DEMOCRACY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 17 April 1939, Page 3

DEMOCRACY

AT THE CROSS ROADS NEW ZEALAND NO LONGER SAFE 'United Press Association! FOXTON, 15th April. “There has never been a time in history when those living within the British Empire have had to defend the principles for which their forefathers fought as they have to defend them to-day,” said the Minister of Public Works, Mr Semple, replying to the toast of “Parliament” at a luncheon given by the Manawatu County Council to celebrate the opening of the trestle bridge at Whirokino. “The democratic system is at the crossroads,” said Mr Semple. “At this very moment there are conspiracies abroad to destroying that democracy which is so essential to and so ingrained in the British character.” He was not an alarmist, but he | knew some thing the man in the ! street did not know, said Mr Semple, j With the great advances made in tran- ; sport particularly in the air. New Zea- * land was no longerd in a safe corner of | the world, and it wrs the duty of every j fit man to hold himself in readiness to j defend his country. The toast of “Parliament” had beer, proposed by the Mayor of Palmerston North. Hr Mansford. who. Mr Semple i said, had struck an appropriate and I happy note. “The British Parliament is the bulwark of democracy.” said Mr Semple If Britain went under —and in his heart he did not believe that possible —then the Empire went, and with it New Zealand. The country would then be brought under the dictatorship system. and to that death was preferable. “The British system of Government is, I believe, the best ever devised in human history.” said Mr Semple. There were people who thought democracy had outlived its usefulness, but he was not one of those. To suggest that a country could be better governed by one man was to him the height of imbecility. Lord Nuffield had told him recently that he had seen at first hand something of the dictatorship system and that he would far rather be dead than live under it. Not only were civic liberties destroyed but religious liberty also. The British people preferred to be captains of their own destiny, not mere cogs in a wheel. People who were content t r * follow one man were apparently incapable of following the dictates of the mind given them by their Creator. “Much as we might differ on ordinary questions of the day.” said Mr Semple. “we cannot differ on the system which gives us the right to govern ourselves.” It seemed to him a tragedy that man’s great inventive genius was not used for the sole purpose of benefiting mankind instead of being used for war purposes Man had an undeniable right to a full share of the things nature had given him. and it was a pity that man could not rid himself of his lust for power. WILL NOT STAND FOR PROFITEERING He had been asked what he did in 1914. His answer to that was that lie had got into trouble for eondeming war profiteering; no man. he considered had a right to enrich himself at the expense of the sufferings of his fellowman. “If war comes, the New Zealand Government will not stand for profiteering.” he said New Zealand was not in the safety zone; it was in the danger zone. Every physically fit man in New Zealand should be prepared to sacrifice his life in defence of the democratic system his country enjoyed, and he himself was fully prepared to make the sacrifice. He was not an alarmist, but the danger was very real. If war came the battlefield would be the world. The Government hd been advised that New Zealand's first line of defence was in the No single man is big enough to control the destinies of a nation of people,” said Mr Semple to the accompaniment of sustained applause.