A FAVOURED LAND

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 20, 24 July 1934, Page 11

A FAVOURED LAND

BUT SPARSELY PEOPLED

NEW ZEALAND AND THE NAVY

ITS SOLE PROTECTION

"I have always felt that the Navy League fills a great need in the remarkable circumstances of this country. I believe this because I believe in .this paradox, that whereas we New Zealanders as a community literally owe .to the. Biitish Navy those things which as a community we appear to value: most, nevertheless, as a community, we seem singularly indifferent to the Navy, unconscious" of our debt to it, and ungrateful in our attitude to it," said Mr. J. B. Callan, K.C., in an address delivered at the annual meeting of the' Wellington branch of the Navy League last night.; . "Indeed, some of us are e\en hostile to the existence of the Navy. I take it that the object and. purpose of the Navy League is to disbipate this indifterence and ingratitude, and to combat this hostility. "What are the things that New Zealanders as a community -appear to value most? What are the things of which we boast, i\nd upon which wo pride ourselves? .First, that wo are the possessors of a country singularly favoured by Nature, a beautiful-coun-try, a healthy country, and a fertile couritry; a country singularly fitted to be the abode of man, and to give him a comfortable life. These ' favoured islands we possess rather than occupy, for we aro relatively few in number, absurdly few, when compared with the crowded populations of ■ overcrowded lands in Europe and Asia, Very largely because we are few and because our habitation has been greatly blessed by Nature, our standard of material comfort is very high, as high as anything that can be seen anywhere on this habitable globe. Not only are wo few in number, but we are homogeneous. To all intents and purposes we are a European people, and ndt only-are we all Europeans., but to all intents and purposes wo are purely British. From this it results that we are unusually congenial to "each other. .: We; are uniform in language, in traditions, in social customs, in outlook on life ,and in our, tastes and interests. * "Of course, we have our differences, pur quarrels, and disputes. The most intimato family group is not immune from these, but our population is far moro homogeneous than it would bo were; we an admixture- of various European races, arid infinitely •'iriorb homogeneous than if we weio an admixture of European and iSiatic races. This circumstance adds greatly to the material and spiritual comfort of our existence. To say that this fact is very generally realised, is to use,language pathetically weak and inadequate. We all know and feel.this with passionate intensity. NEW ZEALAND FOR NEWZEALANDERS. "It is difficult to point to any conviction upon which all New Zealanders are so united and so .earnest as they are in their determination to keep New Zealand for New. -.- Zealanders . arid for New, Zealanders "like ourselves. It is in ,the combination of the'following things that we find our blessings, namely, that we are a small, sparse, purely British population in possession of a very desirable piece of the earth's surface, which is capable oi1 supportfar more human beings than us "yet resido in it. This pleasant situation —very pleasant for ua—we are determined to preserve. Our immigration laws and our attitude to immigration show that. Ilitheito wo have been allowed to remain- in undisturbed possession. Why? It is not natural. It is contrtvry to tho elementary truth that Nature abhors a' vacuum; When compared with many crowded portions of the -earth, this beautiful and desirable country is almost empty. It i 3 contrary to the elementary facts of man's nature for such an unequal distribution of the good things1 of life to be allowed to endure. It is contrary to the experiences of mankind as recorded in histoiy. We ourselves are abjectly powerless to resist the flow into these islands 'of alien and uncongenial immigiants whose coming would lower beyond recognition our standard of living, who, suddenly or slowly, would completely chango\ our institutions, our habits, and our ways of thought. "But all this would have happened to us had wo ' stood alone. -Wo do not stand alone. The' circumstance which has enabled us to pursue a policy which many other nations must regard as selfish, is simply tho fact that we belong to that great and powerful combination formerly called the British Empire, and now ' The British Commonwealth of Nations.' In the last resort tho power of that combination must be measured by tho force ai its command, and its willingness and readiness to use that; force. ■■ ■ ' . - -.., •. - - "The Navy-is most powerful engine of war,-,.- Had there not been a British' Navy, 'we New1 Zealanders could not have maintained our exclusive immigration policy,1 that policy which ' has' -been • steadily dictated by an.intense determination to remain in' possession of th,e things we value most, which are' .our high standard of living and; pur homogeneity." . .