INTERNATIONAL, UNITY.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18832, 21 March 1931, Page 4

INTERNATIONAL, UNITY.

To the Editor of the “ Timaru Herald.” Sir, —I read with much interest the fine address on the above subject given recently to the Timaru Rotary Club by Mr W. D. Campbell. I think I am safe in saying I can endorse every statement he made on that occasion except one. I think it is well worth while drawing public attention to that exception. Mr Campbell stated that slavery had disappeared from the world except in the region of the Red Sea. Unfortunately this is far from being the case. As the result of recent investigations in which the late Dr Nansen took a leading part, it Is now known that there are at least 4,000,000 slaves in the world The actual number may probably be nearer 6,000,000. Within recent years a new international effort has been made to abolish slavery in all parts of the world. Naturally this humanitarian work has been taken, over by the League of Nations. The first step was, of course, to get exact information as to the extent of the evil. There have been many difficulties in getting full information about this stain on civilisation, but it is now known that various forms of slavery exist to-day in Burmah, China, West Africa, as well as in Arabia and Abyssinia. A few months ago we were reminded by cable message that slavery existed even in Liberia, a negro republic in the West of Africa, actually founded early in the nineteenth century as a home for freed slaves from the Southern States of America.

Lady Simon’s recent book on “Slavery” was written to give the public full information about the actual extent of the evil, in the hope that steps will be taken to abolish all the various forms of forced labour and slavery surviving in the world to-day. As Sir John Simon aptly states in the preface to his wife’s book, it is an appeal to this generation to complete the work so nobly begun by Wilberforce and Clarkson. This is one of the many important humanitarian tasks now being furthered by the League of Nations. Might I suggest that our Rotary Clubs could do something to assist this much needed modern crusade against slavery? I may add that Lady Simon’s book on “Slavery,” is in the Timaru Public Library.—l am, etc., SIGMAt. Timaru, March 19th.