The Dominion. THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1944. NEW ZEALAND'S SEA HERITAGE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 281, 24 August 1944, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1944. NEW ZEALAND'S SEA HERITAGE

Citizens who perceive the importance of seafaring in relation to the future of this Dominion will welcome the news that the Wellington Navy League is endeavouring to. establish at Petone a permanent training centre for young men wishing to enter the Navy or the Merchant Service. This proposal is important and timely.. The war has brought home to the people of this country the reality of our dependence upon sea communications and sea-power. But it is one thing to be a sea-girt nation, and another to be seafaring. In recent pre-war years a diminishing number of young New Zealanders have looked to the sea either as a career of service or. a sphere of industrial opportunity. That trend has been tempprarily halted by the war emergency, and there is a good prospect of its permanent, replacement by a more virile, enterprising maritime spirit, if the right encouragement is given. More than 7000 men are serving in the Royal New Zealand Navy and a substantial additional number are in the ships of the British Merchant Navy. This constitutes an excellent war record, especially so in view of the fact that unlike the Army with its Territorial establishment, and r the Air Force with its following of youthful enthusiasts in aero clubs'and elsewhere, the Navy’s call for recruits, from our shores held special interest to a comparatively small section of the community—principally the fishermen and yachtsmen. Many of those who have tasted life on blue waters may in future be satisfied with no other, and in the immediate post-war period an abnormally large number of men may seek employment on shipboard, in the fishing.industry and in boat-building and allied trades. No doubt for. a time this will encourage fresh enterprise and create wider opportunity, but unless the revival of spirit is maintained in the younger generation it may gradually wane as it did in the two decades after the Great War. The Navy League has done splendid work in the past to maintain the British sea-loving and seafaring tradition in our midst, by constantly emphasizing the vital importance to every part of the Empire of a strong naval guardianship, and by encouraging an appreciation of the essential part played in our Empire trade and life by ships and seamen. .There have been times when this campaign has not only been ignored and belittled, but even actively hindered; and although today such foolishness is not in evidence, there is no saying that it will not be repeated when hostilities come to an end unless there is wider and more thoughtful appreciation of the objectives which the League has in view. The extension of the League’s work in this country to the preparation of youths, for service and careers at sea deserves every assistance. As a beginning greater encouragement might well be given to the campaign in schools. As was remarked recently by Dr. H. M. Wilson, of Hastings, in the course of an address on the subject of our national future: “The love of the sea should be instilled into our children. The Navy League, an essentially non-political, non-party society, should be encouraged to send good speakers, to tell our children of our great sea history.. There should be no quibbling over school hours and other organizations.

“This should be done,” he continued, “not to glorify war but to instil into our youth the glories of our people. No treaties or suppositions will do away with the inexorable fact that if a rich, desirable country is weakly held it will be sought after by the strong. We can only hold Now Zealand if we are strong in numbers and worthy.” As Dr. Wilson emphasized, strength at sea is essential to our security, and the way to that strength is by the fullest development of sea lore and sea life among the people. It is to our past discredit that such development has been neglected, but opportunity has been provided by war to begin anew on an adequate scale, and it should not be ignored.