VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1934, Page 7

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

VIEWS ON CURRENT TOPIC! THE PALMERSTON NORTH AFFAIR. SYSTEM. FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG. (To the Editor.) Sir,—ln your leader of the 24th inst. you condemn the Mayor of Palmerston North for publicly upholding the rights of the people. Now, I regard the action of this man as a sign of an awakening of a national conscience to a position that is becoming untenable, and which under the existing order cannot be ameliorated. It is slowly coming home to all responsible citizens that there is something fundamentally wrong with a system that denies to honest men. the right to earn a living for their families. With this realisation there is also stirring a feeling of compassion tinged with remorse that while their children lie in the lap of luxury tens of thousands are pining in a land of plenty. I do not hold the, Government re- .. sponsible for this deplorable state of affairs. It is due simply to the iniquitous operation of an economic system that does not meet the conditions prevailing to-day. But should not this fact place all women and children lacking the . necessaries of life on a par with the victims of the Napier earthquake? I would prefer to base my argument solely on those laws whose violation is the cause of our stagnation to-day, but our Ministers will assert that all is being done that is possible with the means at their disposal. When we hear such assertions made in sight of abundant goods and numerous cold and hungry children we must remember that they are uttered, not by statesmen, but by politicians, else they would know to whom those goods, and to whom those children, belong. Tomorrow, that Empire will call its children; to-day, its children call to it. Should it not so answer their call today as to leave no doubt as to their reply to-morrow? Let us, above all things, be open and above board and not drive agitation underground to breed evils that will come up like Canadian thistles.. Why should the Mayor of Palmerston North be censured for. proclaiming his honest convictions? lam aware that during the present crisis it has been the policy of the Government to regard as seditious the mere expression of opinions condemning the present social system, ostensibly on the grounds that such opinions are inimical to the common weal. I would refer anyone who fails to see the wrong in placing restrictions on the public expression of opinions, and where a policy of suppression must lead us, to Italy, Austria, and Germany, where he may behold the wonders of mbdem science and art side by side with the horrors of mediavel Europe. When we censure a mayor for championing the cause of those under his jurisdiction, or gaol a Socialist for making proposals that, in effect, would destroy our con-, stitution, we really do our Empire great harm. In the former case, the mayor’s purpose is the betterment of the people, and, even if in error, he, at least, draws, attention to a social evil. In the latter case the Socialist, by attacking our rights, keeps alive in us a sense of what those rights mean to us. In my plea for the Socialist I leave out of account the possibility that posterity may reverse our verdict and adopt not only his doctrines but his system itself.—l am, W. GODKIN. . .Taurukawa,.May 30. ' MR. WILKINSON’S OUTBURST. • (To the Editor.) Sir,—Perhaps I am doing Mr. Polson a dis-service in giving Mr. Wilkinson a little more of the publicity for which he so evidently hungers and thirsts. Yet I cannot let this occasion pass. Mr. Wilkinson is again singularly unfortunate in the times and place in which he chooses to express his feelings, Mr. Pol-., son being in the South Island and not able to speak for himself. No matter what smoke screen Mr. Wilkinson uses to cloud his political past, the fact remains that when the Mortgagors’ Relief Bill was before the House Mr. Wilkinson did not vote. With regard to Mr. Wilkinson’s final outburst, I am not acquainted with Mr. Polson’s private affairs, but if he owns a paper or has any “direct or. indirect” interest in any Taranaki paper, then I must say he gets a very poor return for his money. —I am, etc., LOVER OF FAIR PLAY. Stratford, May 31. BUY BRITISH. (To the Editor). Sir,—ln the Daily News the other day someone answered the letter that I wrote on May 26, but he did not sign his name to it. I think if a letter-is worth while writing, and if there is toothing in it that you need be afraid of, it is worth while putting your name at the bottom of it “Farmer” starts off by saying, that it is a worn out old tune about buying American cars etc. If he thinks the old tune is worn out, let us start with another tune, namely, “And •we shall cut down the old pine tree.” That is to say, let us cut out a lot of American goods and plant more, of, our business with our . own countrymen. ' “Farmer” also mentioned that it was about time I started to think reasonably for myself. If he thinks it is not reasonable for us to give the British workmen our trade does he think it is reasonable for the British public to buy his produce? I am glad that he does admit there are between 80 and 90 per cent, of American cars in this country. He also goes on to say that if an American car suits the prospective buyer by its cheapness, size or apparent luxuriousness it is sold. I will give him that all in. But may I try to explain to him how it has been very costly to the whole of New Zealand. Buyers kept on increasing the number of American cars and decreasing the number of British cars, and never thought to themselves how many men they were throwing out of a job at Home. That is partly the reason why the butter market at Home has gradually weakened, and I do not think it will get ever much better as long as this sort of thing goes on. The first thing we who are living in New Zealand should do is to try our best to get the people at Home back to work again. This can be partly done by giving them’more of our business. Not only the car industry but other lines of business would then start to move.—l am, etc., A. PRIEST. Moturoa, June 1.