Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1918. MINISTER'S PRESENTIMENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9477, 14 December 1918, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1918. MINISTER'S PRESENTIMENT.

Speaking in the House of .Representatives during the last hours',of the recent session, Sir James'Allen said that "he had a 'feeling that one day we might have to prepare for,, and then enter a contest nearer our doors than,the great war just drawing to a close." This warning coming from the Minister of Defence should not-be .ignored. No useful purpose would .be served by an immediate discussion as to which nation Sir .James was thinking- of, nor is it probable that the danger is near. But it is. the Dominion's plain duty to be ready to encounter. any invader, and not be led astray.by sentimental appeals to abolish measures. of defence, .remembering', too, that the best weapons of defence are those capable of conducting an offensive against would-be aggressors.- We are certain to hear much in the next

few months about the abolition lof armies and armaments, and the theory supportiiig such abolition is excellent, Human nature, however, is proof against even ! the best of theories, and it would be imprudent on the part of the British to cast aside their weapons, if less honest nations were permitted to detain their strength,. It would, of course, be in the real interest of the'world

for 'conscription. —• especially the

wholesale human drag-net system represented by Prussianisin — to be abolished, but the matter is hot so simple as it may seem, and acceptance of the 'principle of abolition at the forthcoming Peace -Conference, would not prevent any nation, which so de-

sired, evading" the agreement, afterwards. Conscripts would be just as effective under any other name, and it would not be much use limiting the army if the ''police," "militia,"- and similar home-forces were allowed unlimited range. Above all, if European armies are to be limited-, effective measures must be taken to minimise, similarly, Asiatic or. African forces. It is not to be expected that all- those allied against Prussianisin during the recent war will work together in the future. Some friendships, such as those, between England. America, and France, should endure for several generations, at the very least, but in other quarters there may be less mutual en.'thusiasm. In this respect, the people of the Dominion should b.ewary with whom they trade. They should not repeat the error■ of helping possible foes to acquire wealth and strength, in case such wealth and strength

should be used against us.. That

was one lesson the Huns taught us, and it is one we should be criminally stupid to s forget. ?What sort of kindness is it to our infant sons to buy/them for-e.i'gn-made toys, because these happen to be cheaper than the British-made goods, if the boys, on reaching manhood, have to fi?M;-for.their lives and country •against those such commerce had assisted to make strong ? We desire to . live in peace with all men, but the decision of peace or war seldom rests with one party, thus we should so act that would-be aggressors do nothave their strength added to by our imprudence eitYrr ir, our ymimeree or by lack of our defence preparations.