The Dominion THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1939. A CALL FOR LEADERSHIP

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 69, 14 December 1939, Page 8

The Dominion THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1939. A CALL FOR LEADERSHIP

It is impossible for anyone sensing the general atmosphere of community affairs to escape the feeling that the attitude of the public toward the war is curiously apathetic and lifeless. Many have remarked upon this, and pondered upon the reason. It is not that the New Zealand people, as individuals, are indifferent to the war. they are well aware of the issues involved. They are united in their support of the cause for which the British Empire and France have taken up arms. They realize that‘their political liberties and free and independent existence are at stake, and are fully prepared to contribute every ounce of effort in defence of these. In short, all the material for a magnificent national war etioit lies readv to hand, waiting to be energized into throbbing activity and zealous ardour. All that is lacking for the animation of this latent energy is inspiring leadership. Without this magnetic driving force, which in periods of great national emergencies rouses a people to exert their utmost efforts and endure with courage and tenacity severe hardships and heavy sacrifices, this reservoir of energy and power becomes inert, lethargy sets in, and a dangerous apathy permeates the community. This tendency is encouraged by our present remoteness from the war zone, and the fact that the public at large, to all appearances, has remained so far comparatively immune from war s hardships , There could foe no greater mistake than tor the New Zealand ]>eople to rest on the complacent assumption that a continuance of this state of comparative immunity can be taken for granted. Nor can they claim full credit for any contribution to the Allies war effort which does not include some sacrifice of their present comforts and amenities. But there is a real danger that they may lapse into this way of thinking unless they are roused to a sharp sense of the realities of this war by the right kind of leadership. Our public men — Ministers of State and leaders in local government—should realize their responsibilities and opportunities, and concentrate with unflagging zeal and determination on the task of driving home to the people what the nation’s war effort demands of their energies and resources. ' They must go out into the highways and byways and rally the whole heart and sentiment of the country behind its armed forces in order that their strength will be maintained. They must be prepared, at whatever cost to their own political prejudices, to face duties and responsibilities essential to the success of our war effort, and in that spirit of sincerity, zeal, and determination, that in times of national emergencies kindles the imagination and enthusiasm of the people. The time has gone past for half-hearted, tentative measures for enlisting our manpower for national service in essential* industries and for active service overseas. What is wanted is the kind of leadership that will rouse the people to a full sense of the urgency and the demands of this war emergency, of its essential and vital requirements, and call upon the nation to give unanimous recognition to the indisputable need for compulsory service. Action, not talk, should be the order of the day, but only the right kind of leadership will get things done. This conflict will shake the whole Empire, if not the whole of the civilized world, to its depths. “Such as are the leading men of the State,” says Cicero, "such is the State itself.” Our leaders should be alive to the perils, difficulties and problems of the future, and should lose no occasion and opportunity for creating among the people a state of heart and mind that will fortify them for the tasks they have to do. This prevalent atmosphere of lethargy and apathy must be dispelled by the bracing effects of vigorous and inspiring leadership, co-operative effort in a real and practical sense, and greater willingness on the part of the Government to let the people themselves carry on with war work free from the paralysing handicaps of official interference. Sound leadership and political common sense are quick to detect and seize upon opportunities for capitalizing individual initiative and enterprise instead of discouraging the exercise of those energizing qualities. Lacking this kind of inspiration th* community presents the appearance of a people sitting with folded hands, inactive and impotent.