LOOKING AHEAD.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 155, 1 July 1919, Page 5

LOOKING AHEAD.

- LESSONS FROM THE PAST. NEED FOR THE NAVY. TO PROTECT OUR COMMERCE. ■(By Telegraph.—-Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Monday. In the course of a speech at the public gathering in the Town. Hall to-day to celebrate the signing of the peace treaty, Sir James Allen, Acting-Prime Minister, said he did. not know that he felt much jubilation. "I do feel thankfulness," he continued, "thankfulness that the war has come to an end and peace has been signed. But one can hardly be jubilant when you come to look back over the past four or five years. When you think of the lose of life and the destruction of property, you can hardly have the spirit of jubilation. One can be thankful for what the men and women of the Empire have done. Once can be thankful for that, and one can be thankful that the efforts of those who did not come back to us and

of those who have returned have beecrowned with success. "'I do not want to go back over thfi last four or five years. Would that we could blot it out of our memories. The origin was accursed, and I don't want to look back. The League of Nations ia part of peace. I do not know whether the League is going to carry out that purpose for which it was formed, 'but for myself, I must welcome foe principle underlying it, and we all hope that what the League of Nations wants to do may be done. I don't know whether it will •be successful or not. I question very much ite success, unless we have learned lessons of regeneration during the last four years; If we have not learned those lessons, we may be trusting to that which will fail us at the supreme moment. "I don't know what you feel as Britishers, but I tell you what I feel as a Britisher—that during many vear3 past our nation has set itself out to do justice to its own people and the other nations with which it came in contact. We have a name for justice which 1 think we have highly earned, and if that be so, can we afford to trust ourselves simply to a league of nations? Can we depend almost absolutely for our lines of communication, and for our exchange of produce on a league of nations? Can we afford to dispense with the British Navy? I don't think we can. League of nations or no league of nations, it is essential that we should see that our commerce goes." Sir James concluded with the following remarks regarding the King and Queen: —"I want to make reference to the news which appears in the daily papers about Their Majesties the King and Queen. I am a believer in democracy, that democracy should have all its rights, and I am satisfied, from my

knowledge of past years, and my knowledge especially of the past four or five years, that no democracy with fuller rights and liberties exists, or can exist, under a limited monarchy than such as we Britishers possess. The attitude of Their Majesties during the war—their sympathy and kindness—have done a great deal to keep us together. I don't know that some people recognise what an important factor it is in the life of a nation to have somebody at the head to keep a sympathetic hand on things in a nation's trials and difficulties, and thank God, we have had them. The time is for solid thought and solid determination—thought of what we have been through and of what we have to face, and solid determination to face our difficulties, whatever they may be, and with British pluck and endurance and that spirit _of equity and truth and justice that has always characterised the men of our race."