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Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 7. April 9 1979

Levett on the Economy

[unclear: Levett] on the Economy

While Mr Levett did not really talk about bursaries, he was responsible for most of debate. Levett proposed that bursaries replaced by a system of loans and that [unclear: h] a loan system would be an improve-[unclear: t] of the current Bursary system. Levett [unclear: f] course entitled to his own opinion but [unclear: won] few converts amongst those at the [unclear: am] and roused the animosity of of majority. [unclear: h] of what he said sounded reasonable his conclusions regarding a loan system [unclear: r] Bursaries just didn't follow.

Before we get onto bursaries, Levett said must look at the NZ economy; and the Government spending, look at it not just as sent students but as future policy [unclear: ma-s]. Does it work? Is it fair? Look at the pose of Government spending. What [unclear: uld] happen says Levett is that the [unclear: Go-ment] should "not only spend where it [unclear: ks] and is fair but to promote initiative." [unclear: ording] to Levett money spent on Bur[unclear: es] does not promote initiative but encou-[unclear: d] dependency. This was not in any way [unclear: stantiated], Levett just stated it as a fact.

Using the argument that any economist asked about New Zealand would say we are not enterprising enough and what we do with our money must be [unclear: ncourage] initiative and discourage [unclear: de-jdency], Levett proceeded to attack [unclear: stu-ts], health services and farmers. Now [unclear: ne] of what he said did make sense [unclear: parti-irly] in the area of big business and ex— [unclear: t] incentives, he quoted a case of a New [unclear: Zealand] company that imports steel from [unclear: traiia] and resells it in the Pacific for a [unclear: er] price and is dependent upon [unclear: Govern-it] subsidies to realize profit. Now thats [unclear: al] ripoff, to propose that money spent Student Bursaries is anywhere near either [unclear: t] scale or even type of misuse of money [unclear: diculous].

Some of Levett's claims about over [unclear: sub-es] to farmers also seemed to have some foundation, but his attack on health spending on the grounds that there has been no drastic improvement in lifespan or societal health do not appear to be justified.