The 51st State?

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30981, 10 February 1966, Page 12

The 51st State?

Sir, —By preferring an American take-over of New Zealand to one by the talented Japanese who, in contrast to the Americans, seem to be becoming more civilised, “Canterbury” betrays his prejudiced approach. By calling the West Coast a “wasteland," he further reveals his bias. Doubtless a combination of people like “Canterbury” and Americans could flatten the West Coast and replace bell birds by billboards. When the natural scenery was all farms, the farmers would then be paid federal money not to produce. And workers displaced by mass-products from the mainland would be included in the anti-poverty scheme as an example of how the “Great Society” works. Members of local “pressure groups” who showed insufficient enthusiasm and gratitude would, as “Canterbury” suggests, face committees on un-American attitudes. Meanwhile, I suggest, we should form a trade partnership and a military alliance with India against the American threat. —Yours, etc., I MARK D. SADLER. February 9, 1966. Sir, —If “The Few” had notl beaten Goering’s aerial I armada when Britain stood j alone there would have been I no Battle of the Coral Sea. Even Lindbergh “had the wind up" and advised America against entering the Second World War after visiting Germany in 1939.—Yours,| etc., CINQUE PORTS. i February 9. 1966. Sir, “Canterbury’” con-! tends that for New Zealand, to be incorporated with Ame-I rica would be an outstanding! success—a financial Utopia. A more realistic outlook is that America could send many of her 5,000,000 unemployed to i this “grand little country of New Zealand." A big percentage of the American unem-. ployed are teen-agers just out of school. They would get all I the New Zealand jobs and; our people would be the unemployed. American goods and grain would be dumped here. So what prospects would there be of the survival of our human rights?— Yours, etc.. WIDE AWAKE. February 9, 1966