PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20784, 19 April 1939, Page 9

PUBLIC OPINION

As expressed by correspondents whose Correspondents are requested lo write in ink. It is essential that anonymous writers enclose their proper names as a guarantee of good fair. Unless this rule is complied with, their letters will not appear. POPPY DAY APPEAL (To the Editor' Sir, —I would like to draw the attention of the generous subscribers to that worthy cause, the Poppy Day appeal, to the injustice their very generosity reflects on those returned soldiers whose war disability and lost opportunity consequent on their three or four years’ service prevent them from being placed on the same plane as the general public through inability to subscribe. —I am, etc., DIGGER. Hamilton, April 18. PROSPECTS OF WAR (To the Editor) Sir, —Proceeding from the point reached in my last letter, where all the evidence points to*.an "ultimatum ’ being presented to the totalitarian Powers, "of world war” or "balanced budgets,” we are here brought face to face with the real issue—war is being engineered to preserve the present financial system. The question to he considered by all, and particularly by the young people is, is the present financial system a system that produces the "hell-houses” of Britain in which masses of the population are rotting with T.B. worth preserving at the sacrifice of millions of the youth of the world? The answer of every decent person will certainly be "no.” It will probably also be conceded by a majority of the masses of tiie British Empire that our alleged statesmen are playing a dangerous and provocative part in hurling the world to war, the tragic part of the business being that tiie statesmen ( ? ) really think they are trying to prevent war, utterly oblivious of the fact that they are merely pawns being used by financial interests to further their own interests, quite regardless of the national interest. 'Statesmen do not realise that all tiie democracies are ruled by the pitiI less dictatorship of finance; hence the ! deplorable habit of sticking meaning- ! less labels such as Fascism or Corn--1 munism to other nations whose form of Government differs from ours. We have the tragic spectacle before our eyes of prominent Socialist and Labour leaders at Home urging the Government to "line-up” with the democracies, thus playing right into the hands of the financial dictatorship. Well we may pray, "God forgive them, they know not what they do.” There is, however, a silver lining to the dark war clouds lowering in the sky, and that is the world-wide disapproval of war by the everyday man and woman in all countries. The good sense of the masses realises the utter futility of war, and that there is not the slightest reason to fight, as there is ample for all. Educated people today realise from the cinema the full | implications of modern war, and that , the only people who profit are the 1 ghouls of finance and armaments. Despite all the war propaganda “put over” by the reactionaries, recruiting I from their point of view is thoroughly , unsatisfactory, in Britain they have got down to employing film stars, etc., 1 , the butterflies of society, to entice I young men into the army. 1 i In the writer’s opinion it is doubt--1 j ful if the people of any civilised nation I I would tolerate modern war on a large scale. —I am, etc., i R. G. YOUNG. : Gordonton, April 17. i THINGS POLITICAL

(To the Editor) Sir, —The writer would again remind readers who may be interested in politics—and possibly not too well satisfied with Labour’s policy—that lie can show them another method in policy that is based on the world’s latest and best, should they ever decide on the necessity of forming a people's party wherein their candidates, etc., would be sworn in and | pledged only to the carrying out of the policy of the party. Labour's methods are very unsatisfactory. Its guaranteed price, for instance, is not what the commission of inquiry found should be a just price. Even Labour’s social security is entirely wrong in principle, as it really only amounts to a redistribution, or a levelling down of the incomes that the people have earned. A correct government could not continue with that method. In a sound and practical method the first thing should be to encourage the people to work and produce, as by a just guaranteed price and just wages, and that then together with greatly reduced taxation would leave the people in so much better a condition financially that they generally would not require the social security. .Any unfortunates who would still be in need would have only to prove their case genuine before the rightful authorities when they would be entitled to come up for what they needed. All the ordinary pensions, of course, would still be there. That method in social security would be the only practical one, as at the same time it would be encouraging the production of tiie necessities of life, thus ensuring that there would be no shortage of the real wealth. All that iis possible and practical under the j non-balancing of the budget system, and there would be no social security taxation. Yet the soundness of money under the system is beyond question. And this method, involving the use of i tiie non-balancing of tiie budget i money system with tiie policy of i Christian social justice, is obviously | the only right way in government, as j it is ordered and planned throughout. | There is no doubt that it was the j obvious correctness and orderliness of j his method that made it possible for ! a man like Dr. Salazar, of Portugal, fresh out of the university, to take on without precedent such a big revolutionary change in his country’s economic and monetary system. Before such a change could be undertaken in New Zealand a people's party must be formed. In a people’s party it is essential that the candidates I etc., must in all circumstances bo I quite free to art in the interests of | the people. That would mean that no I Freemason or person pledged to serve the interests of Freemasonry could be. ! eligible, fi'hat same stipulation is made in all the countries that have adopted the Christian social justice regime, the Freemasons in those countries being simply required to @it | back and allow justice to be done

l'or them the same as it is for the rest of the people. Now.if the National Party has a real desire to serve the people, and if it would itself become a people's party, the way is clear. The writer, who has no self-interests, would bo prepared to place before the party all that he has acquired in the way i.»f information that would give an insight into what is now regarded as the world's most correct method of government and money system. "But if the National Party would fail to make the necessary change that would make it a people’s party, the party would be of no use and Ilm people would be well advised to set about forming their own party. With the information that is now available there would then be no reason why we should not soon be enjoying a government comparable with l lie weald's best.—l am. etc.. J. P. IvUiPP.NJr.iI. Te Hore, April 17.