his anti-League smear. Mr. Sinclair knows what we mean.

In reply to one correspondent, Mr. Sinclair claimed that the source of the material for his Melbourne Wesley Church smear of the League "comes from extensive reading of statements and pamphlets issued over the years. Many of the statements reveal a close linkage between, in many cases, the leaders of the Australian Nazi Party and the League of Rights".
Mr. Sinclair has, of course, done no such extensive reading over the years. Like Mr. Anthony last year, he has been briefed by those responsible for the non-stop smear campaign against the Australian League of Rights.

JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES FINANCES RICHARDS ARTICLES

Following the Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald series of four articles on the League of Rights early this year, written by Melbourne University political science tutor, Mr. Mike Richards, these articles were then reprinted in brochure form by The Age and started to circulate in the mails throughout Australia. It is interesting that a number of Country Party members received them. So did the Christian clergy.

Those responsible have remained anonymous. According to Mr. Richards, one of the "crimes" of the supporters of the League of Rights is that they write letters without stating that they are League supporters. But unlike League supporters, who are encouraged to accept personal responsibility for their activities, those responsible for the use of the Richards articles have remained anonymous.

We feel that the time is most appropriate to reveal that The Victorian Jewish Board of Deputies, 289 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, were responsible for the re-publication of the Richards articles. Perhaps Mr. Isi Leibler, well-known Zionist spokesman, might now care to explain just what assistance he and his colleagues gave Mr. Richards to prepare his articles, and why they should use the writings of a man whose political views and associations they must know, in a nation-wide campaign to attempt to smear Christian patriots, many of them decorated during the World War against Nazism.

On Thursday, September 14th, Senator J.A. Little from Victoria placed the following question on the Senate notice paper:
"Has the Attorney General's Department any evidence to indicate whether there is any substance for an allegation made by the Hon. Ian Sinclair that the Australian League of Rights and the Nazi Party are closely linked?" The Attorney General has to date not answered this question, simply because he would have to say that there is no substance whatever in Mr. Sinclair's allegation. We predict that this question by Senator Little will remain unanswered on the Senate notice paper until the end of the present Parliament.

It is a most embarrassing one for the Government. It does not want to upset Mr. Leibler and his colleagues. Mr. Leibler was quoted in the Butler Bahnisch debate in 1970, as having said that Mr. B. Snedden, former Attorney General, would rather "cut his throat" than state that there was no evidence to suggest that the League was other than a reputable organisation. But the truth is that Attorney General Snedden did say this. Even Senator Greenwood has, after over three months, had to write in a letter to the National Director of The League. Mr. Eric Butler, on October 5th, that "So far as I am aware the Australian League of Rights is not engaged in activities that are proscribed by law and in that context it is capable of being described as a "reputable organisation."

THE MYSTERY OF "EVERYONE WANTS TO BE FUEHRER"

In our issue of October 6th we referred to the book, Everyone Wants To Be Fuehrer, in which Mr. David Harcourt attempts to link The Australian League of Rights with the Nazi Party. But this smearing project has badly misfired. Just as the publicity was starting, the publishers, Angus and Robertson, learned that Mr. D. J. Killen, MP, did not take kindly to the suggestion that he was a supporter of the Ustasha. The threat of legal action resulted in some desperate back stepping as Angus and Robertson collected from retailers every copy they could lay their hands upon. Those who had received review copies were informed that the statement about Mr.KiIIen was "incorrect and we deeply regret any embarrassment caused to Mr. Killen by its inclusion We have suspended distribution of the book pending correction of this error."

We predict that it is now extremely unlikely that Everyone Wants To Be Fuehrer will ever be published. Angus and Robertson has been under heavy pressure from one group who feel that the book would do more harm than good to the anti-League of Rights campaign. But Mr. Mike Richards' up-dated edition of Voices of Hate is, in spite of delays, still promised. The original edition has been unavailable for some time, although we did manage recently to obtain two copies. They were supplied by Mr. Glezer of the Victorian Jewish Board of Deputies when our representative called to confirm that The Age had in fact reprinted the Richards articles for the Board!

THE LEAGUE'S 1972-73 FUND IS ROLLING