THE ASIATIC PROBLEM

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26524, 12 September 1951, Page 2

THE ASIATIC PROBLEM

FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA , AND N.Z.

STATEMENT IN CHURCH PAPER

The great issue which faced Australia and New Zealand to-day was Whether the two Dominions would survive as nations of European origin and of Christian culture, or of Asiatic origins, according to the 1951 social justice statement of the Archbishops and Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia, which is published in the latest issue of the church’s paper "Zealandia.” The statement describes the issue as the ‘‘most serious, moral and practical problem of our times.” Although the statement was primarily intended as a comment on the situation in Australia, a leading article in the paper says that it applies equally to New Zealand. The statement sets out the reasons why Australia had maintained its independence when, as the statement pointed out, to the North of the ‘‘Australian Sub-continent of Asia are a thousand million people suffering from a dreadful poverty which must be seen to be realised.” It contended that the independence of Australia was made possible by a conjunction of three factors over which Australia had little or no control. These were military, political and economic. “Today all these three factors have disappeared, and it would be suicidal for Australians to behave as if they were still In existence.” One section of the statement which the paper considered to be especially vital in these post-election days, was that dealing with party politics. "In this crisis, the nation cannot afford the luxury of internecine party strife, or the conflict of sectional interests which continually subordinate the public interests to their own immediate financial gains,” said the statement. “In this crisis, divisions which might be tolerated in normal times, will certainly destroy us. Mediocrity, that fatal inability of a people to rise to the heights of sacrifice, will certainly destroy us. Under God, it is only greatness—of mind, of heart, of spirit—which will save a nation endangered as Australia is today.” , Justification for Survival The statement asked if there was any valid moral reason why the people of Australia, should strive for the survival of Australia as a nation predominantly European. “The moral justification of Australia’s survival will ndt simply be found in Australia’s own achievement. This achievement, great in many respects, has been marred in others by manifestations of human frailty of which we can hardly be proud. We have refused to populate the country. Contraception has ravaged our population. We have denuded the land and crowded our people into great cities. The instinct for honest work is under constant attack from habits of thought and practices which treat work as an evil thing. The glaring threat of Communism nas been unable to rescue the masses from their apathy,” said the statement. Commenting on this section of the statement, an editorial says: "If the charges are substantially the same for New Zealand as for Australia, the remedy lies''in the same solution for both countries: the strengthening of our own national structure on the basis of our fundamentally Christian culture, by the sincere application to public and private life of Christian morals, justice and charity. "Lasting unity and its consequent strength cannot be achieved on any less noble foundations. Mere business ‘morals’ and action determined by the profit motive will not ensure prosperity and peace in New Zealand, let alone contribute to the enormous needs of the Asiatic millions from whom our only sure defence lies In their own peaceful and ordered development. “The times call for able and sincere statesmanship, backed by the co-operation of every section of the community. A country torn by unnecessary strife in industry or politics cannot hope successfully to develop its resources, without which it Will be powerless against dangers from outside its borders. Likewise the refusal to share those resources with others can only hasten the day of their complete loss or destruction. The claims on our charity to-day of thousands of displaced persons and "migrants must be valued in that light; any selfish attempt to hoard everything for ourselves must inevitably bring with it a series of evil consequences climaxing its disaster,” says the editorial.