Public Opinion

Southland Times, Issue 23793, 15 April 1939, Page 4

Public Opinion

Letters sent to the Editor for printing must be written in ink on one side of the paper only and writers must send in their names and addresses In full whether they wish these to be printed or not. When a pen-name is used, the writer should sign his real name on a separate sheet or at the foot of his letter, where it can be cut off before the letter passes out of the Editor’s hands. Writers must say clearly whether or not their letters are being, or have been, sent to other papers. The Editor cannot return or keep any letter which, for any reason, is unsuitable for printing, nor can he acknowledge unsuitable letters, although this will be done where it seems to be needful, or enter into any correspondence about letters sent in. GRAIN”YIELDS To The Editor Sir,—ln The Southland Times today mention is made of heavy yields of grain in Southland this season. The figures quoted are much below some that have been recorded from various other centres and I shall not be surprised if the figures I quote have not been beaten elsewhere. In the Browns-Otapiri district over 140 bushels of oats an acre have been threshed, while off ridges in the Fortification district 82 bushels are reported. At Riverside 74 bushels of wheat were threshed and Garston reports 98 and 92 bushels of barley an acre. Two balls of twine an acre were frequently required and when this happens there are bound to be some outstanding threshings of cereals. —Yoprs, etc., CORNSACK. April 14, 1939. MASS t OPINION To The Editor Sir,—lnstances are not lacking in proof of Mr S. G. August’s contention that observation of mass opinion is a fascinating study. It would be interesting to explain the prevailing tendency of too large a section of this country in being susceptible to nothing except soothing, sympathetic propaganda. What were the factors that produced the successive stages of such a mind ? Ido not merely refer to that mind whose political leanings are explained merely by brutal hate of some mythical capitalistic system, but I refer to the mass of otherwise intelligent people who lapped up the soothing, sobstuff propaganda which won the last election. There was no reason or logic in the promise of a limitless store of currency that the mass firmly believed was to be available to the socialist parliamentary party. The mass acted on the inspired misunderstanding that it was they who had their faces ground by the mythical capitalists. They believed that access to unlimited prosperity was denied them by the deliberate actions of all who dared to oppose the champions of communism. Labour supporters still believe that the trade union hierarchy is infallible and this is a mass opinion which is divergent from common sense. The object of the study is to understand the factors causing such a mass opinion. The condition is susceptibility to believe in the unreasonable and in the impossible. It is a stage of the absolute deification of the State as in complete communism. In the election campaign its leaders assumed almost divine assignment as prophets of, the mythical socialism that; was to make this country paradise. Mr August is reported to have said that the general application of mass observation is to a great mass of people who are being led on by a few. The super-socialistic theory could never have succeeded, but it was supported by some because in their self-pity they hated every oldestablished institution and authority. Others supported it because of blind, unthinking optimism ' which is conferred on any fool who ridicules the expert. Others supported it because they were soured by failure and experience and prayed for change and earnestly hoped for a national collapse of the whole social order as well as of national finance. The mind that believes in the confiscation of all wealth in a time of national emergency is another disease of mass opinion, because it is contrary to logic to argue that communism is an asset in time of war. To prove this, ask any who preach the theory to explain how the State can produce more by confiscating all wealth, be it liquid asset, as in banks, or property or goodwill. To change, by compulsory loan, the cash reserves to Government bonds, as was done during the Great War, may be justified, but to confiscate the cash which is the life-blood of trade, commerce and industry is to ruin the country’s best asset—that is, its producing power. Mr August says that by mass observation we will make new and surprising discoveries about ourselves. I fear it will ruin forever the chances of socialism. —Yours, etc., JOHN TROTTER, jun. April 13, 1939.