THE NEW ZEALAND LEGION.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20898, 4 July 1933, Page 13

THE NEW ZEALAND LEGION.

TO THE BDIToa Or THE i'BKSS Sir, —In "The Press" of Saturday, Mr T. E. Williamson endeavours to convey to your readers some of the amusement he has derived from his distorted conception of what the New Zealand Legion stands for. The endeavour is not very successful and the critic's eulogistic reference to the Douglas credit phantasy will explain the failure. For Douglas credit, if it can be catalogued at all, has some kind of relation to the dismal science—we give an awful reverence to the dismal scientists, but they must not expect us to take them as humorists. Let me hasten to add that I have no doubt when the legion undertakes a comprehensive and dispassionate survey of currency and finance, the Douglas credit formula will get due attention along with all other schemes. Certainly the legion aims at purging Parliament. Is Mr Williamson so satisfied with it that he thinks it i 3 perfect now? If indeed he is satisfied with a Parliament, where personal ambitions and party jealousies take J> r ecedence over the national interests day, he occupies an unique position. Of the thousands I kncnv I do not know a single one who is satisfied. with the Government, with Parliament, or with his sarty. They have all failed completely to rise to their responsibilities. The country needs a Parliament to run the national business on business lines and not on the lines of traditional party antagonisms and utterly unworthy personal ambitions to secure the glory and profits of office. The legion will help to secure that better parliament. Here let me express a personal opinion, committing no one but myself, if Douglas credit be the only hope on the horizon for New Zealand, may heaven help us! It has been chattering in the world for many years now. We shall all be well and truly dead—and I hope happy—before it comes jjnthin the range of practical politics. The legion offers a hope which can be Realised at next election. If Mr Williamson cannot understand ' Very plain English such as that the Region seeks to educate young people to an intelligent understanding of politics, the task of enlightening him U too great for me. The young will, I "hould think, be taught to look upon Politics not from one of the present angles, but from all angles, and Will gee for themselves the ruinous c o*»sequences of the party system yhich makes politics a mere game like r fugby. Mr Williamson again appears *o be a debater who calls his opponent's arguments "all words" and ms

own words all arguments. Sensible debate is impossible on those lines. The legion will do away with the party system, abolish party whips, and give every member freedom of conscience and vote. And it will not depend for the financial support necesCal T£ on *ke work on subsidies irom wealthy interests. It is a people s movement. If the people fail to support it, it must fail. But the peoples support, moral and financial, Dav o fhp e s' They T ll not Srudge to Stwi P PsT s °/ their own movethP m J 1 a douDt th e legion is k mocratlc mov ement New ni™ ♦ ever kn °wn, giving a est anri ' Ol 7 class and every ir>terfairlv inrt ° n , servin S the whole classed a f- a P rese "t. particular classes and sections.—Yours, etc., July 3, 1933. LEGIONARY.