CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 530, 19 August 1949, Page 15

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

Sir,-So little understanding of the vegetarian way of life is shown by your correspondent "Corpus Delicti" that it seems desirable to clear up. some points lest others acquire these erroneous views. Obviously he has never visited a vegetarian household or been acquainted with a vegetarian, Regarding by-products of the slaughterhouse: there are suitable alternatives available, whose numbers are constantly increasing as research proceeds. Often these are superior to the animal products which they replace. There are many proprietary glues of vegetable or synthetic origin; many of the better grades of soap are made from vegetgble oils, and in some parts of the world the lower grades also. Yegetable fats and oils for cooking are available and are freely used, not only by vegetarians, but also by many others. Developments in plastics already invade the domain of leather, and will do so increasingly in the future. A _ plastic "shoeleather" has been developed, and is in many ways superior to leather for this purpose. The principle is that although we must to some extent compromise, because we live in a community of meateaters, it is technically possible to find substitutes for all animal products, It would be defeatist to refuse to start because at present it is difficult or impossible to go the whole way, Finally, the indications are that an increase in vegetarianism may be dictated in our time by economic considerations. Sir John Boyd Orr and many others have pointed out that the present food crisis is caused by our wasteful methods of production, and that the war was only an aggravating, not a causative, factor. Most land will produce more food directly by its crops than indirectly through food animals: those countries which are already hard pressed eat much less meat than those which are not, So it may soon come to pass that meat will be regarded as a wasteful form of food which we cannot afford. At present, the vegetarian millions of the earth’s population are playing a large part in showing the way to the time when all peoples may keep well above subsistence level.

DAVID

MacGILL

(Pinehaven).

Sir,-"Corpus Delicti" is right in guessing that "the author is a_ strict vegetarian." For fifty years he has not knowingly eaten fish, fowl or meat, and for twenty years no animal product such as milk, cheese, butter, eggs, etc, In regard to milk my critic must remem-. ber that for every female calf that is milked a male steer goes to the slaughterhouse; for nature produces male and female in about equal numbers, Quite right. in regard to glue; but there is olive oil soap and vegetarian fat (coconut) for frying, not of course, "fish and eggs," but pancakes in their manifold vatiety. Yes, he never buys leatherbound books, and his shoes are made

of rubber and American cloth, He would rather see "bovines and porcines" (harmless fellow-creatures) roaming the land than men who drop atomic .bombs on their fellows and who are preparing for the Third World War. "Corpus Delicti" sees no connection between the ruthless killing of animals and the ruthless killing of. men (in war). I do. The most aggressive animal on the earth is man. Largely owing to his education lacking a thorough training in biological and ethical science he does mot realise that all plants, animals and men form One World Family of Life and that therefore an injury to even the weakest is an injury to all. Man gets what he gives. Therefore "those who take to the sword (i.e., kill) will themselves perish

_h- the sword."

N. M.

BELL

(Christchurch).