EDUCATION v. MILITARISM

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 10, 11 December 1931, Page 5

EDUCATION v. MILITARISM

Sir.—ln last week’s issue of your paper Mr. W. R. Keay wrote a dismal screed on present day affairs, and suggested for the Empire’s security the maintaining of armaments. But that idea has been proved futile. The building of another' cruiser, fort or arsenal is always the sign of a counter move elsewhere. In England, of every £1 raised in taxes about 14/ is spent on armaments, i.e., paying for past wars and more or less providing for future wars ; an enormous amount of money which would practically settle the unemployment problem —if used in the right direction. We also find that only about one penny in the £1 raised for taxes is spent on education. Prof. Einstein said that it needs only 2 percent of the people of Europe . and America to say plainly they will resist any war that may*,ic .contrived for them to Fat an end to the foolery of militarisln for ever. H. G. Wells goes further in saying that it needs only the Governments of Britain, U.S.A., France, Germany and Russia should get together in order to set up an effective control 4 of currency, credit, production and distribution to form “a dictatorship of prosperity for the whole world, and the sixty odd other States would have to fall in line to a more or less degree. If instead of spending more money to prepare for (or against) war, we use it in educating' people so that we can avoid it altogether things will be moving on sound lines and making for “real security.” Yours, etc., W. H. MOOR.