LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 19, 17 October 1918, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE mm MENACE

Sir,—ln reference to "Britisher's" letter of October 10 in The Dominion, "No Germans Need Apply," it is gratifying to read that occasionally 'a Britisher makes a protest to urge on the politicians the necessity for measures being taken in connection with 'the German menace in our midst. It is quite true that Germans and. foreigners hold important positions in our Civil Service. I would remind "Britishor" that as far hack as 1916 tho Anti-German League urged upon' the men and women of the Dominion the necessity to pledge themselves not to buy German or Austrian,goods, and to render all the - assistance in their power to the development of New Zealand and British manufactures. Every man and woman in the Empire can 'do something to cripple, cramp, or destroy German trade, and to impress our' political leaders with the determination that the Customs tariff of tho country must he so adjusted as to encourage trade with our friends, and to make it virtually impossible for Germany and her allies to get their goods into this Dominion. The Hon. Arthur Griffith stated at the AntiGerman Trade Demonstration that "tho money Germany has used to bribe other people in Europe to fight against the Empire was gained through trade witli Britain." Never aeain' shall the German octopus grip the commercial life of this or any.other portion of the British Empire.—l am, etc., C. J. MOORE. Secretary, N.Z. Women's Anti-German League. October i 11. '

Sir, —In your issue of October 10 I noticed a letter signed by "Britisher" in regard to Germans lioldinp hich positions in tbis Dominion. I quite agreo with the writer of that letter, and it belwves every member of Parliament to be up and doing in order that this fair land of ours may be free from the accursed Hun. Some time recently Lady Stout, in the course of a lecture, stated that Germans in high''positions are tolerated with easy good nature by a happy-go-lucky people, while our men in the Fatherland are treated like pigs.' and even worse than that. In conclusion, let me say that it has been said: "Vengeance is Mine, I will repav."—l cm. °tc., • PATRIOTIC. A PROTE3T"" ' Sir,—May I protest against o ; titlo as "The Beast of Berlin" being > advertised all over New Zealand? Everj I soldier who has been at the front will . tell us that such coarse abuse is civ • tirely opposed to the spirit that l;a: ; aniriiated our 'armies, and the best o ; the civilians. The days of hard-woi t victory will need at .least as much mora , fineness and self-restraint as the darl j days behind us. and we want this lent 3 given us publicly in every way possible 1 or the soldiers may come back to f.ni ) thai their country was not so vortl s fighting for as they had thought.— - am, etc., 3 COLONIAL, r October 12.

THE BAPTISTS AND PROHIBITION Sir, —As one who was present at the Vivian Street Baptist Church on the svening of October 11, when the liquor question was discussed, I desire, with your permission, to make a few romments 011 what was said.- The first speaker (Mr. W. D. 'Bayley, of Canada) sought to justify his action, in "butting in" in our local affairs by saying that the people of . New Zealand were "unanimously" agreed that it is quite right for a Canadian to "butt in" on the Prohibition question. Now, Sir, the people of New Zealand are fnr from being agreed oh this point, and is Mr. Bayley fair to ; his audience when he says what is manifestly incorrect? And is he not injuring Canada's prestige by quoting her case as evidence in curs, especially as we. are not in a-position to refute or confirm his. statements, and the result of the Canadian experiment lias yet to be proved? ,His assertion that -the number of . prisoners in a certain gaol fell from 110 to none in ten days after Prohibition was earned is 110 contribution to' the drink ciinculty. To make'such a sweeping assertion . regarding a circumstance that may or may not have happened, jncl which in its most favourable light is only a circumstance, is of no value to tjie issue. Mr. Bayley seeks to accuse the liquor trade of debauching politics, but-if politics is debauched the Prohibition Party is at least as guilty in this respect as the Trade, and as the Churches are the centres of 'the Prohibition movement —as the Rev. R-. SGray says they are —their offence is the moro heinous. . The Rev. R'- S. Gray—who was vehement in his abuse of the Trade, going as far as to say that' "the curse of God is on the publican"—urged his hearers by pathetic .stories of the evils of drink, stories that were more harrowing than instructive ,or edifying. But surely he forgot himself m his ardour when he. said that if the liquor trade were got rid of during the war we would be fully compensated for all ,ur losses. No doubt there were mothrs present who have lost their sons ~i the front, and to harrow their feelings in this way .for political purposes is more than cruel. But how shall w< characterise Mr. Gray's simile of Galilee and Calvary in which he niadf strained efforts to make lotal .abstain ers appear to be the highest point ol godliness? Surely such conduct is of feriug a serious indignity to the A 1 mighty. I bear no enmity toward: those who pervert the Scriptures 'fo: private cuds. Their case is altogethe. too grave to withhold pity; .they knov not what spirit they are of, and ap consumed by their town _ aeal, and i] their violent condemnation of pubn cans they are but belching forth tliei own. The leaders of the Prohibition move meut have taken up a position fror which their followers will not now alloi them to retreat. They have erred i: their judgment of this problem, wltic after all is only human, and it woul< 1 indeed be a generous act on the par ! of well-dispos.ed reasoiiable-pinde ' people to overwhelm them at next po ! and relieve them of their dilemmal 1 am ' Ct °" . ' TOI.BARR. [ 446 Aledaide Road.

IRELAND AND THE WAR

Sir—ln his presidential address to the Baptist Union, reported in your issue of yesterday, the Hew J. K. Archer gives a somewhat lugubrious account of the treatment meted out to tho Roman Catholic and Free Church inhabitants of Ireland in past centuries. Might I ask why it is necessary, to rake up all these old wrongs and why they should bo a cause of lasting estrangement between the two countries? IV Englishmen of to-day have no responsibility for tho deeds of men who are dead, or against men who are dead centuries ago. A man has just as much control over his great-grandfather who is dead and buried as over his greatgrandson who is not yet born. Ono thing is certain, Ireland has to-day no political wrongs. She enjoys a full share of the self-government of the British Isles and is flourishing as well as any small country in the world. Personally, I lived m Ireland over forty years and if any wrongs exist as compared with England or Scotland I have never seen them. I know no liberty which I enjoy to-day as a domiciled New Zealan'der which I did not enjoy in Ireland, and I know no liberty which I enjoyed there which my Roman Catholic fellow-countrymen did not enjoy to

an equal degree. Mr. Archer makss i£ clear that i'rec Churchmen were perse" cuted as well as the itomau Catuolica, and Froude tells us that, the laws against the former, though less severe than thuse against the xtoman Catholics, were more severely enforced, let the Free Churchmen of Ireland are today the most loyal of the loyal, British to the core, and strenuously opposed to any tampering with union between the two countries, 'lliey recognise that all the wrongs for which England has been guilty towards Ireland were inflicted before the Union and before the mass of the English people had received any control over the laws of their country. Those wrongs have all been righted since the Union, ana the last two generations of Englishmen have treated Ireland with unbounded generosity, till to-day tlic two countries are 011 an absolutely equal footing and Ireland is prospering as never . before in her history. They have refused to harbour revenge and hatred against the men whose only relation to their ancient wrongs has been to do away with them, and have exercised the great Christian law of forgiveness. AVliy cannot the Eoman Catholics do the same? Is that law less binding our them than on us ? If it is wrong to hate those that have injured us and to rofuse to forgive them, is it any, less sinful to hate their descendants who , have no other feeling to us but friend--1 ship and good will? It is just the ex-. ; istence of this hatred and unforgiving 1 spirit which malces us Ulster. Free i Churchmen so unalterably opposed to ■ Home Rule. A scheme which has be- u ■ hind-it revenge and hatred for wrongs > long past and atoned for, and having" 110 aim but ultimate separation between the two islands, should have 110 support from Christian men. AVe Ulster

roe Churchmen' refuse to cherish such lelings and will never consent to bft rawn into a movement which will nob Lfirch under tlie Union Jack or recogise that it is proud_ to bo Irish, but rouder still to he British. I am. etc., J.JOHNSTON. Nelson, October 11. . ' "CUCUMBER DELUSION" Sir,—On page 3in Saturday's issue f The Dominion an* article on the bove (evidently quoted the 'Daily Moil") brings'to my mind a ingular case that happened 111 Utaki bout two years ago. A little girl, a elative of Mr. A. J. Knocks, wan leing ' taken care of by hmi ; Hiß hild was very ill, and was being re' luced to nearly a skeleton, fto one eemed to know what the trouble was. )ne day a friend called in with soma - incumbers for the family, and being vithin reacli of the child, the latter r raspcd hold of one with both hands, md began to devour it. They could lot get it away from her, and_they ,vere afraid of the consequences, liow•>ver she ate the lot of the one she laid hold of, and, strange to say, bewail to recover, and gained flesh fast, [t completely cured her.' Mr. Knocks, if I mistake not, took a photograph of tlie sick child and the child made whole . by the cucumber. Nature found it 9 uivn cure—l am, etc.. . • • „ , : • HENRY WALTON. Waikanae, .October 14. XHE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE Sir,—l think it will be generally admitted by those who are m a position to judge impartially that there is keeii disappointment, and even dismay, at the maimer in which this honour has been conferred. When the' first list was published it was announced tlut the honour was being awarded for waf work only, but unfortunately social position seems to have exercised an altogether disproportionate influence. I frankly -jidmit that in one or two instances ladies- in high positions have well earned the coveted honour, bui in other cases the award has awakened feelings almost akin to disgust.. One lady who used to do_ about half' a" . hour's work per week in Oa dilettantish, really-very-tired-you-know sort of man- • neiyis placed high up on the list. Another, who for several years lias voluntarily put JR. & solid five days .from nine till five, has to be content with a much lower grade. The former's activities (such as they were) ceased, with the receipt of the reward. The latter lady still keeps on untiringly. Again, why is the honour in some cases given to those who are being paid for their work while many who give their time, and labour Voluntarily (ofton at great personal inconvenience) aro ignored P The result of the. awards so far is to create tho general impression that the person responsible for ■ making the recommendations ; lias a very poor sense of discrimination, or a very superficial knowledge of the many ijyav activities in progress at the present time. In. fact, if a more just and equitable list cannot -bo framed it would be much better to leave it alone. The effect so far is to make one think it is a pity the movement was ever started, for the primary object seems to have been almost entirelv lost siccht of.~ —I am, etc.. r"vLMAM QUI MEkuIT FERAT Wellington,. October 12., TARANAKI ELECTION, Si r —The remark in your sub-leader of yesterday, to the effect that as far as Taranaki is concerned the political truce docs not exist is, I think, baldly justified by the facts. I was a member of Mr. Connett's committee, as I was for years a member of the late Mr.. Okcy's, and as far as I know, and I have not heard any other member of our committee express any opinion to tho contrary, the agreement was loyally kept, certainly as far as the oilicial leaders of the Liberal Party were concerned, ■ who attended Mr. Connetts meetings, and one (Mr. Bellringei, a former candidate for the seat in tlie ■ Liberal interest) took the chair at one of them in the town. Of course, it is impossible to bind tho rank ana file, ■ and no doubt there were many deleci tions oil both sides, and many did not ■ vote at all. lam quite in accord witli your remark that more assistance . might have been given us by the Govl ernment itself, and to that the result ; is no doubt partially traceable. Mr. I Smith is really not an extreme man, 1 and had ho. bided his time lie would - very probably in > a short time been adopted as tho candidat9 of the Jjiboral partv. As it is, ho owes his election to the support of the extreme Labour Party, a section of tho II.C. pn r y> tho liquor party, a large portion of tlie Public Service, and the disgruntled awl j selfish agriculturist. If the result . wakes tlie Government up to tlie tac , that thev cannot allow their case to f go by default, but that their side must , be put forcibly before the non-thinking , miblic, tho scat will not have been r lost in vain. The seat is a Reform ; one, and oil the next occasion, given , a good candidate with even moderate y oratorical powers, properly supported, it can bo won back again.—l am. etc., o it COMMITTEEMAN.

October 12. , rWo did liot suggest 'that the truco was disregarded by the official lenders of the Liberal Party, but that it did not exist ns far as the Taranaki electorate itself was concerned.]