ESPERANTO

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 June 1943, Page 3

ESPERANTO

MASTERTON CLUB. WEEKLY MEETING OF MEMBERS. There was an excellent attendance at the weekly meeting of the Masterton Esperanto Club held at 8 Short Street last night. Mr E. J. Esler. presided. In referring to the place of Esperanto in world affairs, Mr Esler said he would like to take the opportunity of again emphasising the fact that the language was purely and simply an auxiliary language and was certainly not intended to replace national languages for domestic use. He was surprised at the number of people who still persisted in imagining that Esperantists aimed at having all nations speaking one language only. Apart from the sheer impracticability of such an idea, there were a multitude of reasons for the retention of national tongues. The purpose of the creator of Esperanto, Dr Zamenhof. was to provide an extra language for international use only. There was no doubt that' Esperanto could be an important factor in the development of international understanding by permitting the ready interchange of ideas between nations, on all manner of scientific and social matters.

The subject for discussion at the meeting in Esperanto was “La farmindustrio de Noo-Zelando” (New Zealand's primary industry), the leader being Mr W. J. Beresford.