The Daily News SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1930. INDUSTRY AND THRIFT.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1930, Page 6

The Daily News SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1930. INDUSTRY AND THRIFT.

In his charge to the Anglican Synod at Auckland on Thursday Archdeacon Mac Murray was, no doubt, actuated by the best of intentions when he denounced art union gambles as being inimical to industry and thrift. It is, however, one thing to make a charge of that kind, but quite a different matter to substantiate it. Probably no one with a due sense of the real meaning of words will for a moment contend • that a socalled art union is anything other than a lottery. The archdeacon asserts it “is only a sham to cover a hardly disguised gamble, ” and that art unions do not add one penny to the resources of the Dominion. That also is a statement requiring full corroboration before it is accepted. It is matter of common knowledge that many of- the Christian Churches make a practice of raising funds by means of raffles, guessing competitions and other similar appeals to the sporting instincts of the community. But are those appeals designed to arouse a “greedy response” on the part of the get-rich-quick enthusiasts ? Certainly not. Yet the archdeacon contends that “the main evil (of art unions) lies in the moral effect on the community in leading it to forget that work and thrift are fundamental principles of progress stamped upon the lives of men, and that it is this which makes the unemployment of this age not only deplorable from a humanitarian and eeonoffiie point of view/ but terribly sad from a moral standpoint.” Surely this is quite extravagant language and altogether uncalled for. There can be no justification for the assertion that such harmless speculations as art unions are inimical to the pursuit of the attainment of practical Christian virtues that would help materially to make the world better than it is, and enable ■people to bear their misfortunes with fortitude and x patience. Take the case of a man of small means who buys an art union ticket for half a crown and wins £2OOO, which he invests in a small farm and stock, thereby obtaining a start in life. Does he not add to the resources of the Dominion? On the other hand, take a paragraph, from a recent issue of the Auckland Star, referring to the lot “of many honest men who had saved for years so as to have a nest egg to tide ’ them over bad times, yet who had been obliged to draw their last penny from the Savings Bank and ultimately to apply for relief.” How, will these two illustrations fit into the archdeacon’s arguments? The fact is there are few people, even among those in responsible positions, who are not at times led. away by impulse or some inability to weigh well themes outside their usual, spheres of action, and so cause irritation where they honestly mean to tender good advice. It has to be admitted that the present system of granting permits for art unions is an absolute farce, but that does not imply that the Government is encouraging “an orgy of gambling,” or lead the public to think that the old-fashioned virtues, of industry and thrift are out of date. Assuming that the totalisatoi’ was abolished, bookmakers swept out of existence, art unions disallowed, and every other form of speculation (including the stock exchanges) made penal offences, there would still be found other means of spending money in small sums without adding “one penny to the resources of the Dominion.” In these days leaders of the churches have great responsibilities to shoulder, and it behoves them to be extremely careful in guiding their flocks, as well as in setting examples of propriety and moderation. While no sentiment could be more sound than. that of Archdeacon Mac Murray when he said that “work and thrift are fundamental principles of progress stamped upon the lives of men,'” yet there is no serious harm or inconsistency on the

part of thrifty workers if they decide to make a sacrifice of a small

sum in a lottery, that may or may not bring a high or a modest return. They can still exercise thrift, and the statistics of the various savings banks and other similar institutions in the Dominion testify to the saving sense of the people in no uncertain way.