REARMAMENT AND INFLATION

New Zealand Listener, Volume 25, Issue 632, 10 August 1951, Page 5

REARMAMENT AND INFLATION

Sir,-It was indeed heartening to read H. W. Youren’s healthy reaction to the Lookout commentator of June 16, I too regard this speaker’s opinion to be false, and more than false, dangerous, in that he affirmed the most hazardous line of contemporary Western policy. Upon the tacit assumption that atmament expenditure for defence is the only solution, and therefore essential, we must accept the attendant inflation. But why accept the first assumption? It is a questionable assumption, a most risky assumption, and in being allowed to stand as though. self-evident, the speaker sanctioned the political orthodoxy which is turning our world into a progressively worse place to live and die in. In the interests of honesty and iriternational morality the term "defence" should not be used in the context, "armament expenditure for defence." It is 4 heavily biased word implying the rightness of "our side’-"they" always being the aggressor, "we" always the defender -a quite inflexible rule. Defence used

in this manner is merely a partisan term bestowing in advance moral self-appro-bation. Today it is almost an historical truism that maximum national war potential must lead, directly or indirectly, to war. That the governments of the Western nations are impoverishing their peoples now, and for an unpfedictable number of years to come, to build up war strength merely that an admonitory finger may be shaken under Communist noses, is barely conceivable. Even wé¢re that their intention, a state of armed preparedness maintained over an_ indefinite period would teduce ‘the Western world to a condition of barbarism-incipient signs of which are already becoming apparent. How far is "the democratic way of life" going to survive this policy ostensibly designed to perpetuate it? If there is no war it will mean unrelieved years of intensifying austerity and government interference, as yet unthought of. If there is war it will be waged with all the Wonders of Science, on behalf of a way of life which will surely be lost in the holocaust. The result will not be a world freed from the threat of Commurism but a world made safe for. bar--barism. ; ; Of course, there is another policy, policy dictated by Christian principles. Call it by less embarrassing names if you like, but as well as social justice and moral rearmament there must be economic justice. A world armament race atitomatically negates all of these, Such a policy might save the West, but it will not be followed.

SHELLEY FREE

(Wanganui).

( Abridged.-Ed. )