Dust To Dust

Sir.—The apathy, indifference and lack of moral consciousness of the ordinary New Zealand student toward the H-bomb problem appals me. He is smug in his little welfare state on the rim of the Pacific, and does not like to be roused and made to think and take action on this, on any other issue. I thought New Zealanders were more politically conscious than most, but have reached the depressing conclusion that they are politically unconscious. This indifference arises from the prevalent attitude that we are too small a country and too far away from the centre to have the bomb land on us, and anyway what can wo about it?

We can make our government protest vigorously in the United Nations, and stop it entering into military collusions which could lead to our use of the bomb or atomic weapons. But most of you reading this will still be saying, what does it matter? This is the foundation of your indifference and probable lack of moral strength.

Perhaps I could bring it home to you personally by quoting from an issue of "The New Statesman." From an article by Editor Morris called "The Survivors of the Bombs."

"To another survivor, the student Hiromasa Hiyume, death from radiation exposure came very gradually. Throughout his young life Hiromasa had suffered from spells of mental instability, coupled with partial deafness, yet had managed to complete his schooling with a brilliant record. A month before his final college examinations, overwork brought on a recurrence; his lymphatic glands swelled up, blood oozed from his eyes and mouth and he raved wildly about the fire and deafening noise of the atomic explosion. Before his death he wrote in his diary the most damning question that a young person can ask an adult, irresponsible world. 'Why must I die? What have I done to deserve to die so very young?' "

Your immediate reaction is to reassure yourself that this could not happen to you. But in opposition to this self-assuring opinion. I tell you it might, and it could happen to you.

Therefore the way is open for as many of us as are rationally and morally conscious, to use our influence both corporately as a society for nuclear disarmament and individually, thereby bringing the weight of increasing public opinion to bear on our government, so that they will take vigorous political action. On the other hand if you do not strive for the abolition of this terrifying instrument of destruction, you will by your very passivity, be saying "yes" to the Hydrogen Holocaust.

Yours, etc.,

For Nuclear

Disarmament.