CRISIS LOOMING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 134, 18 March 1948, Page 6

CRISIS LOOMING

DISLOYAL ELEMENTS ACTIVE Stand Taken by R.S.A. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “The Association feels that unless ways and means can be found to curb the activities of disloyal elements the country is heading for a serious national crisis,” says an official press statement issued by the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association.

Tkis was part.' of a statement announciiig the adoption hv the Dominion Executive of a resolution “That the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association, the New Zealand Air Force Association and the New Zealand Homeservicemen’s Association wholeheartedly support any move within the Dominion to preserve the democratic way of life, for the maintenance of which our members served, but which is threatened by the trend of event® in Europe and the activities of Communists in our own country.” The statement continues: “The activities of subversive elements in recent months have done nothing to allay fears to which the association’s newspaper ‘Review’ gave voice a year ago, when it editorially stated in January, 1947, and repeated in December, 1947: ‘The freedom we fought for, as well a® peace and prosperity we hope for, can be irretrievably lost by the machinations of men who have sacrificed nothing for their country, and who owe their allegiance not to New Zealand and the British Commonwealth, but to an alien organisation which is pushing its drive for political power over vast and widely separated portions of the globe’.” The statement points out that the first objective of the association as set out in it© constitution is that it is an organisation loyally to uphold and defend the constitution of New Zealand as a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Consequently anything that threatens the security of the Dominion will be strenuously resisted by ex-servicemen. Support for the resolution by the New Zealand Air Force Association and the New Zealand Homeservicemen’s Association was announced to the Dominion executive’s meeting by Mr C. O. Bell, Dominion president, who stated that the three associations would stand resolutely behind the Government in any action deemed neces? sary to maintain the accepted democratic form of law and order in. the community.

Communism Condemned

ADDRESS BY BISHOP LYONS (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Speaking at St. Patrick’s c6ncert last night, Bishop Lyons referred to the menace of Communism. “We would be the most unobservant and disinterested people if we were not horrified these days at the sad state of many nations in Europe,” he said. “Stricken to the ground by war, they are now being crushed to death in an era of peace by a new and even more terrible evil—the plunder and destruction of their most fundamental rights.

"The invasion of these wretched lands by ruthless hordes has swept away their last vestige of freedom and human dignity for some years,” added the Bishop, “We have seen the strange spectacle of people, some of them in strategic places in New Zealand, toying with Communism and making advances to its policy of destruction and disruption. However, even though it be at the eleventh hour, the terrible happenings in Europe, together with unrest and disorder caused by the Communists in Australia, and to a less degree in our country, have made their mark, and we have all felt relieved that in the last few days our Parliamentary representatives, whether of the Government or of the Opposition, have pledged to us their determination to stay the hand of the wreckers who would abuse the freedom of this Dominion to destroy -the liberty of its people, and who have infiltrated far into trade unions and other institutions of our democracy to propagate a policy of paganism and slavery on a free Christian countiy. Communism Not Political “For many years,” continued Bishop Lyons, the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church of New Zealand, as m other countries, have followed the noble leadership of the Supreme Pontiffs in issuing a constant warning about the danger to human rights and liberty from Communism. In so doing the Church has not been condemning a political party for Communism is no more a political system than was Hitler a democrat. It is clear, whether examined in theory or in the light of practical examples, it has given in countries brought behind its iron curtain and crushed under its iron heel, that Communism means the end of all politics and all freedom. Under Communistic rule, where do we find any real parlia-, ment or free elections, political parties or even politicians? Where do we see a free judiciary or the 1 ight of an accused to be defended? Where is there freedom of speech or of press or the elementary right of religious worship? The Church denounces Comrt'unism not only because it is openly anti-Christian, but also because it is clearly the enemy of peisonal liberty and of the rights given to man by his Creator. “I am confident,” ended Bishop Lyons, “that our leaders can rely upon the fullest support of the Now Zealand people in measures they propose, to use to protect our country from its greatest, danger.”