Letters to the Editor

Press, 7 August 1976, Page 12

Letters to the Editor

Letters submitted for print Ing in this column must not exceed 150 words. They should be written in ink or preferably typed on one side of the paper. Ample space must be left tn the margins and between lines for subediting marks. <2> Letters written over pen names or initials will not ordinarily be considered for publication. A legible signature and full postal address —not a P.O Box numberare essential The correspondent must say whether the letter has been or Is to be submitted elsewhere The Editor does not undertake to acknowledge, hold, return or enter into correspondence on any letter not accepted for publication, newspaper. R.B.S.—Goats, not geese, surely. C.L.G.—Not specific. R.J.L.—One at a time, please. J.D.T.—The latter. T.S.—(l) No objection. (2) No. J.C.—Hardly paralelled case. 'l World sport Sir, — Bishop Ashby should reflect that the Inquistion oppresses i j longer, Bishop Pyatt that the Test Acts no longer enforce Anglican observances and the Reverend Angus MacLeod that political Presbyterianism was disbanded

with Cromwell’s army. The common man, now that the Church can no longer keep him in ignorance, thinks for himself. He knows that to prevent rugby with South Africa his passport must be confiscated. Apartheid, even if deplorable, is not thereby prevented, but our liberties perish. These churchmen should ponder over their languishing ministries at home and the increase of theft, violent crime and drug taking. To attempt to arrest their declining influence by excursions into foreign politics will, for the churches, have dire results. — Yours, etc., K. A. GOUGH. August 6, 1976. Sir, — “Keep politics out of sport,” shrieks Mr Muldoon, as the tour issue becomes one of National’s main election platforms. “Keep politics out of sport,” he shrieks again, wishing the All Blacks well on the eve of their first test match. How can a politician make public statements oh sport, yet claim to keep politics out of sport, we may well ask? Of course, we can’t keep politics out of sport or any other part of life. Basically, politics is the interaction of people; and political movements and governments are these same people organised through a common objective or ideal. Therefore, the Olympic solution is simple — deorganise. To survive, the Olympics must be reduced to the lowest political denominator — the individual. No countries, no anthems, no flags. I say this in defence of the true Olympic ideal. Those who disagree must have other motives. — Yours, etc., R. J. LING ARD. Youth Advisory Council, New Zealand Labour Party. August 6, 1976. Sir, — I had imagined prophets speaking out against injustices suffered by others to look sterner and speak more to the point. The views and remarks attributed to the three Church leaders did little to make principal matters much clearer. Is that because we

are more concerned about worldly opinion of New Zealand(ers) than the injustices suffered by the oppressed? If "the Africans have made the right choice” in boycotting the Olympics, why is it considered wrong if New Zealanders (our Government) had actually stopped the tour? How much are we willing to give up or how moved are we by divine indignation? — Yours, etc., W. WIERSMA. August 5, 1976. Sir, —God bless our church leaders for speaking out on apartheid and the All Black tour. Let us hope people will read and digest these statements from truly committed Christians. Having read them they will see we are “our brother’s keeper,” and act accordingly.—Yours, etc., M. MURPHY. August 5, 1976. Sir, — The article in “The Press” by Ken Coates regarding the opinions of three Church leaders’ attitudes towards the Olympic Games boycott by African nations is most inflammatory. We have seen many times these men use such issues as apartheid to have personal sideswipes at Mr Muldoon before and after the election. Memories must be short because all three men are fully aware of the election manifesto of the National Party and its promise to the nation. For Bishop Ashby to state that the Prime Minister should watch his off-the-cuff remarks is hypocritical, to say the least. The Church is fortunate the Government does not interfere in its affairs, or is it? — Yours, PAUL K. MATHESON. August 5, 1976. H.A.R.T. and CA.R.E. finances Sir,—l thank H.A.R.T. and C.A.R.E. for their details of the methods of raising finance, but I am far from satisfied. £or instance, the cost of sending the second-in-command of H.A.R.T. to Montreal before the opening of the Olympics, not to cause trouble but for a change of climate, requires substantial finance. If the two protest organisations have nothing to hide, then would H.A.R.T. and C.A.R.E. head offices be prepared to

make available to “The Press” balance sheets of their national finances for publication? H.A.R.T.’s statement that the Socialist Unity Party has "never” donated any money is amazing when the Socialist Unity leaders are the hard-core members of the Labour Party’s industrial wing. Locally, “cake stalls, etc.” seem to be the thing, and if this is repeated on a national basis I will be tempted to start a new protest movement called C.A.C.E. (Campaign Against Cake Eaters). —Yours, etc., L. J. STEVENS. August 5, 1976. Lord Thomson Sir, —It may not be widely recalled that about 11 years ago the late Lord Thomson tried to buy the “Dominion” in Wellington, for which he initially offered the equivalent of $3.2M. The directors mounted a campaign against him, advised major shareholders not to sell to "this Canadian upstart” and persuaded the Holyoake Government to draft legislation to prevent foreign takeovers of our newspapers. Meanwhile, from across the Tasman, Rupert Murdoch began to buy shares in the “Dominion” on the open market. At one stage he was paying £23 for the £5 shares. Before the legislation could be enacted he had acquired 31 per cent, a controlling interest, and thereafter he manoeuvred himself on to the board “in perpetuity.” Thus did the capital’s morning paper, having spumed a chance to align itself with the eventual proprietor of “The Times,” land itself in the clutches of the man who was to take over the “News of the World.”—Yours, etc., GRAHAM RHIND. August 5, 1976. TV advertising Sir, — I was appalled to read in “The Press” that advertisements for Campaign Half Million have been rejected by both television channels on the grounds of being too controversial. I would be interested to hear the Minister of Broadcasting justify this attitude, especially’ in view of the advertisements run by the National Party on television last year. The Government keeps talking about “New Zealand the way you want it.” What it has not said is that it will decide what we

want. It seems to me that Campaign Half Million is trying to inform New Zealanders of their rights of protest and how to exercise them, surely a foundation of democracy. What was that about freedom of speech? — Yours, etc., G. T. STEWART. August 6, 1976. The Rangatira Sir, — My heart bleeds for the cooks, stewards and seamen who will lose their jobs when the Rangatira is withdrawn. They have firsthand experience of bleeding a ship to death with exorbitant wage rates, unrealistic manning scales and fantastic redundancy provisions. The “golden goose” is dead. — Yours, etc., JOHN ROBERTSON. August 4, 1976.

Helensville schools centenary Sir, — Helensville primary school, Helensville District High School, and the Lochnorrie, Te Pua, Parkhurst and St Dominic’s schools will celebrate their centenary at the Queen’s Birthday weekend in 1977. Former pupils, staff, dental nurses, school committee and home and school committee members are asked to write to the Centennial Secretary, Helensville Primary School, Garfield Road, Helensville for enrolment forms. The committee also requires information for a centennial booklet, and recipes for inclusion in a proposed centennial cookbook. — Yours, etc., f. j. McCullough. Publicity Committee. August 6, 1976.