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Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 414, 8 June 1915, Page 6

Riccarton has in Councillor Parsons a representative who evidently strongly believes in the sins of the fathers being visited upon the children, and in punishment before justice. Last night, in deprecating any first claim for the Belgians on the generosity of the people, he said that the disaster which had overtaken Belgium was one of the fairest punishments in history—just retribution for the Congo atrocities. Of course, we all remember the "Red Rubber" revelations, but Mr Parsons has apparently forgotten that when those cruelties occurred the Belgian Congo was the property of a limited company, of which King Leopold IF., the uncle of the,present King of Belgium, was by far the largest shareholder. Whatever was done then was not done with the sanction of the Belgian Government or the people, who had no control of the '-territory. Yet, Mr Parsons would suggest that for the sins of an avaricious old King and a few others it is proper that Belgium's fairest towns should be reduced to cinder heaps', her lands devastated, and her people slaughtered. If Mr Parsohs's memory is good enough he might remember the Putamayo atrocities for which the directors of an English company were tried in England not long ago. Cruelties to the Putamayo rubber-gatherers were proved, but though the English directors got the money, they were not guilty either of committing or directly inspiring the tortures inflicted; yet Mr Parsons might as well claim that this war is a just retribution on England for the Putamayo crimes as to claim that Belgium's fate, is God's heavy vengeance for the Congo. In fact, Mr Parsons talked stupid nonsense, which was not the less stupid because it was cruel.