A USEFUL ORGANISATION

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 68, 13 December 1919, Page 6

A USEFUL ORGANISATION

In its brief career the Now Zealand AVolfare League- lias been, subjected to a good deal of abusive criticism, chiefly by the revolutionary extremists, on whom it has made an uncompromising declaration of war. Such efforts, however, cannot obscure the fact that the" League is fighting honestly in tin: public interest, and with clean Weapons. Its Labour-Socialist opponents arc frankly unable to understand why it is expending money and nffort in an extensive propaganda, and yet is not putting forward candidates or seeking to promote the interests of any political pnrtv. People of a broader outlook will have no such difficulty in accepting at their face value the professions of a:i organisation which aims at waking' up the eonimunitv and pointing out that "Hie duty :-Mid the interest of every mm !<w\ woman domnnr! an inHHrrntinterest in the government of the country and in th" clnss of men ?«nl- to Parliament." The aims of \ the Weifnrc Lea<?"e "vevn ablv e-<-nnuiuWl by Mn. 0. P. Skerkktt "t H,n "lwf.in'o- Wl] in fh" Town Hull ] on evening, but th°y werm plvn.i/iir inflicted Very clfnrh' in - th* v> f! two. of its PV(nmirni'd;i.- Anyiin;i rend'n? its ?>/lv<>W'sem' , '!te v.-itli I pn nnlvn~efl mind *h'l veal if" 'bnt. , <:li» T.nnjTUf hn.o i'<i n.nrrow or r>."rry <>n.'lq (n SPVVP, nnrl (hnf i|; is' i-nr\. POl-l-d fi.rft H'vl fniV!"oPt- with tlin ,-i;,.7p;iii"nl-irni of f-Ws tny tl<piv nvi J.inns mi '-ni'ioiis nol'fif.'il find pfono;vnp >lV'l<"'.\l,llv rr-ript (1.11 of th<".- Tl-obipJTlS. !).nrl it hns 'lnno t> frfr-pf rln»] (|l PYpose- the myths and fallacies; which constitute the stock-in-trade of the Labour-Socialist extremists. Work on these lines is not the less valuable for being dona without personal advertisement by those who have no political axe to grind or personal ends to serve. If the League were disseminating falsehoods, the case, of course, would be different, but the extremists who frequently make it a target of invective have n,ot e\en seriously attempted to show that it has departed from the accurate statement of facts. Unable, apparently, to understand disinterested public service, they rely upon vague and unsupported assertions that the motives of the League are interested. As a matter of fact, it is doing excellent work. In his speech on Thursday night Mi:. Skephettclaimed with some show of reason that (hi league had'tried, and with a great measure of success, to create an alliance of those neople who were described by the Labour leaders as

the "middle classes." In this country the term "middle classes" is of very wide meaning, and such an alliance as Mr. Skbimett .described certainly offers the best hope of sound and enterprising political progress. The League unquestionably is working on the lines of constructive political development. Its members can afford to smile at cheap sneers and detraction, since its claims to recognition rest obviously upon the dissemination of facts and ideas which carry their own recommendation to all who can be induced to think and exercise independent judgment.