The Bay Of Plenty Beacon. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, 5th. JULY, 1940 DROSS!

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 182, 5 July 1940, Page 4

The Bay Of Plenty Beacon. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, sth. JULY, 1940 DROSS!

NATIONAL impurities find their way to the surface during times of stress or emergency. In even the best of regulated communities the weaknesses become apparent when the people are put to the test. In these days of fateful speculation it is an inspiration to see England alone standing undaunted in the face of the hitherto victorious forces of barbarism. Like a rugged rock of sanity she stands' in the seas of turbulence, fear and horror and we, her off-shoots in far and calmer oceans have sufficient faith in her cause and her might to know that she will weather the coming storm and eventually turn the tide of oppression and destroy the evil genius behind its ruthless war-machine. But though the great heart of England remains sound, though the loyalty of the colonies remains unimpaired, it is impossible to escape the attitude of certain sections, members of which will not face facts and influenced only by their miserable selfish gains continue to grouse, grumble;, agitate and in some cases go even as far as to be openly disloyal. Though happily free of these subversive activities in Whakatane or the adjacent district, the picture presented of British-born miners striking at a time when the fate of the Empire hangs in the balance is enough to destroy one's faith in humanity. Obviously the habit of striking at such a time may be termed a good strategical move by those callous individuals who instigate such movements, but to all decent minded persons with a knowledge of the reasons of the action, the whole thing is despicable and blatantly disloyal. Has unionism run to such extremes .that forgetting .its true objectives of bettering the lot of the common worker, it is now willing to jeopardise an important industry at a vital period, merely because of a technicality. The promoters of strikes at this juncture when every person throughout the Dominion is willing to carry the burden of extra taxation, decreased petrol rationing and compulsory loans are nothing more than the dross of the nation and the sooner they are removed from the pure meat! of honest war endeavour, the better for us all. It is by the existence of such internal weaknesses that Hitler was able to undermine the Dutch, Belgian and French resistance. Could such a thing happen in a British country? God forbid! But the fact remains—there are such persons whose slogan is and always has been "Self first, second and last!" Our own British ideas of freedom and toleration have bred vipers in our midst. Strike promotors; a legacy of our over indulgence of unionism, Communists; a legacy of our jealously guarded freedom of speech and independence; defeatists; a legacy of our own hardheadedness and practical interpretation, all these must be overcome and finally swept away if we are to show a strong united front to our enemies and in the end conquer the forces of darkness and potential slavery.