WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE WORLD?

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVI, Issue 211, 24 August 1926, Page 3

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE WORLD?

(To the Editor.) Sir, —1 believe I am entitled to rank as a diligent reader of the Tribune, and as you have recently emphasised the need for ordinary men to think I offer comment upon some items appearing in Saturday’s issue. First, then, in the place of honour appeared Henry Ford’s statement to the effect that opportunity for personal enrichment is vastly more accessible to the ordinary man of to-day than it was to his father or grand-father. Mr. Ford has made perhaps a greater personal contribution to the world’s material wealth than any other man that ever lived. Mr. Ford has to his credit no mean contribution to the world’s printed wisdom, but I would venture to combat his assertion as above stated.

Item 2.—Mr. H. R. French, a gentleman for whom I entertain a strong regard and high, esteem upholds secret diplomacy between nations. The congregation of which we two formed part last evening, sang a hymn containing these words: “Perish policy and cunning, perish all that fears the light.” I sang those words with feeling. I wouaer if Mr. French skipped them. Item 3.—An interesting article ou “Apple Export” gave some instructive and thought provoking information. The price paid by the consumer for our apples is given as ten times that received by the orchardist. (The Canadian fruitgrower succeeds in getting only one of each sixteen pence paid by the consumer.) Firmly grasping his magnificent tenth our Mr. Fruitgrower surveys the hands outstretched for part of it only to find that he must again split his penny up as, approximately, nine-tenths must go to pay interest, spray mate, rials, cases, etc. Will someone please figure out just how many apples a fruitgrower must produce before ho dare divide one amongst hia kiddies. Item 4.—A small paragraph told of a large shipment of fruit received in England from South Africa and elided with the exhortation “Look out New Zealand!”

Now, to connect these apparently unrelated items. Personal nerve energy is the one and only potential source of wealth for the ordinary man. Throughout the whole realm of production the resistless demand for expenditure of nerve energy by the human unit as the price for more existence grows and grows and grows, because all nerve energy devoted to getting or gaining must, in effect, be productive or predatory, and, aided enormously by secret diplomacy amongst nations, an evergrowing proportion of the world’s nerve energy is being diverted from productive to predatory activities, resulting in our looking with eyes of enmity upon fellow fruitgrowers in Africa who are seeking to help us in the labour of supplying sustenance for men. To be continued, if you will, Mr. Editor. I am, etc.-— ARCH. LOWE, Hastings, Aug. 23rd.. 1926.