China Today

Recently, at the invitation of the V.U.W. Labour Club, Mr. Trevor Gebbie, General Secretary of the N.Z. Railway Tradesmen's Association, delivered a most interesting address on the position of China today. The talk was illustrated with coloured slides and a film. Mr. Gebbie was fortunate enough to be present in China at the invitation of the Chinese Government during the May Day celebrations this year.

Mr. Gebbie's impressions were that the Chinese are doing a grand job, and, moreover, are doing it in the only way in which it can be done. He felt sure that the same amount could not be achieved by legislation.

He heard, he said, before he went to China that the people were suffering a great deal of oppression. This is simply not true, he said, and gave as evidence the spontaneity and lack of military precision evidenced by the May Day processions.

The speaker gave us a new slant on the religious situation. There was a drop in church attendance but this, so he was told by an Anglican bishop in China, was not due to fear but to ferment. In preference to attending Church on Sundays, youths with knapsacks were working voluntarily on reconstruction projects—tree planting, etc. When the ferment ceases and things quieten down the Chinese will come back to the Church.

Mr. Gebbie met the Minister of Post and Telegraph who denied that he was a Communist and stated that he could not support their ideology, though he agreed that their way was the only way to get things done in a hurry. It turned out that he was a former Minister in the Kuomintang Government of Chiang Kai-shek.

The isolation of China, he said, led to a certain "chuminess" with Russia. The Western world will learn to regret their economic blockade of China. Mr. Gebbie described the non-recognition of China as "silly" and as a "farce". By recognition, he said, we in New Zealand will, in fact, have more to gain than the Chinese.

Mr. Gebbie was most impressed by the present big campaign for leaders to go back to the people. It was a common sight to see politicians, trade union officials, and government officials helping in heavy manual work.

Mr. Gebbie's address was by far the most interesting talk that has been delivered to the Labour Club this year. It turned out to be a most interesting evening indeed.