[unclear: ek] is Economic Crisis Week.

[unclear: the] middle of 1974. the New [unclear: Zea- nony] has been firmJy ensconced in [unclear: he] features of this economic crisis [unclear: huge] balance of payments deficit, [unclear: in] the terms of trade, falling real [unclear: industry], rising inflation and high [unclear: yment]. The effects of this crisis [unclear: n] severe; they include wage res-[unclear: igher] prices for Government [unclear: server] Government spending, a hig-[unclear: ake], heavy overseas borrowing and [unclear: queeze] (which has the effect of [unclear: interest] rates high, restricting bo[unclear: and] limiting consumer credit), [unclear: overnment] imposed measures [unclear: ary] in intensity - usually in [unclear: di-tion] to the closeness of a [unclear: gene- on.]

[unclear: ell] as these economic measures, the [unclear: also] precipitated a whole set of Go-[unclear: t] action and legislation that can be [unclear: ly] described as anti-democratic. For [unclear: a] economic crisis, it is the working [unclear: hat] suffer most. And to stifle any [unclear: k] by workers, we have seen a La-[unclear: vernment] setting up the Wanganui [unclear: er] Centre, making dawn raids on Po-[unclear: 'overstayers'] in Auckland and seen [unclear: MP's] - attempting to reduce the sig-[unclear: e] of workers taking action in pro-[unclear: aking] rabidly anti-Communist speec-[unclear: arliament] and alleging Communist [unclear: on] of this industrial conflict. The [unclear: l] Government has continued [unclear: d] instituted by Labour. It has pas-[unclear: lation] which infringes on the right [unclear: and] prevents political strikes. Na-[unclear: as] introduced the SIS Amendment [unclear: lloow] wider spying by the secret po-[unclear: has] even attacked the right of the [unclear: al] to free speech (remember Mul-[unclear: attack] on the chairperson of Hart?).

[unclear: se] measures are not the result of the [unclear: l] personalities involved. They are, in [unclear: icies] which the present cri-[unclear: ands]. They are designed to suppress [unclear: testing] indignation of the New Zea-[unclear: ople] over the effects of the economic crisis.

Trimming Expenditure

And where does the Education Cuts Campaign come into all of this? The campaign is very much a part of the whole fight-back against the effects of the economic crisis. This is because the Government has cut it's spending on education precisely because there is an economic crisis. Their motive is not that there is "fat in the system", but that the Government's desire is to trim expenditure, in real terms, in non-exporting areas. The fact that this move is so damaging, in the long-term, to the people of New Zealand, does not impress the Government as much as ensuring that the interests of Big Business are protected. A touch of irony is introduced when we consider that it is the economic system that we exist under (that is, the representation of the interests of Business) that is the cause of the economic crisis.

Our National Affairs Officer has organised the "Economic Crisis Week" in order that we do not lose sight of the fact that the Education Fightback Campaign is irrevocably tied to the economic crisis, and by implication, to the fightback against falling standards of living by working people.

Economic Crisis Week

The highlight of the week will be the Progressive Student Alliance's forum this Thursday. Hopefully, there will be representatives from the National Union of Rail-way men, the Public Service Association and the Wellington Coachworkers Union. At this forum, many questions that have not been answered or raised here will be dealt with by these speakers. Why, exactly, do we have an ecomonic crisis? Is there a solution to the economic crisis? What does the Government's "reconstruction" really mean?

Come along to the forum (it starts 12 noon in the lounge and Smoking Room); listen to the arguments presented and put your own views to the meeting. You never know, you might enjoy yourself.