PEACE CELEBRATIONS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 107, 30 January 1919, Page 6

PEACE CELEBRATIONS

AND THE COST. Sir,—l seo by the papers Hint the local bodies are preparing to spend, a lot of money on arches and such liks for the peace celebrations. Now, Sir, it seems to me to be a very false method of celebrating and showing our appreciation of the blessings'to come. To spend other people's money is not a very convincing way of showing my feelings, and when they are not individually consulted it does not express their feelings either. I would like to see" a true demonstration of our feelings expressed in services, processions, meetings, and decorations, but for these to lie true nothing should be done that is not individually Voluntary. The necessary materials and lnbonr should be collected as gifts, and subscriptions asked for out of which to par for any such that \s not freely given. Like the late patriotic funds and work, no person should bo allowed to be paid except the secretary, and of course the labourer, whose work haq to. bo bought. If I give Sα. material for arches, or food for a children's feast, or such like, it will ben measure'of how much I appreciate God's goodness nnd man's efforts towards advancing civilisation; but if I, a member of a harbour board, vote to spend £150, it will not measure my feelui"s but will only be a nuasure of what I think other people ought to feel. I hope that the Government will absolutely refuse to authorise any such extraordinary expenditure by local bodies.— I am, etc.,

ERIC WEtITCOMBE, Eketahuna, January 25.