The Choice: Unity In Peace— Destruction In War

Chronicle (Levin), 7 June 1949, Page 4

The Choice: Unity In Peace— Destruction In War

On June 9 the Hon. T. Bloodworth wil' address the public quarterly mee.ing of the Levin branch of the United Nations Association. Mr. Bloodworth has a long and honourable record of public service, having served on many public bodies' in Auckland before being . cafied to the Legis ative Council in 19,34. He is president of the United Nations Association of New Zealand, and his subject wili be "The Success of UnLed Nations." It is difficuit to think of a matter of greater urgency than this. If U.N.O. does not succeed, if, that is, no effeetive form of international government is devised, and devised soon, what will happen to us? Professor Llewellyn, of Auckland, who p ayed a part in the development of atomic energy during the waf, has put the matter plainly in these words: "We live today in fear of war and in the shadow of a gceat ca.astrophe, not because of the discoveries of the scieneist but simply because man has not learned the art of livihg with his neighbour. Science has now presented man with his ultimate choice — destroy war and the will to war, or destroy yourself. "In 1945 for a few weeks or months after the events at Hiroshima the whole thinking world recognised this state of affairs; by 1949 the memory has become dim and we are drifting dangerous y Lowards the dissolution of our eivilisation. The United Nations — the only international political organisation in existence today— is in danger of collapse. There are those who would wind it up and pigeon-hole it as a curiosity, along with Ihe old, forgotten League of Nations, but because the United Nations is an international body its work must continue, and we must see to it that it succeeds in its efforts, for therein lies our only hope of survival/'