NEED OF FUTURE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1937, Page 12

NEED OF FUTURE

FREEDOM FROM WAR

BRITAIN'S POSITION

HOLDING A BALANCE

Given freedom from war, the world would recover from the recent depression years, said Lord McGowan when addressing some 200 business men in Wellington today. He expressed the opinion that the greatest safely insurance for the future was Britain's power in the air, on land, and on sea, and the solidarity of the Empire. He refuted the suggestion that the enormous expenditure on war materials was responsible for improvements in trade, and said that the money spent on armaments would have caused a greater forward movement in commerce if it could have been directed into reproductive channels.

"You have doubtless noted," said Lord McGowan, "that Great Britain has decided to spend £1,500,000,000 on defence, so that our major industries will be busy for a long time to come. This, of course, gives spending power to the population, and almost every line of manufacture will benefit. This buying-power given to our people at Home must necessarily have a favourable effect on your exports of primary products. ,

"Perhaps at this point I might correct a very natural misconception, and that is that a great deal of our present prosperity is due to so much money, being spent on defence. In point of fact that is not so; it is only now that we arc beginning- to feel the benefit of this expenditure. A thousand pities, you will agree, that we have to pay this great insurance premium for safety, as the, expenditure on armaments is non-revenue producing, and how much better the world would have been had this vast amount of money been diverted through the ordinary channels of trade. But what was our alternative? As our Prime Minister said the other day, we shall not relax our efforts for peace, but peace can only be attained when European nations realise that Great Britain is prepared for war. DISARMAMENT TRIED. "Criticism without knowledge is ! always easy, and the question is asked, many times, why di-.l we not start this defence programme, say, three years j ago? Do not let us forget that for a long time Great Britain was, by precept and example, urging disarmament on the world. Pacifists were very vocal, and it might-. not have been easy .or possible to ride both the horses of disarmament and re-arma-ment at the same time." Given freedom from war, said Lord McGowan, he believed the world was set for recovery. There was evidence of this in Canada, the United States, South American countries, and India, and even China appeared .to have reached the bottom of her economic depression, and New Zealand was, of course, benefiting from the better conditions in agricultural products. Apart from' Spain' there was less political tension today than there had been for some time. . ■ ■ "I do not believe in the probability of war," he declared. "What did the last horrible war accomplish? Looking round trie world today one would say in 'truth—nothing. Victory neither to the victor, nor the vanquished. The relations of certain countries' in the world are worse than they were prior to August, 1914. What a terrible, what a devastating criticism of our twentieth century civilisation! "With nations again arming to the teeth, it looks like a return to the days of barbarism. But this should not occur—it must not occur—and 1 believe that the greatest hope that war may not recur for a long period will depend on Britain's efficiency in the air, Army, and Navy. When Britain is properly equipped in these services she wiil then hold the balance of power and we shall find that countries disposed to war will think twice before engaging in it, not knowing on which side Britain will throw her might. TIME TO PREPARE. ''God grant that we have that period of time in which to prepare," Lord McGowan added, "and if our expectation that our preparedness will put back the possibility of war for years to come, then the insurance premium which we in Britain are now paying— albeit a heavy one—will not have been in vain." Because of the conditions created by the Great War, he said, certain countries had to go through a process of evolution, and even of revolution, and that was still'going on, but there was no occasion for despair; the world must go on and he hoped and believed that the process of evolution would result in establishing solid and lasting foundations on which the peace of the world would be assured.

"Does it not fill you with pride, as it does us at Home, that the world today is looking.to Great Britain for a lead to bring the Continent out of its present chaos?" he asked. "Great Bri-tain-stands out like the. Rock-.of Gibraltar in its desire and efforts for world peace. I believe we stand where we are today because of our traditions, immeasurable in value, and a heritage given to us to guard as zealously in the future as we have in the past. But let me say at once that Great Britain could not occupy the great position she does today in world affairs unless it were appreciated, as it is, tt>jt we are part of an undivided and indissoluble Empire, andthat in all that we are doing to keep the peace of the world, we have your loyal and unswerving support. Long live our glorious Empire,- one of the most potent factors for good in the life of the world!" ,