CAUSE OF PEACE

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 52, 2 March 1934, Page 14

CAUSE OF PEACE

WAR AGAINST WAR

WELLINGTON COUNCIL MEETS

' The immediate necessity for working against the danger of war- was i urged at a meeting of the Wellington Council Against War last night, 'attended bysome 150 people. . ' The council, said' the chairman'(Mr. -E. H.Dowsett) .was a provisional body which, had been formed by individuals representing various-organisations in "Wellington, who were interested in the cause/of peace' and who feit-the time had come for them, ; to act.' It was intended to arrange a national convene tion.in June to bring together people from all over New Zealand, interested in the cause of peace. It was.one of the most hopeful things that had happened in peace circles in Wellington that thirty or forty, organisations had come together as they had.,, '■'•■. . ' Mr. M. Riske, national secretary of the Friends, ,of the' Soviet Union, said that ever since the-.last -Great War people had been aware of the possibility of another war. He contended that the system, under wh.ichwe lived encouraged war. ' The; flight for markets, which had been a factor-in causing the last war, was still intense. In New Zealand youths were being trained for war as never before;; the education vote had- boon reduced .and bombing aeroplanes were being .purchased. , War was morally indefensible, said Mr. A.'C. Barrington, secretary of the Methodist Youth Movement. People should take a reasonable view of other nations and remember that the great bulk of their peoples were like themsolves, with lives to live,'homes to build, and work to do,'and, only wanted scope for that. . .;,.-.. : 'An appeal to women,; as the formers of children's minds; to be careful in guiding young persons '■ thoughts • was made by Miss M. Stiles, secretary of the Youth-Peace Crusade. Major N.'Pharazyn said that his experience of war showed that man" himself was all right, but it was the conditions he lived in that caused trouble. Boys were led tobelieve that war was ■rather' like a football match, but if they were.tbld:that- the:business of war was. murder they would know where they stood. ■■'■-. The following resolution was passed: "That this meeting of Wellington citizens strongly protests against any increase in expenditure on military training and armaments and against all militarism in schools." .