Freedom From Hunger

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30121, 3 May 1963, Page 3

Freedom From Hunger

Sir, —Both the Prime Minister’s little bowl of rice and P.J.A.’s letter are obvious propaganda; but, while the former is aimed at obtaining help for the hungry, the latter, like all P.J.A.’s letters, is merely political propaganda, in favour of communism. The one workman that P.J.A, says he saw, enjoying a good meal, does not prove that all the millions in China are well fed. I hope they are, but there is, unfortunately, a good deal of evidence that they are not. Neither is it true, thank God, that all the people in nonCommunist countries are Starving.—Yours, etc., G. F. SEWARD. May 2, 1963.

Sir, —I think the letter by P.J.A. under this heading is quite unworthy of him. In his usual style he strives to make political capital out of New Zealand’s attempt to help feed the hungry. His diagnosis of the reason for there being hungry people in the world may be correct, or it may not be. In any case the timing of his letter was ill-conceived in view of the C.0.R8.0. effort arranged for next Saturday. Do we allow the unfortunate to go hungry pending a change in the “political system’’ of the countries concerned?—Yours, etc., H.E.A. May 1, 1963.

Sir, —P.J.A.’s latest effort is disappointing. The Chinese themselves have admitted grave failures in their Great Leap Forward. In addition to this, we have the evidence of refugees from China who support their stories with the testimony of their emaciated bodies. In his attempts to bolster the achievements of the Socialist States, P.J.A. slanders those who are working to alleviate hunger in the underdeveloped countries. His bland use of the term ‘‘exploitation’’ is unforgiveable. What of the work of C.0.R.5.0., the Colombo Plan, and the millions poured out annually by the United States?—Yours, etc., A.M. May 2, 1963.

Sir, —In its campaign for alleviation of human want, the F.A.O. has avoided any political propaganda, but P.J.A. avails himself of the opportunity to affirm Communist sympathies. Regarding China, the existence of a well-nourished Yangtse wharf labourer is an inadequate criterion; more indicative of productive ability are agricultural statistics. In 1958, the "Great Leap Forward’s” initial year, good weather boosted the grain crop 25m to about 210 m tons, but Peking announced a harvest of 375 m tons, and predicted 1959’s as 525 m. Instead it declined again to 185 m tons, which level has been barely maintained since. Barely onetenth of the minimum annual fertiliser requirement, 30m tons, is produced. In 1961 5.5 m tons of wheat were bought from Canada, Australia, and France. Industrialisation has been drastically curbed to permit re-direction of labour to the communes; here meagre rations result in widespread malnutrition. Communism is no means to prosperity.—Yours, etc., B.M.C. May 2, 1963.