POINTS OF VIEW

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 55, Issue 3928, 19 July 1937, Page 5

POINTS OF VIEW

OPINIONS OF OUR READERS. CAPITALISM AND WAR. Sir,—One might say to Professor Murphy that in order to impress the Royal Agricultural Society’s conference it is not necessary to talk nonsense, sueh comment being provoked by the report of his speech in the Courier this week. “It is the reverse of the truth to say that capitalism breeds wars,” says the professor, and he exhorts his hearers to “Look round the world and you will see that the capitalist countries, notably Britain and France, are pacific and the Socialist countries bellicose.” In the first place it is surely a severe strain on the truth to assert that the so-called bellicose countries jare 'Socialist in any true .sense of the word, and it is obvious that • Professor Murphy is more concerned to “damn” Socialism than to deal with facts. Does he seriously contend that economic imperialism is not one of the chief causes of war and will he deny that economic imperialism is the fine (or not so fine) flower of capitalism? In a word, is it not true that the struggle for markets, necessary for the survival of capitalism, is, and has been, the basic cause of modern wars and threats of war? What Socialist States were involved in the French invasion of Mexico, the Russo-Japan-ese War, the British occupation of Egypt, the South African War, the Great War, the Japanese intrusion in Manchuria ? What Socialist States partitioned Africa or quarrelled over Chinese or Persian spheres of interest, or snarled about oil in Mexico, Iraq and elsewhere? What Socialist State seeks the economic overlordship of the South American States? “Economic nationalism, dictatorship and Socialism are modern triplets, ’ exclaims the professor in his search for smart and striking phrases. This is meaningless, a mere jumble or words —for these so-called triplets are not sired by the same parent nor brought to birth by the same economic or political mother; if it were so we should have not only economic nationalism but dictatorships and Socialism in every country in the world. Some people might say that the first two are in fact to be found in every country, but not the third. It is a pity that Professor Murphy does not use his undoubted gifts judicially in the elucidation of the truth as to the causes of war.—l am, etc., F. T. DAVIS. New Plymouth, June 25. RUGBY PLAYING AREAS. / Sir, —Would you kindly allow me space in your column protesting about the conditions that some of our Rugby games are played under in the junior competition of the Waipa Rugby Union. I happened to be a spectator at the Ngutunui v. Hospital match last Saturday, and may I suggest before any more games are played at Ngutunui the controlling bodies should inspect the ground, as it is dangerous to players, and a game of football cannot be played under such conditions. For instance, the ground is very undulated and bumpy, also a wire fence with heavy fencing posts about every 15 yards apart is placed about 4ft from the touch line, which in itself is a danger to players. At one stage of the game I saw one of the Hospital players strike his head against one ot these posts. There was not a flag to be seen on the ground apart from the Hospital team lines man’s flag, saying nothing of ths schoolboy that represented Ngutunui as a linesman with a white handker chief in his hand. Four manuka sticks represented the corner flags, and no sticks at all to indicate the corners 01 dead ball areas. I also heard remarks passed by an official on the Junioi Advisory Board, who was standing on the side line, which made me wonder who was in charge of the game—him or the referee. Now, finally I ask, why is it that such an ideal, fullsized, propsrly equipped ground, like the one out at Tokanui, is lying idle every Saturday?—l am, etc., INTERESTED. CAPITALISM AND WAR. Sir, —Professor Murphy is reported to have said: “It is the reverse of truth to say that capitalism breeds wars . . . capitalistic countries, notably Britain and France, are pacific, and the Socialist countries bellicose ...” The professor is further reported to have said that the only serious rivals to capitalism were some forms of Fascism, Nazism or Communism. Has not the lecturer drawn entirely wrong conclusions from the facts, and indeed rather mistated those facts? Most students would say that while capitalism does not seek wars nevertheless it is compelled, by its very nature and while we have separate nationalities, to pursue policies which must sooner or later result in war. The classification of Socialistic and capitalistic countries given by the lecturer seems wrong. All countries except Russia are capitalistic. Great Britain and France, which the professor gives as examples of peaceful capitalistic countries, are certainly peacefully inclined at the moment, but Germany and Italy and Japan say that we are peaceful because the last war and former wars have left us with all the territories and colonies which we desire and can possibly make use of. Might I suggest that one of the most potent causes of war is the desire for territories and the wealth which the possession of those territories bring? Until we have some international tribunal to determine national claims and an international force to see those decisions are respected we shall always have wars. I am, etc., OBSERVER.