GOSPEL HE WILL PREACH

Putaruru Press, Volume XXI, Issue 1236, 26 June 1947, Page 6

GOSPEL HE WILL PREACH

NEW N.Z.R.S.A. PRESIDENT Appeal and Warning To Members A gospel —as he called It for members of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association was laid down by Mr. C. O. Bell when he was installed in office as Dominion president. It was a gospel that he would always preach, 'said Mr. Bell, and it was that every member, if he belonged to a trade union, a manufacturers’ association, an employers’ association or a farmers’ union, should take a really active part and not fall a victim to that spirit of apathy which was so prevalent throughout the country. They should see to it that the right men were elected to the control and the right principles inculcated. The majority were returned soldiers, and they should thus be able to put forward the policy of the N.Z.R.S.A., which was bound up in two points: _(f) The rights of servicemen ; (2) the f*ic:t that those rights were bound up with the good of the country—in fact they could not have one without the other. Another point was that the Dominion executive committee could not do anything—-it was only the individuals. If the individuals did as he suggestedthen they would get somewhere, as it was the individuals who controlled policy. That policy was loyalty to King and country, then to work for the good of the country. That was the gospel he would preachFruits of Victbry

How many men carried out the N.Z.R.S-A. policy? aslced the speaker; in housing, for example, and its black market, and so on. He asked them to get busy on the lines he suggested. He would go so far as to say that no new reform started with a political party hut came from individuals. Their job did not stop when they laid down their arms—they had to carry on during peace if they wanted to ensure the fruits of victory. He was not satisfied with the constitution of the N.Z.R-S.A-, as git the

moment they were only members of a branch. There was something lacking to link the individual up with the N.Z.R.S.A. How it was to be overcome without interfering with the autonomy of branches he could mot say. He mentioned the matter because resolutions passed by conference which had been acted upon by the executive had later been stated not to reflect the opinion of the individual member. That had occurred in the matter of food for Britain and in regard to the Review. In such circumstances, where was the authority of the Dominion executive? asked Mr. Bell. Therefore he urged branches hot to oppose matters which had been approved by delegates attending the annual conference. The speaker, who was accorded musical honours, was warmly applauded for his remarks.