DEFENCE AND ABUSE

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 139, 10 December 1919, Page 16

DEFENCE AND ABUSE

10 THE EDITOR.

Sir, —The apathy and short memory of the general public is absolutely marvellous. We have won this war because the Great Empire to which we belong was numerically strong enough to pay the price of victory with brave men's lives. We entered the war unprepared, in consequence of which, thousands of our best manhood paid the supreme sacrifice so that our Empire might be made safe for the future generation. . 'One does not expect thanks for fighting for his country, but why all this abuse now that we have returned' The New Zealand Times in a leading article says that hundreds of staff officers with gold braid are strutting abdut the country, as objectionable as they are useless. This statement is absolutely false, and the New Zealand Times knows so. One can only come to the conclusion that the paper is pandering to the Extreme Labour Party for a few votes. If the Times does not want a huge defence force—and who does?—why does it not say so in dignified terms, and not resort to abuse 1 Other candidates have also expressed the opinion that we do not want to prepare for war. I refer to Mr. Oakley Browne and Mr. L. M'Kenzie. When the next war comes I suppose they will be quite content to sit down and let the men whom they now belittle go away again and risk their lives and health for their country. I noticed that a Mr. M'Kenzie—a Labour, candidate for Otaki, I think—says that he has no time for commissioned officers. Well, Mr M'Kenzie need not worry. The affectionate greetings one sees every day between ex New Zealand Expeditionary Force officers and their, men, is sufficient proof that the friendship and respect for each other gained on the battlefield will never be killed by Messrs. Semple, Holland, Fraser, M'Kenzie .and O'Regan. No one wants a huge defence force; no one wants another war—least of all tho6e who fought and suffered in Gallipoli, France, and Palestine. But Germany is not yet finished, and if we do not want to take risks, we must have a well-trained staff, and good artillery, engineers, etc., with the infantry kept up to efficiency in musketry. If we even get up against a combination of Germany, Russia, Austria, and a few Balkan States., the people I have referred to will live to regret tho day they were so short sighted as to advocate a state of unpreparedness. As for the remark attributed to Mr. Lloyd George—l do not believe he ever made such a statement. He probably said that tha huge work of turning out shells at such a rate was happily now no longer required, but I am quite sure that the Prime Minister of England does not think that war is a thing of the past. The soldiers cannot be bluffed; they will know how to vote this time, and it won't be for disloyalists. And let the party advocated beware if they do not wish to turn the sympathies of the returned men to vote solidly for the other party's candidates, in order to ensure that only loyal men are returned to Parliament.—l am, etc., RED AND FOUR BLUE. 6th December.