OVERSEAS OPINIONS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 81, 29 December 1934, Page 16

OVERSEAS OPINIONS

Control of Armaments. “We have the most complete and stringent system of control of the export of arms of any country in the world. No consignment of armaments can leave this country without a license to export it.. The British exporter has to establish to the satisfaction of the appropriate department the real destination of his goods, and we give no license except for export to Governments. We refuse the benefit of our export credit system to the export of munitions of war, and bo far as I know we are the only country in the world that does it. We never subsidise a private firm for producing arms. We never allow our diplomatic or consular officers abroad to act as travellers or canvassers for armament firms.” —Sir John Simon. Their Virtues Shine Through. “In pbiloslophy, religion, poetry, Perhaps most of all in science and the. great achievements of the intellect, the best in each nation does get through to the others. In the British Museum, the Louvre, thfe Bodleian, and the Blbliotheque Nationale, at Canterbury I and the Parthenon-and Giotto’s Tower and the Taj Mahal, one can stop and say with reverence and affection, ‘This is England, or Greece, or Italy, or India.’ That is the right way in which \ nations should know one another, not by their crimes or plots, but by their finest that is in them. That is the whole object of the organisation of ini' tellectual co-operation, which does nor, of course, pretend to have started this Intellectual co-operation for the first time, much less to supersede ' other agencies. It is only a sign that the League of-Nations, while encouraging co-operation in the more obvious material ways, does not forget this fundamental co-operation of things of the spirit.—-Professor Gilbert Murray.

Church and People. “It is often said that the general gaiety of life to-day, notably week-end parties and motor-car picnics to the seaside, /has destroyed church-going habits for multitudes. Ido not agree. That kind of argument is an illustration of the confusion often made between cause and effect,” said the Bishop of Chelmsford in a recent speech. . “It is not the case that people neglect Sunday worship because of the allurement of pleasure. The reverse is the real truth. People indulge in week-end junketing because they dp not want to go to church. If they really had an. aptitude for religious observances, even if petrol was as cheap as water and motor-cars were supplied free to every ratepayer, people would still go to church. If these people are to be recovered fpr the Church, the only way is through their homes. It is through definite missionary work. I do not think that much can be done except by the revival of the old system of systematic visiting of homes of the people in the parishes.”

Unemployment a Christian. Problem. “Any society which really cared for men as Christ would have them care would move heaven and earth to arrive at Some sort .of solution of the devastating problem of unemployment. ’Men are bound to ask what is the use of all the Christian truths and Ideals unless Christian people give themselves no rest until they -have achieved an order of society in which each man can find some place. That is undoubtedly one of the great obstacles to • evangelism at the present moment. It is felt not only by the unemployed man himself, but by - those whose hearts are' awakened to his needs. Nothing will satisfy , them except a resolute thinking out of 1 the whole problem, a canvassing of ways and means, and a readiness to face the cost of sacrifice in order that this blot may be removed from our social life. The Gospel to -win men to-day must be the Gospel of the Kingdom. It is possible to imagine what the effect would-'be if Christian people really took this problem to heart, and neither gave themselves nor others any rest until something was done about it.” —Dr. Sydney Berry.

German South-west Africa. Last May the Legislative Assembly of South-west Africa passed a unanimous resolution, the German members abstaining, asking the Union of South Africa to admit the territory as a fifth province. There is nothing in the terms of the mandate to prevent South Africa from including South-west Africa as closely as she likes within her administrative system. But unless the League consents to relieve her of the obligation to answer to the Mandates Commission for her tutelage of the native people, her sovereignty over the territory must always he limited to that extent. The first part of article 22 of the Covenant is one of the most valuable of its clauses. It declares that the wellbeing and development of the native peoples in the former enemy colonies shall form “a sacred trust of civilisation,” and provides that the mandatory shall answer to the League’-for the fulfilment of that trust. It is to -be hoped that however closely the “fifth province” may be brought into the Union’s administrative system this safeguard for the welfare of the native people that has suffered bitterly in the past at the hands of Europeans will not be abandoned.—“ Manchester Guardian.”

Flats or Cottages? The agitation for a reform of housing conditions is growing too strong in Melbourne for the Gfcvernment to hold out much longer; the slums —or, at any rate, some of them—are sure to come down, and in their place will be erected buildings fit for human occupation. Already there is a conflict of opinion as to whether flats or cottages should be built. There is a justifiable feeling against the tenement. The ideal home for any family, rich or poor, is a structure standing in its own block of land. But there are many factors to be considered. Workmen must live within walking distance of their occupation or their wages will be depleted by costs of transportation. In wharfside or factory areas, where most of the slums predominate, this is especially necessary. Loss of time is a serious thing to workmen on the lower wage scale.. Further, the flat with all the rooms on one floor is preferable, from every standpoint, to the old-time terrace house, which wastes much room in stairways, and which is an eternal inconvenience in requiring ascents and descents. But most Important of all is the fart that the necessary population cannot be accommodated within reasonable distance of working places unless the flat or tenement principle is adopted.—"lh,e Bulletin” (Sydney).

Great Task Ended. General Edward Higgins, the man who was called to the leadership of the Salvation Army at the most critical period in its history, has retired from that great office. lie has performed his task nobly and well. The great, farewell gathering at the Albert Hall was at once a tribute to the departing leader and his devoted helpmeet, Mrs. Higgins, and to the strength of the world-wide “Army.” When he was elected to the leadership, General Higgins had been an officer for nearly 45 years. He was known as an able administrator and a man of judgment. But above all he possesses qualities of friendliness. During his • generalship the “Army” has gained in force and influence, and he hands over to his successor, Commander Evangeline Booth, a united and .revitalised Instrument of salvation. All who know the value of his work may say in all sincerity : “Well done, thou good arid faithful servant.”—“Daily Mail” (London).

Ending Graft. Mr. Morrison and his colleagues in the Labour Party have recommended that in future “no father, son or daughter of any member of a council shall be eligible for any office or situation in the gift or appointment of the council or for entering into any contract with or doing any kind of work directly or indirectly for the council.” They also advise the new councillors to keep all contractors "beyond arm’s length.” Mr. Morrison would be the first to admit that corruption has been common to all parties, and in making the abolition of it the first work of the new councils the London Labour Party has done a great public service. Nothing surprises the foreign observer' of the British scene more than the absence of graft in the administration of local affairs. Now and again there have been some bad cases, and as Govern-, ment contracts and housing activities extend they may become more fre-quent.—“News-Chronicle” (London).

■Lack of Ideas, not of Hairs. “There are many old men still counted by the registrar as in the twenties. They are bld because they will never -have a new idea as long as they live,” writes Professor Eric S. Waterhouse, D.D., in “The News Chronicle.” “There are plenty of young men in the seventies, men whose minds are elastic enough to stretch to new notions. They may have rather less on top of their heads but rather more inside, and it is lack of ideas not lade of hairs that makes any nian old. Those who are still ready to learn, still willing to admit that they don’t know, still interested in life, are the people who will 'take to’ psychology. The others will not admit that they are unable to learn' and think they, know, but they will show the very same thing by telling you that they have no patience with . all this psychology ‘jargon’ and ‘sex stuff,’ and so appear very superior people. The psychologist smiles quietly and says, ‘Just so. I understand.’ He ' does.” . ' Teeth and the Toothbrush. “Thus the chief cause of dental trouble lies in certain errors in feeding, and the cure lies in their abandonment—that is, in eating suitable food in ' such sequence that the mouth feels clean at the end of a meal. In others words, ‘clean teeth do not decay.’ A confirmation of this maxim has been brought forward quite lately by a report from the dental and medical officers of Christ’s Hospital, in which it is stated that on account of a vigorous campaign of oral cleanliness among the boys in that shool over the last ten years, the incidence of dental disease has diminished to a reinrka.ble extent. This Campaign is conducted on simple lines, merely by the vigorous and regular use of the toothbrush night and morning, wielded in an appropriate manner up and down the teeth and over the gums, over the crowns of the bad: teeth, and behind the front ones; to effect this the brush must be of suitable size and firmness, a small brush fitting the teeth better than a large one.”— Sir Francis Dyke Acland, in the “Morn-' ing Post.”

Justice States and Power States. “Small States, naturally, always stand for justice; they cannot exist without it. But Great States, being powerful ejiough, or believing that they can be powerful enough, to stand alone, are tempted ultimately to base their policy not on the principle of absolute justice, but on the principle of ‘vital interest,’ and only on vital interest as they interpret it themselves,” writes ■Professor R. B, Ro-wat in the “Contemporary Review.”. "Thus it seems as if the world may be considered as ■grouped into two classes, ‘justiceStates,’ which comprise all small States and some great States, who desire only to see what,is fair between States; and power-States, comprising every State which holds that the pursuit of its vital interest (including its ‘greatness’) is •an ‘imperative necessity.’ When the •world realises clearly the distinction between ‘justice-States’ and ‘powerStates,’ tl(g problem of international relajjqps will be solved. For no States, no civilised peoples, anyhow, can long resist the' compelling attraction of the eternal principle of justice."

Empire Air Services! The remarkable flights in the air race to Australia have naturally attracted public attention to commercial aviation, and have rightly led to a demand that Great Britain and the Empire shall not be behind other countries in the matter of air communications. But it has been acknowledged since the first excitement over the speeds of the winners subsided that racing performances cannot be translated into commercial operation, and the argument has swung away from the direct lessons of the race toward a comparison between the speed of commercial services in the United States and that of air mail services within the Empire. Thus it has been held by implication that, if the United States can produce a Douglas air liner and a Sikorsky flying-boat, then Great Britain should be able to produce something better than the air liners and seaplanes which cruise at speeds between 105 and 125 miles an hour. There is no doubt in the minds of those acquainted with the British aircaft industry that it could produce even better commercial machines than those of the United States if it were given the opportunity. Within these limits it has given some attention to improving performance. The Atalanta class of air liner was 20 miles an hour faster than the Hercules which preceded it. The next now type may be expected to be thirty miles an hour faster still. — “The Times” (London).