ANTIDOTE TO WAR

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20047, 20 September 1939, Page 4

ANTIDOTE TO WAR

PATRIOTIC EFFORT GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE “A GREAT MISTAKE” COOK COUNTY VIEW Criticism of the Government’s action in not encouraging patriotic work in the raising of _ funds was voiced at to-day's meeting of the Cook County Council.

“Nobody knows how long the war will on and what effect it will have on us in New Zealand,” said the chairman, Mr. W. G. Sherratt, at the meeting of the Cook County Council to-day, “but I think I am expressing the opinion of the council, and ot the Cook County generally, when I say that wye will do all in our power to help the New Zealand Government and the Empire to go forward to victory.

■“Those of us who went through the last war know what it means to be at war, and this war might be worse than tiie last.”

Continuing, the chairman said that he had been rung up by many women in the country asking what the Council intended to do in regard to patriotic work. He had got into touch with the Mayor, Mr. D. W. Coleman. M.P., who had replied that there was nothing at present that the council could do but the Government would make an announcement within a few weeks. In the meantime, women in the county were continuing to ring him up, and he could not tell them what they could do.

“I think it is a great mistake, said Cr. Sherratt, “that the women are not able to do any work. With the news of the conflict coming over the air and published in the newspaper, it gets on people’s nerves when they have nothing to do, but work for the common cause is the best antidote, for it takes their mind off the war.

“It was found that in the last war, when the people were doing their utmost with a stiff upper lip when things were at their worst, the people were able to win through. .

"All of us must be proud to belong to the British Empire. There is nothing that the British Empire has not done to avoid this war brought on by an aggressor nation.”