UNEARNED INCOMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24334, 26 June 1940, Page 11

UNEARNED INCOMES

TO THE EDITOR Sir, —Your correspondent “ Irishmoss” appears to be rather indignant with me. I can assure him he has no cause to fear the effect of my ideas and. principles if they were enacted in law and put in operation. The only class of people with anything to lose is (hat class of persons who have no other desire than to live at the expense of their fellow men. A case m piont would be the type of person so much disliked by “ Irishmoss ie. the healthy young -woman who doss nothing but “doll” herself up and attend dog fights. The man or woman who is prepared to render service has nothing to fear frcm either a good Conservative or a good Socialist, for both of these stand for service and are the friends of all people, including waterside workers, parsons, and lawyers. They are the enemy of none. Unfortunately, we have too few good Socialists or Conservatives in our public life, and consequently society is in a state of anarchy. “Irishmoss” wishes me to tell him whether I consider the interest he hopes—note, “ hepes "—to get is unearned income. Definitely it must be classed as unearned if it is_ something in addition to that for which he has laboured. It is just as much unearned income as the interest paid to a depositor by the Pest Office Savings Bank or to an old aged pensioner or a returned disabled soldier. “ Irishmoss” will. I feel sure, agree with me that it would be immoral to take away the pension of a disabled soldier or an old aged pensioner, always provided they are using their income fer their material and spiritual welfare. Just as they have a moral right to live on unearned income because of service given, so have “Irishmoss” and the Post Office depositor a right to receive their interest and live on it, always provided they are unable to render service, or that there is no urgent call for their service, but they have no moral right to live on the I labour or sacrifice of their neighbours in times like the present simply because they happen to have interest coming in or money at call. What matters is not so much how much money or goods a person has, but how he uses it and gets it. Those, who understand know that whatever is morally wrong is economically unsound. In conclusion, I suggest to “ Irishmoss ” that ho should try to develop a spirit of tolerance towards the stripping young widows and those whom he considers are transgressing against moral laws—the laws of men’s conscience. Men and women may be obeying man-made laws and living their lives according to the common custom of their country, the same as the strapping young widow rnd others do, but at this period and in these times the only laws that will count and will endure are the laws of God or conscience. I know from experience that this may be difficult, but there is a law of compensation which operates in this life, and one thing it does is to give courage to men and women to sign their names when they are writing and praying for those who transgress the laws of God, whether they be individuals or nations. —I am, etc., C. M. Moss. North-East Valley, June 22.