WORLD PEACE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 230, 27 August 1935, Page 6

WORLD PEACE.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —I read in your valuable paper with great satisfaction of tlie turning down oy the Oroua Council of the proposal to purchase an American grauer, the cost ol winch would be £I7UU; and 1 admire the men who stood out against it, the debatable point apparently be : iug that although the American would cost £ it)U more to buy than one of i\ew Zealand make, the upkeep would bo less, causing it to be cheaper in the end. Suppose this to be the case. Surely, sir, principle should count belore the monetary aspect of the case. We certainly should buy all we can in our own country, or through England, which amounts to the same. There is an old saying, “Charity should begin at home" ; wiiat would we think of a father keeping his household short of the necessities of life and at the same time sending charity abroadi’ We have already sent far too much of our money to America; this has been in part the cause of our downfall. Can we look to America lor great fundamental principles ? lias she come forward to help Great Britain and France to strive for peace_? he must answer no, and if this 1 ails will she come forward to throw her influence and weight in with the other two nations to stop war? We here again must answer with a big No! How do we see her as a nation at this time? The members of the Senate are in effect saying proudly, to one another, “We will draw our garments around us and keep to ourselves; we will be neutral; we do not want war.” No I Who does want war? Does England want war? No, but she is willing to stretch out her hand to help the weak against the aggressor. Why is there this difference between the two nations? Because in Britain they have charity at home among themselves and then it reaches out to other people. There was a great example of this recorded in your valuable paper about four nights ago when the British statemen were called together through the breakdown of the Peace Conference. What did we find there? That they were all united as one man, the Labour members also being willing to support the Government to uphold the principles of the League against war. Principle and charity should always go together, sir. What a glorious testimony to the British Government and the world at large.—Yours, etc., THOS. YOUNG. Fitzherbert West.