THE ELECTIONS

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21646, 3 December 1935, Page 17

THE ELECTIONS

I TO TH» IDITOB Of Tf£B I Sir—With reference to the sermon of the vicar of St. Matthew's last evening, in which he said that no legislation can rise above the character of the people," I could wish that he had supplemented that statement by saying that never before had the development of the character and heart of the people of New Zealand been shown to such advantage and so clearly as in. the events of last week. I, for one, am stirred at heart to think that the people of New Zealand with those of Tasmania and Canada, are showing their developing minds by making their voices heard in the cause of truth by means of the only way of collectively and consti-tutionally-doing so. To me the «vent may be considered as the victory of a principle more than of a party; a principle founded on truth which is leading us to better things. To quote further, "We are looking for systems to cure our maladies, sometimes forgetting that the main cure is at our very Feet." To my mind we people of New Zealand have known for some time that the main cure was at our very feet, and that a new and glorious life for us all (such a life as the Church exhorts us to realise) would begin when we had the courage to affirm that dire poverty and mental anxiety for the future were false things and that no man need live on the material "charity" of hia fellowman. but on God's bounty, and in his own right. The events of last week prove that we are no longer children groping in the dark. As to the "selfishness and yellow streaks in human nature," I think that there is no longer need to dwell on that side of things too much. Wfi are beginning to realise that a people in bondage have many unpleasant characteristics forced upon them. Let i»« believe that young countries such as ours are mearft in The scheme of things to affirm goodness and truth without hypocrisy, and in what other way can we collectively and constitutionally do this for the good of all than through legislation. We must see to it that our Government is the voice of an enlightened people.—Yours, etc., MILLICENT JENNINGS. December 2, 1935.

TO TIIK SUITOR OV THE I'KBBS. Sir—Summarising the elections there are many important points to be learnt. The first is that a government, which was reputed or reported to be beneficent, has fallen. The Government is not to be blamed as much for this defeat as might, at first glance, be supposed. It accepted and acted upon the advice of "experts." It wished to keep the country on the rails—even though it put the people of the country on the rocks. It accepted and acted on the advice of the eo-economists, those people who believed that the people could starve themselves back to prosperity. The Government is to be pitied for accepting the advice of archaic academists. The people would not assent to this advice being acted upon. In parenthesis, might I say that your leading article in this morning's paper, recommending Mr Savage to consult the same founts of wisdom reveals lack of understanding. Mr Savage must consult the neo-economists, those experts who believe that poverty amidst plenty is an anomaly and who will not tolerate its continuance. The second lesson is that the press is not as all powerful as many had been led to believe. You did not dapart from precedent when you told the people of New Zealand that any departure from a government which stood for "sound finance" was too calamitous to contemplate. The papers of Alberta and Canada did exactly the same thing, and you have merely fallen into Hne with those papers and have had expressed to you the will of the people who refused to consider anything sound which Is paradoxical. The third lesson which is revealed is that "Credit" and the propaganda by the Associated Banks were not regarded as being so much in the people's interests as in the interest of certain institutions. Then Mr Forbes should have learnt the lesson that Douglas credit is not "as dead as the dodo," and the members of the Government who were members of the Monetary Commission will have time to learn that banks do create credit. They signed the report to that effect, but apparently failed to profit by it, and Messrs Nash, Clinkard, Lye, Massey, Murdoch, and Stewart will now have time to see that it is possible and practicable. Finally, Mr Savage will have learnt that there are large numbers of people who believe that what is physically possible must be financially possible, and that he must strive to eliminate the impossibility of New Zealanders' buying the goods which they are able to produce.—Yours, etc., ALAN R. ALLARDYCE. December 2, 1935.