NATIONAL DEFENCE LEAGUE

Evening Star, Issue 17325, 13 April 1920, Page 7

NATIONAL DEFENCE LEAGUE

The policy statement of Genera! Russell, president of Aha National Defence League of New Zealand, issued last week, is replied to by Air A. S. Malcolm, ALP. The member for Clutha explains that in 19C8he was one of the most active members in Parliament in urging the passing of the Defence Bill, setting i»p tne Territorial system, and providing for compulsory military training, so he is no pacifist, and has no objection to military training as such. But the war with Germany has come and has been won by the Allies, and the position is very different from what it was in 1908 -and 1911. Mr Malcolm proceeds:— ■ General Russell bases his case for a compulsory Defence system on this Eastern menace. I venture to think that tnere is no Eastern menace. Japan, for instance, is an ally of ours, and a very, honorable and faithful ally ehe has been. I believe that common interests will compel Japan and the British Empire to draw closer and closer together. Japan recognises that up to tho present she owes, broadly speaking, everything she is to Britain. The war has shown Japan more clearly than ever tho great place Britain holds in the world. Owing to the war Britain now possesses not only an incomparable Navy, but an almost, incomparable Army. Japan is

not goiim to commit suicide by challenging this Power. Far from that, site is proposing to ask for a renewal of the alliance. -“But,” General Ruessl! may ask, “ what about the demand Japan made before the Council of the Nations for a recognition of racial equality?” Well, what about if? One can surely understand a Power making a dignified and courteous diplomatic protest without charging her with wishing to make war. There was scarcely one of .the Powers but made a similar protest about some other matter, and yet no one charges each of them with meaning war. I believe this color bar need not be even a, cause of serious difference of opinion. 'ln 1336 I had the privilege of discussing this color bar with tire then Chinese Consul in Wellington, a man who most favorably impressed every one that met him. We all know that to exclude Asiatics we simply put a law on the Statute Bonk. This peremptory method of exclusion is naturally offensive to great nations. The Consul most courteously urged that in deference to their feelings—“ and we have pride.” , he said—the colonies should ask Britain to represent our wishes diplomatically at the Eastern Courts. He believed that it would be easy to come to an arrangement under which the Chinese and Japanese Governments would forbid the emigration of their subjects to the colonies. He claimed that his Government liked the settlement of Chinese in New Zealand as little as we did. “ What do we gain by it?” he said. “Nothing. We simply lose valuable subjects.” I understand. that the feeling of the Japanese Government is the same. The question could very probably be settled easily and amicably by diplomatic action. Even in 1911. when I was addressing the meetings of which I have spoken; I found some asserting that our next war would be not with Germany, but with Japan. I ventured then to sav that for many years to come, if I could judge from historical’parallels, Japan would be too much occupied with her relations to Cnina' to wish to undertake ventures in wider fields. The experience of the years since 1911 certainly goes to bear out that opinion.