WAR-MAKING AND PEACE-MAKING

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22909, 4 January 1940, Page 3

WAR-MAKING AND PEACE-MAKING

> TO THS KMTOB 07 THJB PBESS 5' —Though it will not give much *■ comfort to the thousands who have % already suffered bereavement through loss by sea or air, there is yet a good ' deal of truth in the reminder by 1 Major-General Freyberg that the war £ has not yet started. The obvious re- £ tort that comes to one's mind, of course, u is "Need it start?" Many of us who '" served .through the last war sincerely ' hopelt won't. There is welcome news tins morning that "all the (British) f newspapers forecast an early issue. I take it this means the possibility of i - peace before the spring offers oppor- ' tunity for war in all its horrors to dej •* velop. t " It has been a feature of the war up r to the present that, while the fight has been going on, there has still been . plenty of "talking" between the belligerents. Recent files of English and American papers also reveal the wide extent of the planning for peace that is also going on. both officially and also unofficially by voluntary societies and "Germany wants peace, r ''wffiiprding to O. G. Villard. writing from "''Safin on October 25. "There is unrffislakable evidence, that a move for, peace by either Roosevelt or the Pope would be welcomed, and there is not a diplomat in Berlin who does not wish

that such an offer would, be- made." At Christmas the move .was made by both/- -\',' '.• .- '■- 'Si* '-■'

We should like, an .assuraflse that New Zealand is pulling- her weight here in- the' peace-making as well as in the war-making. Fortunately in oUr High Commissioner we have ;a mad who is essentially a peace-maker (one of the children-of God) and many of the people/of .New Zealand are with him, though none of our parliamentarians, to my knowledge, have yet shown themselves peace-rhakers. And here is where the Christian .Church can also make its influence felt. If New Zealand’s contribution- is mere war-mak- - ing, we are Quite frankly not yet “doing our bit.” It would be rather sad to win the war and lose the cause. —Yours, etc.. JOHN JOHNSON. Clifton. January 3, 1940.