Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1918. COVETOUSNESS AND WAR PROFITS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1889, 12 October 1918, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1918. COVETOUSNESS AND WAR PROFITS.

TDK Pev. .1. K. Archer, President of the Baptist. I'nion, in the course of an address at a public meeting at Wellington this week, said: “The national efliciency most needed just now is elliciency of distribution. All civilised countries are ellicicnl enough in production, it they would be content to produce for use instead of prolit. To increase efliciency of production without altering our methods of distribution will be to still further widen the gap between the rich and the poor. Covetousness," remarked Air Archer, “with a few individual exceptions, is worldwide. In all its hideo'usness and grossne.-s, it is your sin, and mine, and nearly everybody's. In the case of Germany there is covetousness on a national and international scale! Lei not us Britishers, however, wrap ourselves in a cloak of hypocrisy, and talk as if we are free from this Satanic spirit. We, too, are devil-possessed." Alluding to war profits, Mr Archer said: “They are outrageous. Not a farthing of them is justifiable. In England they are estimated to total anything up to £750,000,000 a year. In New Zealand they seem to be proportionately as great. Some New Zealand fanners are anticipating still bigger profits after the war. They are gloating over the thought of -Is a pound for wool, and 2s fid for butter. No wonder the Minister of Agriculture, himself a farmer, speaks of our ‘sordid commercialism.’ In its presence we have little rivht to throw stones of criticism at Germany's self-seeking. Fundamentally. competitive commercial-, isn is the same all the world over.

It knowns no nationality, no patriotism, no brotherhood, no pity, no .-ecritice. It is the most nn-Chris-. Han thing on (he face of the earth. Before the Avar .it was discredited. Now it is irrevocably disgraced.’'’