THE CATHOLIC FEDERATION.

New Zealand Tablet, 6 August 1914, Page 36

THE CATHOLIC FEDERATION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Your welcoming reasonable and intelligent criticism of the Catholic Federation prompts me to believe that you will not reject a few suggestions which 1 propose making for the better carrying on of the work. With the exception of a few peculiar individuals who must be for ever ‘ agin the Government’ every Catholic in the Dominion believes that the Federation did not come a day too soon. We all know, however, that in spite of the great activity shown by our leaders, clerical and lay, the Federation is not doing a tithe of the work it is capable of accomplishing. Well, what is wanting? The secret of success in every army, business, or undertaking is, Ist, dividing the labor, and 2nd, seeing that each part is well carried out. We have the N.Z. Executive, the Diocesan Councils, and the Parish Committees. So far so good : but if the Federation is to be a. success we must go one step further and divide every parish into a number of districts, each marked by definite boundaries ; the smaller the subdivisions the better. Each district should be in charge of one or at most two men. These men should provide themselves with a ‘where is it ? ’ note book, and in it enter the name of every Catholic (practical or otherwise), man, woman, and child, in their district. On each page rule off three columns. In the first column enter the subscription, which should be collected annually. In the second column the collector will mark ‘D’ when he has satisfied' himself that the person’s name is on the Dominion, and ‘ M ’ when on the Municipal electoral roll. At the monthly meeting of the Parish Committee canvassers should present their books and state number on their roll, financial members, and number on each electoral roll. We all know that to make a movement a success you must get men interested, and to get men interested you must give as many men as you can something definite to do. The boundaries of each district should be made

out by the parish committee, and in each book should be entered the boundaries of the district for which the book is to be used. . If we carry out something on this line in every parish in the Dominion we will have a complete list of all baptised Catholics, with their addresses, and we shall have the assurance that every eligible Catholic voter has his or her name on the rolls. This may not give us instant victory, but it will go a long way towards it, and without this organisation success is practically impossible. there is another very important point to which I would like to draw the attention of your readers. Are Catholics making sufficient use of the press in New Zealand to forward their claims? I think not. True we have the Tablet, but unfortunately the Tablet is read by very few outside the Church. Why cannot we make ourselves heard more in the columns of the large city journals? In one city journal scarcely an issue contains less than one page of letters in support of the Biblc-in-schools. In another leading daily we had a series of articles from an Orangeman returned from the Old Country, and in them he made the most extraordinary statements against Catholics. Scarcely a word was said in reply in either case. Again what is tnc remedy ? It is clear the lie must be nailed in the paper where it appeared so that the refutation may read! those whose minds have been poisoned by the lie. The remedy I maintain is this; Attached to every parish committee should be a press sub-committee, consisting of three or four intelligent, able, and sober-minded men, who should meet together promptly on the appearance of a calumny, talk the matter over, and depute one of their number to refute it. The subcommittee should report regularly to the general committee and have their work endorsed or commented upon. Let the claims of the Church be heard in every paper in the Dominion and on every possible occasion. We can hardly blame the Bible-in-Schools League for the views they hold when their arguments, which in most cases are ridiculous, go unanswered. Where are the talented young men from our Catholic schools and colleges ? Where arc the able debaters of our Catholic clubs? Let them get into the firing line and in every paper give blow for blow, letter for letter. But that this may be done effectively special men must be told off, and this special work cannot be done better in each parish than by specially appointed press sub-committees of the Catholic Federation.—l am, etc., 1 Catholic.’ Timaru.