Readers Write

Northern Advocate, 29 September 1938, Page 6

Readers Write

In reply to Mr Barclay’s letter of the 16th, I would like to point out to him that this valley h'as been a settled area for

MANGAPAI CEMETERY ROAD,

more than half a century, ■ and as

the county council have other roads for the rate money. I thought it a good chance for the Government to spend something on backblacks roads. Why should there be thousands of pounds spent widening and changing main roads, and nothing for our Cemetery Road? -J. H. CARTER (Mangap'ai).

In reply to “Puzzled,” if butterfat prices averaged 1/4 for 16 years prior to 1935—1 am not accepting this as correct—the only logi-

BUTTERFAT PRICES.

cal conclusion is that producers were ex-'

ploited by those in control of marketing, costs of production were high, and there was need for a stabilised price level, or bad government. I suggest your correspondent 'address his remarks to Mr Coates, and ask why there was a depression.

In reply to “Common Sense,” I must repeat the figures I presented were those upon which I had to pay unemployment tax. This correspondent’s analysis of the statements displays a lack of knowledge of accountancy. However, the net increase of returns made by all farmers, shows a substantial increase since 1935, despite the howl of rising costs. —E. WOOLHOUSE.

In the Town Hall on Tuesday night, Mr Nash was asked, how would he insulate New Zealand if prices for our produce fell to

MR- NASH AND HIS SPEECH.

slump level? Mr Nash gave a poll-

tician’s reply: he did not answer the question. There appears to be only two ways to maintain our present and proposed standard of living if prices for our produce overseas falls back to slump level. (1) Produce 'all our requirements in New Zealand. Even if this is possible, it is not desirable, and would take many years to accomplish. (2) Repudiate interest on our national debt. Has Labour any other plan? If so, now is the time to tell us about it.

Mr Nash and other Labour Party speakers continually claim a better distribution of the man-produced wealth of New Zealand. Quite right. But there is nothing fair about this unless there is also a better distribution of the work required to produce this wealth. Mr Nash quoted cases of one man 'and his wife producing as much as 11,000 pounds of butterfat to create this wealth. Perhaps only a farmer can visualise the monotonous, unending grind of such a life. Millet’s “Man With The Hoe”! Later, he said that under the Social Security scheme the civil servant at 65 would be better off than the farmer of 65. Quite so. New Zealand is becoming a paradise for the Government employee, a slave State for the man on the Iand.—“GNOMON.”

I agree with Mr Cameron in his contention that some read too much and digest so little. May I, in pass-

SOCIALISM.—:

ing, also gay that :ome -read so little of logic

and reason that the mind refuses to function and grasp the fundamental facts of same. How is it possible to eliminate material things? One must Wave food, clothing and shelter, and it is in the division of these that a bitter struggle develops. One does no*, as a rule, survive to preach the glories to be without these material things. Ca*one enjoy the beauties of nature, anything, as a matter of fact, without a full inner man? Mr Cameron claims that Christianity is unnatural—or is it Churchianity?—when worked in conjunction with the present economic system, seven days of the week. No one abuses a machine—only the wroaig use ;t is put to. Who not believe in the evolution of the mini, the gradual development of intellect, whereby, through that process, man becomes a scientific investigator, to find the weakness the cause of disease? Do we leave a vegetable to grow in a natural way? We don’t leave those things to fight their battles alone; we apply or bring into being science to combat enemies, and procure the best possible.

Mr Cameron claims that Socialism is an unnatural development. Capitalism is, therefore, natural, and should have nothing of a Christian ideal, in conjunction with science, applied to it, to rectify its weakness. So Socialism will not work in practice. It can only be a success with Christianity—rather a contradiction. Socialism is a natural growth, and will come as sure as the sun, if people demand it. Will the people be unnatural? It comes not as a robber, but as the policeman. Neither will it come to fetter man’s energies, but rather to call them forth and give abundant opportunities to all.— “OBSERVER.”

Rains have checked the Japanese advance on Sinyang. The Chinese are strongly defending Tien-Chia-Cheng, and are repeatedly counter attacking. The Chinese declare that they have regained important points. The Japanese say they have captured 5000 guerilla troops in South Shansi. The Chinese air force again came into action at Loshan, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.