CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12687, 8 July 1919, Page 5

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS

MR N. GOLDSBURY’S LECTURE. A public lecture was delivered in the Trades. Hall by Mr N. Goldsbury last night,_ under the auspices of the Conscientious Objectors’ Fellowship- There was a fair attendance.

Mr A. Borrowes, who occupied the chair, said that the Conscientious Objectors’ Fellowship had been formed with the object of fighting militarism. Conscientious objectors were coming out of prison almost weekly, and the organisation was intended tto absorb them and to work for the release of those still in gaol. A series of lectures was planned, and the meeting was intended to kill two birds with one stone —to arouse the interest Of the public and to raise finances in order to help on the fellowship’s work. Mr Goldsbury said that the point of view he would present w T ould he that of a conscientious objector. Probably it would be biased,' but those who stood for militarism were as biased as he was. It seemed to the conscientious objectors that freedom of Conscience was the foundation of political and individual freedom. There was to them a higher law than the law of the State, and they were prepared to stand hy it. The whole principle of war was wrong. When one had been directly subject to the methods of the Government for the enforcement of the laws, one looked vrpon the matter from a different light than did the ordinary citizen who did not clash with them. The system hy which the Government treated those who broke the law was had. Very little go'od, could he seen in it. When one had ‘experienced it, the fallacy of its application hy the Allies to the nations they had conquered was apparent. In this system of keeping order, both internally and externally, the men who were keeping order were compelled to do contrary ho their better natures. When it was necessary to compel men to do these things, it seemed to him very wrong. War, force, coercion, was not the way to settle great questions. It seemed'to him the result of the system under which society was at present living. The competitive element in it made the resort of the State to force more or less a natural one. The struggle for individual and national economic, power naturally made for war. A great dealjhad been heard about the League of Nations. Its constitution embodied the principle of the enforcement of peace. To make it suecessful, it should take to itself power to so organise the economic forces of the world that they could he used for the benefit of the people. As long as they relied on coercion for settlement or moral, economic and religions questions they would never settle them, that was where the Peace Treaty tailed. Coercion was the antithesis of peace. The principle behind the Peace j reaty must be one ouite different from that of coercion. War would never ho ended hy war. They had been told that the war was fought for the abolition of war, and the safety of democracy. He very much doubted whether any such thing would result. Chiss barriers must be done away with, and the only way they could he clone away with was through a spirit , of c’o-operation and brotherhood. A lasting peace could only result fi'M pmcmUs. L-oiker-hood and of economic ’order, as-opposed tO . economic power. As long as the principles of brotherhood were overridden m dealing'with nations, so lon* would a lasting peace bo impossible. ** After the lecturer had answered a number of , questions he was accorded a vote of thanks. .

In the Supreme Court at Wellington yesterday, probate of the will of the late Mr Hamilton Gilmer was granted the Public Trustee. The will was sworn at under. £500,000. There are two-pub-lic bequests, one of £IOO a year for ten years ;to St Peter’s Anglican Church, Wellington, and £IOO to the children’s ward at Wellington hospital.

The City Surveyor reported to the City Council last evening that the number of building permits issued in June was thirty-one of a total value of £29,750, being made up as follows in the various wards Central—lnner area 3 (£11,800); outer area 7 (£4700). St Albans—ls (£9250). Limvood—4 (£3000). Sydenham—2 (£1000). In June, 1918, the permits' issued totalled 10, the value being. £3700. The building permits issued since April this year numbered 91, total value £71,050, the individual figures being:—Central—lnner - area '8 (£15,050); outer area 15 (£14,080); St Albans—so (£30,080). Linwood—9; (£4390). Sydenham—9 (£7450).' For a similar period last vear the permits granted were 42, and” the value £39,350,