EMPIRE SAFETY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 230, 29 September 1931, Page 6

EMPIRE SAFETY.

NEGLECT OF ARMAMENT,

(To the Editor.)

The reversal of Britain's position to-dnr from the power which riie has hitherto wielded by maintaining an adequate Navy and Armv to suppress slavery and otherwise protect tie topics of the world from persecution, to a policy of "peace at any price," fostered W tie Utopian aims of the League of Nations jeopardises not only the safety of the Empire'" but wjll surely bring about the reverse of the aims of the League, that is, war, instead of peace. While Britain is reducing lier arm a ments and attempting to pay her debt* France, America, Italy and Russia are "Buildup big navies, air forces, and organising lar<* e land forces. Till quite recently there have beln two schools of thought in Britain on the question of safety of the Empire—that of Lord Jellicoe who commanded the British Navy in the Great War, whose opinion must be respected and of the Bt. Hon. Ramsay Mac-Donald, whose war record was not so good. The former has stated that the nation is inadequately protected, and the latter still continues to reduce our defences Incidentally, those opinions are parallel with the opinions held by Lord Roberts and Lord Haldane respectively, prior to the Great War in which we lost so msyiy men as a result of being unprepared to defend ourselves when attacked. The recent enforced formation of a Coalition Government at Home, the dumpin" of Russia's goods, which is having the effect of mining our industries, and the setback which the gold standard has received as the result of the bleeding of Britain to pay questionable debts might now have the effect of showing the Britisher that his good nature has been taken advantage of. France and Italy owe Britain hundreds of millions of pounds, and while Britain is bleeding her subjects v hiie to pay the United States "iier debtors a: j spending millions of pounds on armaments. These nations do not intend to rely on the League of Nations. They evidently realise the importance of power and virility while the Ramsay Mac Donald party is lulling the Britisher into a sense of false security. At this stage Britain's many outposts demand protection, and while the present uncertainty prevails these should do their utmost to protect themselves. For this reason the movement in this country to enrol volunteers should, and no doubt will, be supported bv all patriotic people. ALEX. H. WILKIE,