Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 565, 18 January 1929, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

PREMATURE REFORMS Sir, A lot of interest has been shown by the New Zealand Press in the stir in Afghanistan, where King Amanullab has had to fly the country after trying a policy of Europeanising the Afghans before they were ready for it, and introducing reforms contrary to the customs and laws of his people. His elder brother Inayatullah has assumed the sceptre and the throne, and if he takes advantage of the experience gained through Amanullah’s folly he should have a long and successful reign. New Zealanders might take a greater interest in a similar situation nearer home at Samoa. and hone that “King Stephen” will win back the confidence, of the mandated people there. Will he be given a fair chance? O. VA’AI.' FREE TRADE Henry George tells us that any system (he is referring to political economy) introduced at first becomes a custom, then a habit, then an obsession —and then a disease. Protection is a disease. It was at first introduced at that period in history when the world lived in zones, and nations believed that national prosperity consisted of smashing other nations, or impoverishing them. The prosperity of one nation is not a bad thing for its neighbour. I refer, of course, to natural prosperity. New Zealand to-day is feeling th© effects of her protective tariff more acutely than ever. It is absurd to say that our tariff is primarily a revenue one. Protection must stand or fall by what it claims to do. No country in the world would gain more from free trade than New Zealand. Anything that prevents trade hampers production. HERBERT MULVIHILL. DEVONPORT GANGWAY Sir, — A few weeks ago a correspondent drew attention to the faulty mechanism of the electric gangway at the new wharf at Devonport. On that occasion the secretary of the Harbour Board declared that when the power was off it was an easy thing to lower the gangway by hand. Last evening, passengers had a further experience of this very inefficient piece of mechanism. The 5.50 p.m. boat from Auckland arrived at Devonport with a full load of passengers, but the gangway would not work. Both captain and mate of the vessel went on the wharf, and endeavoured to lower the gangway by hand, but without success. Finally, the boat had to bp backed but. and brought into the other side of

the wharf, where an old-fashioned, but much more efficient, gangway, was lowered. Considerable delay took place, and passengers with buses to catch were most indignant at the Harbour Board’s apathy in not providing a thoroughly efficient gangway. This sort of thing liq.s happened so often since the new wharf was Opened that passengers are getting heartily sick of it, and many express the opinion that it is time something was done to guard against these annoying delays. FED UP. THE BASIS OF BELIEF Sir, — Your correspondent, “A.E.C.’s,” advice to me to study evolution is superfluous in my case, since I have studied the subject and am a convinced evolutionist. Nor should it be necessary for me to explain the existence of evil in the world, since evil is but the shadow cast by the light of goodness, that which is not yet evolved out of man. Primarily, I am concerned with fundamentals, and what “A.E.C.” or any other Rationalist thinks, so far as I can gather from their writings and speeches, has so far failed to explain is the First Cause, the force behind evolution itself. To my way of reasoning, an imperfect universe in no wise disposes of the idea of a Maker, any more than an imperfect invention disposes of the fact of an inventor. Let us face the facts so far as we know them, boldly, and consider the universe as a vast experiment of which our earth, “this pin-point in space,” is a component part undergoing the same changes through the ages and subject 'to the same immutable laws as Sir Oliver Lodge, Professor Drummond and even the most rationalist thinkers assure us, operate to the most distant stars or planets in space. If evolution teaches anything at all, it is that life on this planet, since life first appeared, has been one long experiment, a constant producing and discarding of types in favour of others more suitable, as each in its turn appeared, fulfilled its purpose and became extinct. Man. the latest and highest life-type of all, has, we are assured, progressed from the brute stage to the reasoning intellectual being he now is, and what he may yet become we know not. What he is capable of now, we know —both of good and evil, but what I and others who believe as I do are concerned with is the fact that history proves conclusively that in the long run it is the good in man that survives. “Some call it evolution and others <-:iU it God.” Personally, I call it by the latter name. I prefer to feel th.- sotTrt rock of faith under my fe t :th* • than trust my finite understanding to the quicksands of a blind and aim(Continued in next column.)

less notion that all this intricate, complex and most wonderful universe of which I myself am part came by chance. Neitzche, the great philosopher, we are told, “reasoned himself out of the circle of human thought and off into insanity.” For my part, for such measure of the span of life as remains to me, I shall endeavour to profit by his unfortunate experience and to retain my faith and my reason at the same time. J.M.J. NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENT “B.K.”—We would be quickly called upon to face a magistrate if we published your letter. —Ed., The Sun.