CHRISTIAN ORDER CAMPAIGN.

Evening Star, Issue 24297, 11 September 1942, Page 6

CHRISTIAN ORDER CAMPAIGN.

TO THE EDITOK. Sir—For many years the churches have been half empty, largely because the socalled ministry in its endeavour to please Some of its flock has set up k its own ideas of social ethics in the place of Christ’s Christianity. Laymen and women everywhere, having become heartily sickened by this lukewarm substitution, have turned away either altogether or to a personal study of the Word of God (the Bible). In the latter case many are now in a position to claim a knowledge of the plan of God far surpassing anything put forward to thorn by the very men who claim to be the teachers. As soon as this new church campaign primarily sets forth the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, and proclaims His message, it will be found to accomplish much. Unfortunately, among its most prominent leaders are men who are known to openly discredit the Bible as being the Word of God, and therefore many of us must protest against its obvious political-social contradictory proposals.—l am, etc., Another Layman, September 9. COMPULSORY UNIONISM. TO THE EDITOH. Sir, —Before circumstances and common sense altered their point of view, the attitude of many of our present political leaders towards society in general was very similar to that of the union bosses of to-day. They were mainly to blame for helping to introduce the “Gestapo” methods in industrial life in New Zealand, under which we are now suffering, and they were justly punished for it. Mr MacManus disagrees with my statement that this country has never known so much industrial turmoil as under our present Administration, but facts speak for themselves. He puts the blame for the strikes that have taken place on the “ evil power of employers.” Mr MacMauus should be able to do better than that. I could not find any allusion to this “ evil power ” in the Hon. P. C. Webb's summing up on the present Waikato dispute. He says that “ the attitude of the Huntly miners in stopping work at this critical stage is indefensible. They have, been led by a few' irresponsible industrial wreckers, who smashed their own agreement,” and so on. Mr MacManus will say that the miners refused to heed the appeal of the Miners’ Federation and the Federation of Labour. I do not care to give names in a case such as this, but I am well aware of tho identity of the leaders, and if Mr MacManus caves to inquire, ho will find I hat these “wreckers” are I lie direct product of compulsory unionism, and further, the majority of the miners neither know nor care what (lie strike is abom. Throughout Ids let lor Mr MacManus tries to relate trade union with compulsion, when tho two systems are absolutely opposite. The first is open, honourable, and stands for freedom and fair dealing. It encourages efficiency, and Die worker who qualifies for it receives the fruits of his efficiency. The latter is secret, insidious, and coercive, and the younger worker especially, for political party support, is led to believe that he need not exert himself to earn his wages, and so becomes indolent, overbearing, and careless, but heading eventually towards a terrible reaction, Mr MacManus stales Dial he has received a balance sheet of Die Labourers’ Union. Will he say that every member of this union receives a copy of the financial statemoni regularly, according to Die rules? I respectfully request a direct answer to that question.—l am, etc.. A. Victim. September 10.