PEACE AND NOT WAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22260, 12 May 1934, Page 17

PEACE AND NOT WAR

VIEW OF TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE SUPPORT FOR LEAGUE OF NATIONS. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, May 11. “ That the institute declares itself wholeheartedly against war and recommends its members and branches to link up with and support in every way the League of Nations Union.” This was the text of a remit carried at the conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute to-day. Mr A. J. Graham (Wellington), who moved the adoption of the remit, said that a new generation which knew only the so-called “ glory of war ” was growing up. Many people thought that be: cause the League of Nations had failed in a specific case there was no further use for it, but because it failed once that was no reason why it should not be supported. Mr D. F. Leckie (Southland) asked whether Mr Graham suggested that members of the institute should not participate in the territorial defence schemes. “I would not like to go so far as that,” replied Mr Graham, who said he would not say that New Zealand should not spend a certain amount on defence. The abolition of war. was inevitable. “ Even if we believe in a certain amount of defence we should create a peace bias and not a war bias,” he said. The president (Miss M. E. Magill): In other words you are not advocating a militant pacifism? Mr Graham: It all depends on. what you mean by that. Dr W. J. Boraman (Otago) said he was in sympathy with the resolution, but realities had to be faced. Thousands of tons of scrapiron had been sold in the last year or two, and was that iron being made into ploughshares? Mr Graham said that even if New Zealand were to enter a war (which he would not grant) the institute should preach peace and not war to the children.