NEEDS OF OTHERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27581, 26 December 1950, Page 4

NEEDS OF OTHERS

Opposition Leader’s Plea

PA WELLINGTON, Dec. 25. “Just a- short year ago my friend and colleage of many years, Peter Fraser, concluded a Christmas message to you with the words, ‘ God bless us every one’ from Dickens’s ‘Christmas Carol,’ and tonight I am sure that you would wish me to say, ‘ God bless him,’ too, said the Acting Leader of th» Opposition, Mr Nash. “It has fallen to my lot to take his place tonight because he is no longer with us, but is enjoying that peace and rest which come at the end of every good life. Christmas Day,' the day we celebrate the birht of Christ, brought joy to the world, and since then every year at this season of Yuletide the Christian spirit breathes a message of peace on earth and goodwill to all men. As Mr Fraser said to you last year, ‘ It tells us that these blessings of peace and goodwill can be ours if we truly serve God by loving our fellow-man.’ “ Sadly, in the midst of this season of goodwill, we must look to the north—to the_hungry people at tha top of the Pacific—where again there is war. The battle against aggression there has led some of our finest young men to enter the field in answer to tha call of, the United Nations. My first thoughts at this season go to the mothers, wives, and sweethearts of these men, and to them I express the sincere hope that their mission will be a speedy and successful one with the least possible loss or injury to them. These young men have accepted the responsibility which belongs to all New Zealanders. In this little country —blessed a thousand times by God—we want not. In the countries of Asia millions live in dire want every day, and there can be no true Christian peace until they are provided with the necessaries of life;, Each one of us has a responsibility here-r-to work to produce those things which will enable these poor people to live in reasonable comfort.

“In New Zealand, at a time of great prosperity, there is a great contrast. While we count our material blessings, let us not forget those less fortunate. For many of them there is no happy family reunion and some may hav* no Christmas gifts from loving hands: I refer to some of the sick, whether in hospital or at home, and to the aged who have not homes of their own. To them all I send a special message trusting that God’s loving kindness will be showered on them this Christmas day. For the children,. this is a day of days and the hearts of us who are older will be gladdened by the joy they display. We can look back on our own earlier days and derive pleasure from these happy memories. “To every oneH send greetings and the hope that all will share in the good things of life and above all in the choicest blessings that the message of the Christ-child brought to the world. Let us be thankful that God has thrown our way in pleasant places and let us show our thanks by snaring of the good things, good thoughts, good food, good homes and abundant blessings to all, not for ourselves alone, but for all those to whom the message of Christmas shall go.”