KEEPING THE PEACE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 219, 13 September 1923, Page 7

KEEPING THE PEACE.

LEAGUE OF NATIONS. AUCKLAND'S CONFIDENCE. CI TIZ IC.\ S ]) ISMON STR AT lON. ! SIR J. f!. WARD'S SPIRITED SPEECH. ! Confidence in the League of Nations I was expressed last night at a crowded I meeting of citizens. The Mayor (Mr. J. H. Gunson) presided, and seated on the platform was a thoroughly representative gathering of citizens of all shades of opinion. Introducing the business of the. meeting, the Mayor said they were met not oniy as citizens of Auckland but or the world. Ho was old-fashioned enough to believe in the Bible, and it had been truly said that no man lived unto himself. If Bible history in regard to the nations of the past stood for anything, it taught us that the nation that disregarded God and the great moral law of life was bound to be destroyed from off the face of the earth. In our times Germany had gone on the principle of force and might, but that could not and never would prevail. He thought it could be said without boasting that the British nation stood, not for might and but for right and truth. From the Sovereign downwards the nation had learned the lesson that "righteousness alone exalteth a people." The League of Nations stood for {lie moral law, and though it now consisted of only some of the nations, it was to be hoped that it would eventually embrace all the nations of the world. (Applause.) The Mayor explained that the meeting that night had been called as the result of a request made to him by a number of citizens, and he was most happy to comply with their wishes. HORRORS OF WAR. Sir J. G. Ward, the principal speaker of. the evening, got a vociferous welcome from the large audience. There was, he said, an erroneous impression in some quarters that because New Zealand was so far from the centre of things there was no need for the people to try and help in supporting the League. As a matter of fact it was of immense importance to the whole world that the League of Nations should be a success in order to prevent a repetition of the terrible scourge of war that had so recently swept Europe, and from which the world had not yet recovered. Recovery was only possible through tlio help of the League of Nations or some such league. It was the imperative duty of everyone to do his utmost to prevent any more wars. Three months before the end of the recent wars the Germans had discovered a poisonous gas over 1.10 per cent more powerful than the worst gas they had been using. So deadly was it that it would search out cellars and I other underground hiding places that afforded protection during the air raids, in London, for instance. That was the sort of gas that was [going to be used in any future war. so it J was obvious why we should all try and I prevent any more wars. When the British Secret Service found out the I German secret they set to work, and the Germans were informed that if they us ■! that gas over London the British [ would set to work and kill everyone in heriin. They informed them that the only reason that had deterred them from acting was their determined opposition to doing anything that meant the killing of women and children and private citizens. The British scientists hnd discovered a still more deadly gas that could be used from the air. The result of the British threat was that the Germans were afraid to launch their deadly gas. liut in all human probability it was going to be used in future wars. PEACE OR DESTRUCTION? What were we here on the earth for? Were we here to create something that would destroy the nations? With the new gas Berlin could be destroyed in ten days? Or were we going to preach the doctrine of peace? There was only one answer, and so it was the bounded" duty of everyone to support the League of i Nations. The only way to prevent wars was to adopt methods of conciliation. Irrespective of creed or politics the people of New Zealand were going to show that they were determined to try nil (I prevent any more wars. (Applause.) The present trouble between France and Germany must be settled. The sooner the Germans were impressed by our people with the fact that they must not by their action lomr delay the settlement, and so prevent other nat'inn ••>. mc woriii not. already in the League coming in, the better it would 1«* for everyone. He was Rtrongly of opinion that from the start all I the nations, both those fighting against i us as well as those fighting with us, should have been asked to come into the League, and he firmly believed that 1111 nations of the world should come in. (Applause.) LESSON FROM WASHINGTON. Particularly essential to the successful working of the League as a means of preventing war was the entry of the United States of America. (Applause.) The League, or some such league, was obviously the sort of body to settle such a question as that now agitating France. As an instance of what conciliatory methods would do. Sir Joseph drew attention to the wonderful success of the Washington Conference. That conference hart been started by America, and as a result of its deliberations the naval armaments of the nations had been materially reduced. Logically, if the I'nited States could bring about the co- , operation and friendly discussion of the I Powers concerned, in such a matter as naval disarmament, and with such tangible results, what in the name of conscience was to prevent them joining the l.eitgiie of Nations which was going to Hpplv in the same way as the Washing[iiii iiTiference. (Applause.) One thing iva- certain, and that was that the support of the League by the British nation «'ft« going to impress America. Already the League had done some very fine work indeed, and iU advocacy by the President of America at the I'eacc Conference was a fine tribute to Mr. Woodrow Wilson, but unfortunately the people of America would not ratify his proposal. BRITAIN'S IVLT.RKST. Great Britain was deeply interested in •retting a settlement of the troubles In the l'uhr. » matter that was essentially ono !,,;■ r. League of Nations, though. at pre-M'i Is services were blocked. As a rc-i: f the present dislocation of '■■ ' »1"" Great Britain was los- j iliir !•!> per ' •■! ot her pre-war trade with ■.lie Continent. England to-day had more unemployment than any other country in the world. It was of the iirst importance to the Dominions that Britain should be prosperous. After all, Great Britain and Ireland were the heart of the Empire, an.l what affected them would in time affect the outer parts ot ihe Empire, such as New Zealand, so we were :\\\ vitally interested in getting

were the British people going to be before they impressed upon other countries the grave necessity for them all to realise the vital importance of building up ami recognising the League of Nations? During the course of his speech Sir Joseph referred briefly to the recent de- ( plorable instance of a country of which , the leader had taken the bit between his teeth and said to a country, that from various causes, was down, that if that ■ J country did not comply with certain terms laid down there would be war. Such precipitancy must be made impos- ? sible. (Applause.I And the League of ■ Nations was the means by which we ■ must seek to bring nations to a better ! sense. We must fight for the League, ' as it was the only hope for the preven- ■ tion of the annihilation of the human ' people of the earth. (Applause.) : BCSINESS AND HUMANITY. i The next speaker was the Rev. W. G. i J Monckton, who spoke of the League of Nations as being not only the king-pin, '■ but the sheet-anchor of the safety of the , world. The very best brains in the Bri- ' ; tish Empire urged support of the j League. Lord Cur/.on. than whom none ! knew better the foreign position, was a t i strong advocate, and urged that it was the duty of every one to support the I League. Mr. Monckton gave well- i reasoned arguments why business people ' should support the League, merely on business grounds, leaving out the higher j i and nobler motives that were at its source. The League was really one of i the cheapest things imaginable, and was costing New Zealanders only one-twelfth part of a penny a month to keep functioning. The League had done good work in settling many matters relating to trans- • port of goods; had dealt with international transactions by means of international postal notes that got over all the difficulies of the very confused state of the currencies: had settled the trouble in Upper Silesia at a ridiculously cheap cost; and had put Austria's finances on a proper footing, with I the result that a two-million loan that looked like a bad debt to Britain had turned out a good debt. j On the side of humanity the League ! had done splendid work, including the i rescuing of hundreds of thousands in Russia and Siberia. The only thing to save the world was the spirit of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the name of common humanity every living person should do everything possible to build up and support the League of Nations. (Applause.) BEST MONUMENT OF ALL. Mr. T. Blood worth, in moving "that this meeting places on record its confidence in the League of Nations, of which

New Zealand is now ;i member, and urges the Xew Zealand representatives to support the League in exercising tlie powers given under the Covenant to secure and maintain the peace of the world through justice," said he supported the League of Nations from family reasons, national reasons, and the reasons of tile great fellowship of international trades unionism. Every man had a duty imposed upon him by the common bonds of humanity to support the League. Everyone knew and admitted the horrors of war. Before the war the doctrine was held that the way to prevent war was to he Drepared for war. That had been shown to be an absolute fallacy. (Applause.) The last war had been called a war to end wars. That \\fiS why men flocked to it from the ends of the earth. They had laid down their lives in order that war should cease. Then came tin Treaty of Versailles. Sometimes he thought it was the '"Peace that all understanding." (Laughter.) It was such a remarkable document. He thought sometimes that it should be put in the little glass case in the House of Parliament in Wellington in which the ])Pn with which Ml". Massey signed the document, and aleo the seal, were kept, and regarded as a curiosity. The Covenant was supposed to be a matter ' of the first importance. The name of ' New Zealand was incorporated in the •Treaty, and all that the people asked was that that signature be I ' honoured. (Applause.) We had built many monuments to the fallen, but the ' greatest memorial to (lie dead and a pledge that they liajl not died in vain ' was the League of Nations. Mr. L. L. Grimwade. of Stoke-on- ' Trent, who has worked so assiduously for the League in the Old Country, and has worked up a splendid interest in the subject during the short while he has 'been in Auckland made a stirring speech in seconding the motion. T.or-1 [ Macanlny pictured (80 years ago) ilie J New /Cealander of the future standing on the broken arches of London Bridge in , tlip years to come, and contemplating , the ruins of > s t. Paul's, and lamenting; , a civilisation that had crumbled into , dust. Why not? Babylon, Greece. . Kgypt, Rome—all tell the same tale. But a better thing to contemplate was . Xew Zealand to the rescue of the Old 1 World, so that those arches should not he broken, so that the glorious dome of St. Paul's, that we all love, whether we have seen it or not. should not crumble to dust: so that Westminster Abbey. the great Valhalla of the race, should stand, for all time, as a witness to the enduring character of a nation or Empire built on God's Word. We mwt bestir ourselves now if civilisation was to be saved. Tt was no use slumbering till the world burst into llames. and t'len saying, like Ginger Mick, "Hlarst the tlamin' war." Xow was the time to.net. The birth of the League nf Nations was the greatest thing that had happened since the birth of Jesus Christ, and by the power of God New Zealand and" Australia could so influence the American people that their great country would join the League and thereby make the world safe fur democracy, so that, in the words of their groat I , resident. Abraham Lincoln, "government of the people, by the people, and for the people, should not perish from the earth.'' The motion was carried with airlamation. and it was agreed that copies should .!).. spilt t<. Mr. Massey. the High Commissioner in London (Sir .Tamos Allen), and Lord Robert Cecil. .SUPPORT FOR THE UXION. The meeting also passed tlie following resolution on the motion of the Hon. (ieorite Fowlds. seconded by Mr. A. M. Could (.Mayor of Takapuna): "That -tops lie taker! to strengthen in every possible way the existing League ot i ! Nations I'nion in Auckland, and that the public he urged to join the union ami assist in its efl'orts to promote the world's peace." Mr. E. S. Craston presided at t!ie organ, and in addition to a solo, played the ar-corapanimeiit for the hymn "0 God Our Help in Ages Past" ami the National Anthem, with which trie proceedings were closed. =====