VITAL FACTOR

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22447, 30 September 1947, Page 4

VITAL FACTOR

WORK FOR PEACE APPEAL TO ROTA RIANS A party of Gisborne Rotarians headed by the Gisborne Club president, Mr. F. Wise, visited Rotorua on Saturday to meet the governor of Rotary International, Mr. K. Guernsey, U.S.A., who, with Mrs. Guernsey, is paying a hurried visit to New Zealand. The Rotorua Club were the hosts for the evening, and the district governor, Mr. R. F. Gambrill, also was present. Mr. Guernsey gave a very inspiring address on Rotary, emphasising that the cornerstone of Rotary was fellowship. He made a special appeal to Rotarians to get behind the work for peace which is being attempted by the United Nations organisation. He said that people should not be discouraged when a member of United Nations disagreed and walked out of a conference. It was well to remember that it took two years to formulate the constitution of the United States and during that time every State representative at some time or another walked out of a conference and at times it looked as though agreement would never be attained. It was not reasonable to expect that the nations of the world could settle their many differences in a few months. Probably it would take years, but they would have to settle them or the world would have to face conditions that would mean destruction.

Rotary with its 6300 branches throughout the world, between which there was a band of fellowship, could be a vital facor in creating understanding between peoples of different nations, creeds, and views, and he urged all Rotarians to work assiduously for the peace of the world.