DEBATING TOURNAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 290, 1 September 1908, Page 7

DEBATING TOURNAMENT.

' '' • ' WIN FOR KENT' TERRACE. " The semi-final in the debating tournament., under tho auspices of the Wellington.'arid Provincial Literary and Debating -Societies' Union, was held in tho Y.M.C.A; 'Assembly' Room last night. Dr.. Elliott'■ occupied the chair, and Mr. P.-E-.—Baume; M:P;,""X:C.," acted as judge. The subject of -the debate was a motion: "Thit the-interests of-Aus-tralasia would be bettor'* r .sefvcd .by Great Britain forming a .defensive alliance with tho United States than by tho'present AngloJapanese alliance." The . affirmative view was taken by the Kerit : Terrace Literary arid Debating Society, and- the- negative 'by tho Catholic .Club. : In opening tho debate on behalf of the Kent Terrace society, MivFraser laid stress ;on tho fact that a treaty with America would be world-wide in its scope, whereas the present alliance with Japan was restricted to Asia. This would, enablo Aiistralaiia': to. increase her population, and develop the country with greater security. The present alliance with Japan, he argued, was only to suit tho convenience of that" race, which would abandon it in favour of an agreement with China as soon as the latter' was . strong enough to be. of use:'' Being' a' white - raco also, America would assist ill maintaining a white Australia, while Japan would throw, her influence in exactly .the opposite direction. Tho other speakers for the.motion-were Messrs. Jack and Faulkner. ,'TKey" repeated, the arguments of their loader,' and/replied to statements of the opposition. Mr. Jack dwelt on the fact that Japan had abused ;tho hgreenient, using it for her own interests, and Mr. Faulkner spoke of the small area tb which ,tho interests of Japan wero confined, arguing that tho Eastern nation would not moddle in matters other than Eastern: \ For the negative side,; Mr. 'O'Kaiie said tiiat the ouject of tho treaty was tho maintenance of peace-iir-the~Pacific; and he quoted statistics to show .that Japan, and. Britain had tho greatest; interests in that part of the world, and would, therefore, combine more readily than' America and'Britain'. Mr. Frost, taking the.• same; side,, seconded this statement by saying- that a union with America would only-bemado' on" Sentimental grounds, and if there was a bond of; sentiment it could not be materially, strengthened by an actual agreement; . The last speaker, Mr. Butcher, stated.that.Amcrica<oould give Britain no assistance ,in,..eyent, .bf '.w&r, since 'she would need hor whole strength for 'her own sea'-coast. , .* Mr. Baumc, in announcing, the result) said lie had found great,, difficulty in separating tho two societies. H<j ,had. placed the Kent Terraco Society first with 201 \ points, the Oxtholic Club gaining 199. " In a short'criticism of tho debate, the judge" complimented both teams on their careful preparation and tho good languago ( -:\n v -which-thoy had-ex-pressed their views. The chief faults, he said, woro neglect to-Smld' on the foundation laid by tho leadersjand the tendency to gander from tho iimiipdiate subject of discussion. Messrs. Faulkner and Butcher wore placed equal first with 65 marks each. Tho meeting concluded with hearty votes of thanks to the judge-'dftd'the chairman/