WAR AND THE FUTURE.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16358, 1 November 1918, Page 7

WAR AND THE FUTURE.

» a .SPEECH BY HON. W. H. TRIGGS. * (SPECIAL TO "TIIB TRESS.") 8 WELLINGTON, October 31. " Spanking in the Address-in-Reply Be- I bate in the Legislative Council to-day, * the Hon. W. H. Triggs said that owing * to the fact that the Government's ener- g gies had been concentrated on war activi- s ties, it had been impossible to give that v attention to domestic legislation which I would be desirable under ordinary cir- £ cumstances. The National Government r was not a homogeneous Government, ( but a temporary junction of the two po'iticnl parties, and not a complete coalition. Undor those circumstances 1 it was inevitable that at times there t should be hesitation and compromise. 1 where they would wish promptitude anil decision. It was to the everlasting f credit of the Government that New Zeuland had not failed in its duty to the 1 Empire. Supplies of men had been kept ( up and tho Reinforcements had been , weil equipped and fed. Some mistakes i had been made, and an occasional waste of public money had taken place, but > there had not been the slightest bus- , pinion of anything wrong in the shape of corruption. It that respect the Government, the country qnd the Minister of "Defence might well be proaid of the ; I)efence Commission's repovt. "Tlie complote surrender of Germany should be demanded. lam not san- j guii?o that even then we shall see the end'of war," continued Mr Triggs "The statesmen who talk to us of a League of Nations which will put an ond to war are sure of a sympathetic hearing. It s an ideal which we all lock forward to: it is an ideal which appeals to us. But underlying it there is a grave element of danger. It will be a fatal mistake if we allow ourselves to be absorbed in dreams of this kind, and to think that we can for one moment relax our vigilance or our national effort. (Hear, hear.) Tho law of life for individuals is one of continual siruptgle, and it is the same law for the nation. Those who have studied the history of war in tho past cherish no illusions about war in the future. Minor difficulties may be adjusted' by arbitration, but when it comes to a conflict or ideas, with human nature constituted as it is, nothing but forco will avail to ensure tho carrying of the principles which are at stake. We shall have to look to our national defences and keep them in a state of readiness. The great difficulty I see in the way of a limitation of armaments is the urgent necessity of the British Empire preserving the supremacy of the British Navy." Can we expect other nations to accept this supremacy as a permanent condition of things in the n9w order to bo created after the war? If ' so, undoubtedly a very great obstacle 1 to tho creation of a League of Nations t and the establishment of peace on this ! planet will have been removed, but I venture to say that it is too much to hope that other nations will agree to the continued supremacy of the British Navy as a fixed part of the settled order of things." Mr Tripes added that the risjht snirit should be fostered in the nation. Ho hoped he was wrong, but he had misgivings that we in this country were 1 not treating the position as seriously ' as we ought to do. The problems ot 1 defence were great in view of the » changed conditions of warfare. Merely . as a matter of self-preservation we were 5 doing right in protesting 'against the return of Germany's lost Pacific coro--1 nies. In his mind the mere exclusion " of Germany did not sufficiently meet • the situation. It was r.ossible thit r some of our present Allies might be--1 come our future enemies, and the peot pie of the Mother Country would not he their duty unless they made r preparation for that possible emers genev. r Referring to local politics. Mr Triscgs t said the Dominion's .education system wis not satisfactory in many respects. Thero seemed to be a great deal of sham and make-believe, and not 3 enough attention was given to essen--2 tials." The tenchprs were underpaid, i and the best intellects -were not at--1 tracted into the service. The system was iu need of a thorough re-casting. More attention should be given to historv economics, and civics. He paid a tribute to the Workers' Educational Association, and said he was glad to see that the favourite subject studied pconomicp. The repatriation of soldiers should be entrusted to a special department under the sraidnnce of a very able and sympathetic orcaniser. The settlement of soldiers on the land should be part of a comprehensive system of colonisation after the war. ne . was opposed to the formation of sol--1 diers' settlements, and said the men ° should be encouraged to settle with H , other people. Fruit-growing was an I ideal occupation for soldiers.