CHARITY’S CALL

Hokitika Guardian, 30 May 1932, Page 8

CHARITY’S CALL

PRACTICAL SYMPATHY URGED

BISHOP SPROTT’S PLEA

WELLINGTON, May 27

“111 supplementing by voluntary effort the efforts of the Government, we must not allow our sympathy to be chilled by recent disturbances,” said the Bishop of Wellington,. Rt. Rev. T. H. . Sprott, in opening the Dioee ;an

■bynou. Dr sprott pointed out tiia

the indications were that the limit of taxation had been practically reached, in this case the need for. charitable effort would be great. "It would be ail insult to exhort you to show practical sympathy toward the thousands of our fellow-countrymen who have lost their entire livelihood," said Dr Sprott. “Indeed, • the one bright spot in th 6 darkness of the situation is the readiness of our people to make generous and continued contributions to the many organisations which are working for the relief of distress, and that while bearing.a burden of heavy .taxation imposed by the Government to meet the eam e need. ] think it is splendid. “I fear that generosity will need to be continued, for there does not appear to be. an immediate prospect of a marked improvement in world conditions. Trie, Minister of Employment has recently Toi'd us, speaking no doubt with full knowledge and a due sense of responsibility, that at present no further taxation can be prudently imposed ; that the limit of taxation has been well-nigh reached; and that further taxation would aggravate rather than relieve the unemployment problem.” ■ ' ;

. The Bishop added that the Government was not infallible, while the, problem of unemployment was the most complicated faced by any New Zea’and Government. He did not propose to put forward any scheme of his own, as he believed that the formation of n policy to meet the position was the proper duty of a government. A gov-, <ernment alone had access to all relevant faots and expert knowledge, and It could approach its schemes with a vastly greater sense of responsibility 41l "n could possiblv be felt by a private theoriser who, amid all his theori«’~>"was 'subconsciously aware that he would never be challenged to put his sriruitej to the proof.. It was a duty, without j further criticism, to .assist the Gover 1 -. ment loyally in its programme. Tf

there were inherent flaws in it. th°v would maniferi tbemsellves in th rt working, and ’could perhaps be remedied. i

“We must remember that no scheme (however perfectly formulated bv a New Zealand Government, can whollv amend a situation which, however much our past negligence and extravagance have been contributory cause's —"”3 assuredly they have been—’s largely due to causes lying quite outside New Zealand, and over which we have no control,” continued the Birh'w. “The most we can do is to a’leviate. We cannot wholly cure. “Unfortunately in all considerable communities their are anarchic and turbulent elements, e ver ready for v:nlent action ahd needing to be firmlv checked, just as, I may remind you : n

spite of much sentimental psychology, there are anarchic and. turbulent cements in every, one of us, which reed to be kept under firm control by our better selves. All right minded ppep lA condemn violent deed ; but some wellmeaning and kindly folk are i-m’b- 1 to qualify their condemnation by a* tributing blame, in part at least, to the Government. I think history tells us that such seeming compromise with lawlessness is a tragic error.

“The anarchic person, indeed. is pleased that at last other people agree with him. that government is bad ; ho himself has always Believed that government—any and every government—is bad. The condemnation „of lawlessness he, of course, ignores ; he delkrhts in 'ewllessnesf*. In the end the results of the seeming compromise affri'A’' those who have spoken with a doubt voice. it, too, woui'd speak with a double voice. I would say, ‘Law are l order must' be upheld’ ; and I would add, ‘No efforts must be spared to relieve the genuine distress of our people.’ ’’