PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20739, 24 February 1939, Page 9

PUBLIC OPINION

As expressed bv correspondents, whose letters are weieome, bat lor whose views we have no responsibility. Correspondents are requested to write in ink. It is essential that anonymous writers eoclOM th-eir proper names as a guarantee of good faith. Unless Urte rule i* complied with, their letters will not appear.

\ DOMINION NATIONAL DEBT (To the Editor) Sir, —Defenders of the Labour Government's finance are an unfortunate set of people, for every attempt they make to put it on a belter footing leaves it plunged deeper in the soup. Mr J. 13. Greenslade is no exception to the rule. Taking his figures regarding the national debts of New Zealand and Australia, and working out the debt per head of population from the population figures, 1 find that the per capita debt in Australia is about £4O less than that in New Zealand. Labour takes the K.O. again. —I am, etc., A. WAR BURTON. Ngaruawahia, February 20. NATIONAL FITNESS (To the Editor) Sir, —We are concentrating upon the health of our people, and it. is necessary that we should ho a strong j and virile Dominion. Are we aware j that are defences are being penetrated i hv the actions of foreign imports | whereby our population is being kept i at or below a minimum rati*. The strongest defence in New Zea- j land is manhood. We may increase : our mechanical and military appli- j ances but if we have not the men to manipulate and the families to defend. , then of what good is all the energy and fimince spent on a campaign of health, etc.? Contraceptive goods are entering this country from Japan and elsewhere, for what purpose? To weaken the nation so that when the time comes we shall only have middleaged and elderly people in the land. We shall he an easy prey to the invader. The doctrine of limits of children because of eventual cannon fodder fails. If we increased our families whereby we could raise a standard army of 500.000 men. with more behind them, no enemy Power dare invade New Zealand. Herein lies our strength. A population of 10.000.000 or 1 1.000.000. all splendid specimens of humanity, would make those who have greedy eyes on New Zealand think. The safest policy, the strongest threat, is to be found in ourselves. Someone has stated in your columns that the debate on birth control is a waste of time and space; it appears from the above information that this subject is more important than any other.—l am, etc., IMPERIALIST. Hamilton, February 23. MODERN EDUCATION (To the Editor) Sir.—As a parent and a student of education I beg leave to ask your readers whether they agree that modern .education should be confined to entertainment and sport. That certainly seems to he the tendency. It would be interesting to have a report from New Zealand secondary schools concerning the hours spent in the classroom since the first term opened compared with the school hours spent in swimming baths, sports fields and picture shows. I am told that hundreds of secondary school pupils were taken recently to a film which by no stretch of imagination be termed educational, and in the near future they are. I believe, ).o go twice again to films which, though historical, are probably of the typical Hollywood-perverted type. We have school time devoted to Learn-10-Swim Week, Fitness Week, Road-safety Week, and heaven knows how many more weeks are brewing in the minds of our modern school of educationists. No one belittles the importance of physical training for youth or of occasional films likely lo he of educational value, hut that hours of school time should he given over to pure entertainment makes one long almost for the old-time curricula. 1 feel 1 am not alone in believing that the modern trend has swung too far the average spelling and writing of youth certainly seem to reflect it. Do any readers interested in Ihis subject endorse or condemn my views?—l am, etc., „ SWOT.

Hamilton, February 23

TROUBLE IN PALESTINE To Che Editor^ Sir.—Perhaps a few extracts from Lowell Thomas's book, “With Lawrence in Arabia," may assist your readers to understand the unsettled conditions in Syria described In cablegrams dated from Jerusalem, February 20. in which riots and anti-French demonstrations are recorded. The underlying cause is stated as *nhe refusal of France to release Syria from the mandate which should expire on January 1 next, but which has been extended indefinitely in view of Italian aspirations and pro pa pan da. *• To induce the Arabs to fight In the World War Britain had made certain promises which French interests made it extremely dimcult to fulfil . . Lawrence always admitted that Beyrouth, the foreign door of Syria, was French in feeling and in language, in spite of its Oreek harbour and its American university. He insisted that Damascus, the historic city of .Syria, loner the seat of lay government, and the religious centre, was pure Arab, whose sheiks were

orthodox Meccan in their opinions and exceedingly anxious to lie free from alien rule.

The problem was a delicate and Intricate one to handle, and Emir Feisal w.is frankly opposed to France. He claimed that ihe new Arabian kingdom should include all of Syria, Mesopotamia and Palestine. France considered that shp had special and incontestuble rights in Syria, and was the historical protector of the Christiana in Syria. The Zionists were also looking forward to a cultural State in Palestine under British protection. The final outcome of the battle of the Peace C (inference was a partial victory for Emir Feisal and Colonel Lawrence. They did not. get all that they had asked for, and they did not expect to. France was given control oi Beyrouth and the Syrian coast, while Britain accepted a mandate over Palestine. The Arabs were allowed to retain control of the interior of Syria and to make their beloved Damascus the capital of their new State.

E. DAVIES.

Cambridge, February 23.

LAIKB AND MUTTON QUOTA

Ii Is well known that Italian and German interests have been Interesting themselves In the dispute between Hie Arabs and Jews. and. If they could manage it. would favour an Arab rising in order to assist them in their designs concerning ihe Mediterranean Sea, but the British I Jon is watching very closely.—l am, etc..

(To the Editor) Sir,—Like Mr H. 0. Melsopp, our friend Mr W. J. Poison. M.P.. feels it incumbent on himself to explain the action of Sir R. Dorman-Smith in imposing a quota on mutton and lamb, and at. the same time pleads for action along the lines of the Sydney agreement.. Docs it not occur to Messrs Poison and Melnopp that the refusal of tha farmers of this Dominion to ratify the Sydney agreement is a vote of noconfidence in themselves? As I have stated previously, any scheme of restriction in the /are of widespread shortage of foodstuffs in Britain la a crime against God and humanity. It is pleasing to see that to date our representatives have turned a deaf ear to the manoeuvring* of the British Government. The Sydney delegation froon this Dominion were not astute enough to recognise that they were being used as mere pawn® by the British Government in lta

manoeuvres to save its political skin by making the Dominion farmers the scape goats for what is bound to be an unpopular scheme of restriction. The repudiation of the Sydney airrerment hv Dominion farmers has produced a threat to the Conservative Government from the British farmeri, who recently threatened to march on London 50.000 slrong and at the same time withdraw their political support from the Government. This wa® sufficient to make Mr Chamberlain promise that restrictions on import* would be inaugurated. Thus we »e« the workings of party politics. The welfare of the nation is not considered at all. Those intellectual giants (?) in the British Cabinet have not even thought of the fact that the amount of the quot* means a corresponding reduction in their own exports to the Dominions. Some bright boy, Uke Anthony Eden, perhaps, may later make the discovery.—l am, etc., R. G. YOUNG. Gor don ton, February 22.