THREAT TO FREEDOM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 73, 18 December 1937, Page 4

THREAT TO FREEDOM

Dictators Ousting Democracy in World To-day V APPEALS TO EMOTIONS Difficulties and dangers that face the rising generation in fche decade in which we live, and probably for some future decades ; the hopeful tone for the first few years after the world war, with their high hopes of political and economic liberty, and the cbanges for the worse of which everyone had been conscious over the past six or seven years were the keypoints of an address, contrasting democracy with dictatorships, that the Hon. W. E. Barnard, M.F., delivered at the Napier Boys' High' Schooi annual prize-givnig yesterday afternoon. In all# parts of the world, lYlr. Barnard said, democracies were going by the board to give place to dictatorships, with no consideration for the rights and liberties of the people. International affairs had undergone such a change for the worse that even our peace-loving Empire had been compelled to build up her forces. to counter the moves of countries to whom force was the only argument. "One fact emerges from the confusion," Mr. Barnard said. "In all countries under dictatorsliips, and in some of the democracies, appeals are being made to the emotions rather than

the minds of the people. Slogans are taking the place of reason&d arguments. We have dinned mto our ears such words as Communism, Socialism, Fascism and Private Enterprise, with little or no attempt at explaining their meaning." Tolerance was a characteristic of our race, the speaker went on, and he urged the wisdom of not being carried away by any catch-phrases, All the words he had mentioned had considerable areas in common, and the edges of difference were not so sharp as the advocates of the various "isms" would have us believe. It was only by the exercise of sound judgment that tlemocracy could have a levelling influence throughout the world. Mr. Barnard urged his hearers not to let their minds be "goose-stepped." Coming nearer home, he said that, in the past two years, efforts had been made in New 'Zealand t0 reorganise the social and economic order and raise the standard of life of the people. He could say that the conditions of the people generally had been improved in that time. Only the previous evening he had heard it broadcast that there were at present a record number of banknotes out in circulation, and that indicated more spending power. "The new and better order sougbt is dependent upon the recognition of the fact that democracy carries responsibilities as well as rights and privileges," Mr. Barnard pointed out. "If selfishness and greed are allowed to carry ju, we might have to face all the dangers of a dictatorship." The speaker concluded by telling how a German refugee woman had told him it was good to be able to bring up her boys in a country that had the air of freedqm New Zealand had, and contrasted conditions liere with those in Hitler Germany. As a final word, he said that all would be better off if they could add to their freedom the German quality of thorougliness in any job or undertaking-