SPIRIT THING THAT COUNTS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 14959, 23 April 1949, Page 6

SPIRIT THING THAT COUNTS

HOLDING N.Z. AGAINST AGGRESSION "STRONG CASE FOR MILITARY TRAINING (P.A.) Whangarei, April 22. "The awakening of many Eastern peoples to a sense of their own power and destiny and the fact that at least some of them regard the whole of the Pacific, even to our own shores, as within their sphere of influence, must be a matter of serious concern to ourselves," said Mr H. E. Hewlett, president of Whangarei Federated Farmers. "Several men well qualified to judge have recently declared that the white races have at the most half a century to make good their hold on Australia and New Zealand. "It is the first duty to those in authority to make strong our defences within and without, remembering that the main strength of any people is neither in their material wealth nor in the strength of their armaments, but in the possession of a strong and determined spirit. The only wise and sane action is to establish a sound system of compulsory military training in preparation for the trials which may come upon us."