THE PEOPLE'S PLAN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 70, 26 June 1942, Page 5

THE PEOPLE'S PLAN

WORLD RECONSTRUCTION THE MAN WJTH A MESSAGE The attendance at Mr Brian Dunningham's meeting at Whakatane last Tuesday evening: was not calculated to reflect a great deal of credit upon the town, as housing a thinking and progressive community. The fourteen; who did attend, however were the richer by far as a result, and those who missed 1 the opportunity will probably never realise the extent of their loss. Mr Dunningham who is director of the movement known as the "People's Plan" for reconstruction is a forceful and lucid speaker and portrayed the plan of world reconstruction which one feels convinced as one listens, is comprehensive, balanced and most likely to be accepted as an antidote for the world's ever recurring ills. After a brief introduction by Mr -B. S. Barry, Mr Dunningham touched on conditions to-day which he described as most desperate and tragic. The 1914-18 war cost the ■civilised world 8,000,000 lives, the influence epidemic' Avhich followed and was directly clue to it, cost a further 10,000,000. Ever since that time the Avorld had experienced a period of unrest and selfishness which had culminated in the new world conflict, and bade fair to •even eclipse the last in magnitude. A Sorry Tale The years preceding the second -world war told a sorry tale of malnutrition, oppression, unemployment -and exploitation. From his own observations he Quoted -criminal destruction of foodstuffs by fire and ocean dumping in order to bolster up a market price, while millions were scavenging for a living in the cities. Wheat being burnt by the million bushels, oranges being dumped by the million cases, coffee being destroyed—all these things to serve an end —the greed for money by the privileged few who needed it least of all. All this criminal destruction, when "the infant mortality rate in England was 150 in the 1000. Though certain economists claimed that booms and slumps were inevitable, he and others claimed that a famine was the only real excuse for a slump. The Federated Chambers of Commerce however took a vastly different view and in a special statement issued said that reimposing the trade barriers would invite a return to the old trade, dog-fight with its attendant evils, vient to the nations lust for power. Quoting the achievement of Hitler, he said that this man had taken over a bankrupt nation less than 20 years ago and by utilising the financial system in a diabolical manner had built the greatest Avar machine ever known. Japan had done the same thing but applied it in a different manner i.e., the subsidising •of all her exports §o that she could undersell to a ridiculous degree all her competitors. Thus the two most powerfully militarised nations on earth had broken from the orthodox monetary systems and had made them subservient to the nations lust for power. It was part of the "People's Plan" to make the system which Ave had .serve the people so that they could buy Avhat Avas needed to maintain life in natural health and vigour. It Avas obvious to us all that a country which had not yet paid for the -debts incurred for the conduct of the Maori Avars could never be ex-i pected to meet the colossal indebtedness of the second AA'orld Avar. Dealing Avith the health of hu- . inanity Mr Dunningham said that hospital figures were apalling. The question of diet Avas inseparable from that of health and this had been taken up in all seriousness by the 'Reconstruction' movement. Spiritual Foundation The Avhole success of the introduction of the scheme Avas linked with the spiritual aspect and guided by the simple fundamentals set out in the Bible. Jt Avould be hopeless to attempt such a tremendous undertaking Avithout the fullest faith and belief in spiritual guidance. To that end the Reconstruction Conference called recently at Auckland had set up a committee Avhich represented the best brains of the coun-> try and some of its greatest spiritual leaders. The president Avas His Grace Archbishop Health •Consultant, Dr Eric Williams, Nutrition, Dr Guy Chapman. Others (Continued in next column)

were Mr G. G. Rossiter (Christian Businessmen's Association), Rev H. Banks (Liberal Catholic Church), Mr R. J. Peter (Physical and Mental Welfare), Miss Elsie Andrews (President Pan-Pacific Conference), Mr J. H. Furniss (N.Z. Farmers' Un-< ion), Mr Briscoe Moore (N.Z.F.U.), Mr L. B. Inch (Humi-Compost Club), Miss O. Foster (Rongotai College), Mr Edmund Hillary (Radiant Living School), Miss Joan Warren (New Life Movement), Financial Reconstruction (Mr John Hogan), Rev. Canon Walter Averill (Spiritual), Prof. 11. Belshaw (Justice), Mr K. Tarawa (Maori Plan) and many others. Mr Dunningham also dealt extensively with education, social progress, international relationships, agriculture, finance, youth and moral and mental reconstruction the whole being based upon a spiritual sense of values which would be the guiding force for their introduction. 'Righteousness alone exaulteth a nation," he said, "and the world will only lie a better place when we have learnt that all races are one that all men should have the right to peace and the privilege of living in fellowship one with the other." At the conclusion of his address Mr Dunningham was accorded a vote of thanks by applause. (We will have pleasure in publishing further extracts of Mr Dunningham's address in later issues).