UNDER ROOSEVELT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23704, 11 January 1939, Page 7

UNDER ROOSEVELT

COMMENTARY ON AMERICAN AFFAIRS DUNEDIN-BORN PASTOR’S VIEWS UNITY OF CHURCHES WELCOMED That the policy of the Roosevelt Government in the United States was similar in many ways to that of the Labour Government in New Zealand is the contention of Dr S. J. Mathieson, formerly of Dunedin, who is now pastor of the Central Christian Church at Denver, Colorado. Dr Mathieson is on a brief holiday to his native town which he has not visited for 12 years. He is the son of the late Mr Mathieson, who was a wellknown contractor 50 years ago, and who was connected with the building of the Central Otago railway, the Roslyn tramway, and the Harbour Board’s wharves. Dr Mathieson received his education in Dunedin and studied at the University of Otago before going to the United States where he obtained his Doctorate of Divinity at Drake University. Since then he has been prominently connected with the church in America, his present charge having 1500 members. Unemployed Problem Not Solved "Like the Labour Government in New Zealand, the Roosevelt Government is doing its utmost to solve the unemployment in the States, and has embarked on a huge public works scheme to absorb the surplus labour. But to the consternation of all it is not meeting with much success. After six years in power, the Government has still from 12.000,000 to 16,000,000 unemployed to worry s’. “ There are many who consider the Government is giving too much attention to old age pensioners and youth is suffering?’ he added. ‘ln Denver, this has certainly been the case. Old age pensioners over the age of 60 years in Colorado were reguired by legislation to be paid 4f dollars a month so that a married couple could receive 90 dollars or about £lB a month. This was a huge pension and the State found that it could not pay the full amount but managed 35 dollars a month. Denver has a population of 300,000, and a careful survey taken showed that there were 10,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 26 out of work. Youth was suffering at the expense of age, and attempts have been made to rectify the position. • Fight For Democracy “ There is one cause for gratification in the States to-day,” Dr Mathieson said, “ and that is the movement unifying the churches in a moral and spiritual defence of democracy, which certainly has its back to the wall in the world to-day. There has been a great deal of Communistic and Fascist propaganda throughout the States lately, and this has had the effect of bringing the churches together in Christian union. A Federal Council of Churches has been fonned and the churches are united in their fight against the anti-Christian influences of certain European countries. There is a movement gaining strength to-day to form a world federation of churches, and this would be a wonderful thing. Such a federation would be one of the most powerful agencies in the world fighting for peace and Christian principles. If such a movement had preceded the formation of the League of Nations, then 1 am sure the League would have been a far greater success than it has been.” Referring to President Roosevelts recent speech concerning America’s attitude towards the trend of affairs in Europe, Dr Mathieson said that the people of the States were certainly alarmed at the growing threat to democracy. The United States could no longer stand aloof from European affairs, and it realised that it must fight to preserve democracy. On the other hand, it would be extremely difficult to predict what action the States would take should a European war break out. It would depend a great deal on what Japan did; but, Dr Mathieson concluded, the attitude of the whole country towards a more definite foreign policy was changing in a marked degree.