The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News The Echo and The Sun. SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 1938. WORDS AND ACTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 66, 19 March 1938, Page 8

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News The Echo and The Sun.

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 1938. WORDS AND ACTIONS.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For th-e wrong that need* resistantt, For the future in the distance, And the good that ice can do.

| Herr Hitler, whose realm of dictatorship |iio\v includes seven millions more people than a week a pro, has been explaining what caused him to act in Austria. It is the sort of explanation expected of a man who acts first and explains afterwards. None of Germain's neighbours will sleep more soundly because of it, nor will Europe's state of parlous insecurity bo lessened by it. For international relationships have reached the stnge when little account can be taken, or is taken, of what the leaders of nations say; what counts is what they do. Thus in Britain this week we have heard Mr. Chamberlain formally deploring Germany's action. Nobody took much notice of that, but the world's attention was aroused by the Prime Minister's

announcement of a further lionvv increase in Britain's rearmament programme. Again this week, the American Secretary ot' State I broadcast to the world a speech on the need | "to promote and preserve law and order, morality and justice, as the unshakable bases of civilised international relations." It was a fine speech—but the very next day the House of Representatives, debating the Naval Bill, rejected a proposal that another arms limitation conference be called. It also refused to strike out of the list of projected new ships three super-dreadnoughts. In other words, the American politicians no longer have faith in disarmament conferences, but they think that super-dreadnoughts will be useful, and will be needed.

The prevailing uncertainty, and the reluctant but seemingly inevitable conclusion, that, in the words of Lord Halifax, "in the sphere of power politics force alone decides," has had the aforementioned immediate results, and it will have others in the near future. The Government of sneh a traditionally peaceloving nation as s Sweden has announced a policy of immediate heavy rearmament, and its Parliament promptly voted the money. Such countries have realised that the ideal of collective security, which appealed especially to snip 11 countries, is now so remote from [actuality that it may be said to have vanished. They must now rely upon themselves. Nor lis the realisation confined to European | countries. These British Dominions in the Pacific cannot, as the United States wishes to do, cut themselves off from Europe. They cannot leave Europe to "stew in its own juice." Sentimental reasons apart —though they are not minimised—the Dominions' standard of living is in a high degree dependent upon the great market which lies on %h« fringe of Europe. Britain has been our defender as well as our market. We can no longer fully depend upon her for defenee. That is the interpretation which any prudent man must make of Mr. Chamberlain's recent speech. In Australia the Minister of Defence announces that the unprecedented expenditure of £11,500,000 for defence this year is to be increased. Moreover, Parliament in the near future is to discuss the introduction of compulsory military training. No Minister would have made that statement even a few months ago.

And New Zealand? The Prim© Minister, Mr. Savage, said yesterday that "the whole question of defence is better to-day than it has ever been." What he meant by that it would be hard to say. Having said that defence was better than ever before "from the viewpoint of recruiting and equipment, the air services and other arms," he added that he was "finding out at present what the position is in the matter of recruiting." On the matter of recruiting, therefore, he spoke without recent and exaet knowledge. Perhaps when he has obtained, the information he will publish thff figures. They will disturb his satisfaction and the country's complacency. Everything which has happened in the last ten days, since the German occupation of Austria, supports and strengthens the | contention made in this column last week— i that the Government must think again about | New Zealand's defence, that it must revise Its programme, and that it mast give leadership to the country. Not by its words, but by its actions, will the Government be judged in this matter.