FOREIGN POLICY.

Evening Star, Issue 22460, 3 October 1936, Page 11

FOREIGN POLICY.

TO TUB EDITOR. Sir, —As reporter of the Railway W.E.A. class meetings, please permit me to reply briefly to your correspondent “ Union .Jack.” Apart from the unfortunate fact that nowadays your correspondents oftimes tend to confine their criticisms to more or less idle disparagement, seemingly considering it unnecessary to relate their opinions with any system of reasoning or logical analysis, it does appear that, in lodging his criticism of one of the speakers who addressed the class at its last meeting, he has been impelled to do so by earnest.’ though perhaps vulnerable, convictions. Whether “ Union Jack’s ” beliefs are well founded or not, the criticised speaker is himself fully competent to state, but my object in writing this letter is to point out to your correspondent that, as was indicated in the report of the class meeting, this speaker was but one of several, and that the policy outlined by him was at variance with those of other speakers. The essential object of this round table conference on New Zealand’s foreign policy was to bring under discussion as many aspects of the problem as possible, and to place before the class a survey of the foreign policigs proposed by various groups and organisations interested m the maintenance of world peace. The speaker who is criticised by “ Union Jack ” was invited to place before the class the foreign policy proposed by the Movement Against War and Fascism, a task which he very efficiently performed. Admittedly, the remarks of every’ speaker necessarily suffered through condensation in the class report, but it is probable that “ Union Jack ” could find iu the Imperialist’s policy sufficient of a patriotic nature to soothe his feelings, so bitterly outraged by the speaker against war and Fascism. I might mention that one of the aims of the W.E.A. is to place upon

individuals the responsibility of coming to an opinion on the,vital political and economic problems of the day, and also to promote the habit of facing all political situations and intellectual demands with courage and tolerance. lam confident that “Union Jack” will agree with me that to accomplish this laudable objective it is absolutely essential that all aspects of every problem, whether political.or economic, be thoroughly ventilated and discussed. —I am, etc., L. J. Fhoude, Secretary Railway W.E.A. Class; October 2.