THE NATY LEAGUE

Evening Star, Issue 17401, 10 July 1920, Page 10

THE NATY LEAGUE

: ' SLXTBESKCH ANNUAL. MEETING. .-"• "Hie sixteenth annual. meeting of the jOtogo branch, of the STayy "League, held afternoon in the Town Hall, 'ws.Tfw attended by members and by I junior members from several secondary f achoofe." ■ The' table in the centue of the ■ chamber waa, covered with the flag of the league, aid was tastefully decorated with pot plants and palms. The Mayor , <Mr W. Begg) presided. The address of the gathering was delivered t>y , !M~f James Begg, the -new president. The Mayor congratulated the Otago branch of the league upon -the very ex- ; callent work carried out during the past : 12 months. One of the outstanding fea-:-tuxes of the year's work had been the visit of Admiral Jellicoe. It was to be f .regretted that H.M.S- New Zealand, 1 through, no fault of the league, was unable j to visit our harbor, and this "was more t to be regretted from the point'of view' -of the younger people. Th9y ought to" \ be on the fact that : Jelficoe had been appointed Governorj General of tht Dominion. He felt quite ; safe-in saying it was a popular appointment, and that Admiral Jellicoe would

not- only be a live man in the interests , of the Navy League, but would.also be I a successful Governor. He had had the ! pleasure of visiting H.M.S. Renown, and L.he expressed»their regret to Admiral \ Halsey that the ship could not ty» acebm- • modated here. Good work had been done ' "by the league in the schools, both primary } and" secondary. Teachers had commented ' upon the fact that in preparing and writing the Navy League essays the children ; not only took a greater interest in Im- ; perial affairs, but also improved their f general knowledge. In conclusion he ex- ► pressed lis pleasure at being present, and | would hand over the conduct of the {• meeting to Mr J. A. Johnstone, their r vice-president, j Mr J. A. Johnstone said he was deV lighted to see so many present. Since 'they last met for a similar purpose many \ changes had taken place, both in inter"national events and in the personnel of Otago branch. In consequence of ■ having been called to Britain, - there to taJcß up the highly important and honorable role of High Commissioner for New ? Zealand, Sir James Allen, - who waa their /'president for so many years, had been \ obliged to relinquish his position; to j "which, however, they were glad to wel- (" come Mr James Begg, their president- ' electa who, he was sure, would give to the affairs of the league the same lively interest he had displayed in other move- ' ments for the good of the community. I He would like to make a few remarks V bearing upon the growth and inter- \ relationship of the Royal Navy and the merchantile marine, the two great forces that to-day, as for ages past, represented , the Empire's deferifce and the Empire's : prosperity. These two forces, between which some jealousy had existed at different tames, were really each complei mentary of the other, and they originally | were one and had always been dependent • upon each other. As the student of naval history was well aware, the British, who - had always been recognised as the greatest : ocean-loving and seafaring nation of the j world, were not the first -to master the .trackless/ocean and to sail its waters ; for their own profit and for the advance- .'■ ment of their land. At a very early [period, long before the English nation t were dreamt of, a nation of oceanJovers - already existed, the Phcemcians, who fore--1 shadowed < in their pluck and enterprise the seagoing British of later times. These sailed not merely the Mediterranean, but also the wild Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, planting colonies on distant shores, carrying wealth from one land to another, land all the time facing untold dangers. the Phoenician Empire passed away. [and in later years arose the Empire of ?the English race, with its inborn love of : the sea. Our Navy and our mercantile j marine had humble beginnings, and had j our forefathers been made of feebler stuff, ; had they : been easily checked in their ' enterprises, centuries of history juust have ■ been changed. But what did history • show? It showed an ocean-going people v crossing to fcfie British Isles in frail boats, -'it showed them protecting their newly'T on J? 0 ™ 53 "with boats built, to keep away invading forces, it showed these same ~ vessels in peaceful times carrying the .pro- * duets of the : islands to cross-channel lands and. bringing back other commodities in return, until to-day, looking down the centuries, they were able to traoe the growth of that great Navy that was their pride, and the equally, great mercantile marine, that_turned the natural wealth of the Empire into.actual value. The lesson to*be learnt from the foregoing was that r the- Navy and fhe mercantile marine ,were really allied, and.not divergent In olden days our merchant ships armed themselves for England's and their own protection in times of danger, and in these .later dap they had seen their' merchant ships doing the same thing, and becoming a force without which the Navy could not have existed for a single day, nor could they ever have won the Great War from which they had just emerged successfully. The power of the British Empire to-day was* largelv centred in our mercantile marine, and as Lord Jellicoe had repeatedly pointed out, both in his memorable book 'The Grand Fleet' and in his public■ utterances, the work of the mercantile marine during the war was simply superb, and would never be forgotten as long as the Empire lasted. . The British Navy had often been called the "silent service,** and it well deserved this title, for It neither talked about ite own deeds nor sought any reward for them. Now that the veil of secrecy the war naturally imposed had been lifted, thsy had been permitted to learn of the glorious deeds of cur Navy, but the equally important woik done by the mercantile marine had rather j been- overlooked by the general public. ; Theiuercantile marine was called upon to ; man 1 many vessels-in the growing Grand -Fleet. It was called upon to arm itself; to patrol stormy and dangerous latitudes; to ■carry millions of troops in submarineinfested areas; to fight the srbmarine peril; to sail obediently wherever the Navy called, irrespective of dangers, as well as to carry out its great work of transporting foodstuffs and raw commodities to the starving lands across the seas and all this it did with a fortitude, resourcefulness, and endurance never ex- ' celled in all the annals of British history. They had come to take the mercantile marine rather as a matter of course, but the Great War had shown them what a tremendous debt of gratitude they owed to the men'that go down to-the sea in .unarmed ships} es well as to those that manned their fighting and defending ves- , eels. The Nevy League had always sought to lay_ before the public the paramount ! necessity for the Empire to have a strong [and efficient Navy, and had pleaded the causa of the men who manned the Navy, . -.but to-day it must add to the above flf its creed the claims and seriTicfea of our great mercantile marine, to which tfeey owed so much of their wealth jtna prosperity. Without a great merchant pwrico to cany our products to lands that brifcenead of them aaid means to payna for them, aIL the wealth of products in our overseas lands would be valueless, and ; wer should have the money necessary £6jr-'f"he upkeep of that Navy, upon which :«jjs- safety so largely depends. The council of the Navy League in Great Britain j ha<J-decided to concentrate its after-war (activities largely ppon educational and propaganda work _ in the echools and colleges of Great Britain, for it was realised that the best way to ensure the future of the British Navy was to teach to the young the history of our glorious sea forces and the lessons of sea power. Great Britain had always been a land the inhabitants of which were filled with the sea spirit, and consequently it should not be difficult to interest the rising generation theTe. But New Zealand was a new land, with little or no pasj; history, and unless they had' some tangible units of eea power in , their ; midst it was much harder to interest people in the Navy and its needs. : The establishment of a naval base in New Zealand waters and.the presence in our - porte ; and seas of various cruisers and tarining ships would do much to foster ■ the sea eptrit in their midst, and they were .also..hopeful that the privilege of having -Wo& . Governor-General so , eminent' a . -naVal? authority and personality as : Lord

Jellicoe would do much to help on the ■wort of the Navy League in this land. Now that the rates of pay in both the Navy and the mercantile marine had been increased arid conditions in these , two services improved, the sea offered to,boys a very attractive career, -with prOapecta of great advancement if they were possessed of ability, grit, and endurance. The more New Zealand boys who entered the naval and mercantile marine services the greater interest" would New Zealand take in these vitally important national assets, and the better would be the typo of citizen evolved in this far-distant Dominion of the British Empire, He need hardly v.say that the Otago branch intended to. carry on with renewed vigor the educational work it had done so successfully in the past. Might he say in conclusion that this vital work the Otago branch was carrying on could not be done effectively without ample funds. There must be in our community many hundreds of prosperous men and women,' both :n town and country, who hitherto had lent no aid to the league, and who pesstbly had not helped because they -were unaware of the objects for which they existed. He hoped that, realising their responsibilities as good citizens of the vast Empire of which each one formed a part, they would recognise their privileges by joining the membership of this branch. He would move the adoption of the annual report. Mr J. J. Clark, in seconding the motion, said the work which had been done during the past 16 years had been hard, honest, genuine work, which those who had had control of the affairs of the league could look back upon with pride, with hope in the present, arid confidence in the future. The day had passed when anyone needed to stress the vital importance of the Navy to oirr Empire. The war had taught them what it meant to have a strong Navy able to hold file seas. But memories were short, and perhaps ere long the necessity would arise when, active measures would have fo be taken to see that the British public were taught to realise the necessity of a great Navy able to maintain the Empire. Since the veil of secrecy had been lifted they had found that without the Navy it would have been impossible to win the war. It was not the mighty ships or the guns that had won the war, but the men who manned them—the men who manned the Navy and the mercantile marine. The work of the Navy was work for men with heroic minds and stalwart bodies, and the league should be out to do. everything they could to improve the conditions in the Navy. The strength of their branch was due in a large measure to the_ energy and whole-hearted enthusiasm of Mr Charles Darling, whese great literary gifts, unbounded enthusiasm, and fine powers of oratory had placed the branch under a deep debt of gratitude to him. He had been an inspiration to members and all who heard him. He hoped Mr Darling's health would soon be restored, so that he could resume his great work. (Applause.) Mr Jas. Begg (president) expressed regret that Mr J. A. Johnstone, to whom the honor of president should naturally fall, had been unable to accept it. This branch of the league had suffered a great loss in its late president, Sir James Allen, but in his new position he would be a valuable link between this branch and the headquarters of the league. After great efforts have been put forth there always followed a period of lassitude and inertia. Our enemy was defeated—his fleet annihilated. No other enemv was in si"ht. Why not rest awhile. "This was au° inevitable tendency; but it must be striven against incessantly. There were other factors that were apt to lead to neglect of the Navy. Huge loads of debt "had been incurred, and embarrassed governments were assailed by importunate demands for further expenditure for reconstruction, social amelioration, housing, and so on. Money had to be got somewhere—why not cut down the estimates for defence ? Popular clamor for Government expenditure was not unknown in New Zealand, but it was much more intense in Britain, where the popular mind had been led to believe that a new heaven and a new earth were to be ushered in when the war was over. Economy was indeed necessary in defence as in every other de£artment, and every pound should, as ord Fisher insists, be closely scrutinised to make sure that its expenditure means greater efficiency. But the strength of the Navy must be kept up. History showed that when the future looked clear and bright was the very time when vigilance was most necessary. But we must not assume that peace was certain. The League of Nations might yet be a powerful factor in maintaining peace, but it was at present little more than a name, and, while it was our duty to strengthen and support it with all the influence we possessed, it would be madness at the present stage to rely on it for our national security. The large number of school children who were members of this branch of the league was an excellent sign of the interest boys and girls were taking in the Navy. Children were learning about the Navy and the value and the meaning of sea power as well as the responsibilities attaching to it. Pre- | liminarv work was being done, which : would by and by' enable us to supply annually onr quota of officers and men to the Royal Navy. Surely we could do so. ' There was perhaps among us too great a tendency to exalt comfort and security as the greatest good, but the spirit of adventure was tlbjr heritage of youth, and if given the opportunity would impel marry to join the Navy. Nothing elsa could give us such a lively personal interest in the Navy as having our own people assisting to man it. We were.to havo a small flotilla in these waters, and we hoped to see it frequently at Dunedin. He trusted this brancn of the Navy League would undertake the entertainment of these men when it had the opportunity. In addition to this we must make up our minds to pay our full share for the ships 'and their upkeep, pending the time when some of this work could be done in shipyards at our own ports. One of the most important things the children were being taught was that the Navy, especially during the last century, had not been used in any selfish spirit, but on the whole for the benefit of the world at large—the good of humanity. It was in our power to make the necessary sacrifices to keep the Navy up to adequate strength or to neglect it. It was also in our power to use the Navy selfishly and for our own aggrandisement, or to use it unselfishly for the benefit of the whole world. On our decision in these matters he believed the future welfare of humanity depended to a great extent. New Zealand could not escape its share of responsibility in this matter. We had a new status, and would have some say, however small, in Empire policy. The Empire- was itself a League of Nations, and perhaps furnished the best foundation on which the larger league could be based. Could we not accept this position, and act as if the Empire were indeed a league to promote equity and justice throughout the world! The great dangers in the way were selfishness and false patriotism. Governments were becoming partners in businesses and trusts to Secure special privilege for their own people, and here lay a great danger, because these monopolies could only be maintained by force. If a policy of that kind was pursued by us it meant that the Navy mast be used to secure .for va something more than our share of the -resources of the world, and this would be prostituting the power of the Navy to 'a selfish and ignoble purpose. It would certainly Jead tei more wat 3, in which right would not ha.on our side. The motto of the Nary League was " Sacrifice and Service," and the league's obvious duty was to try to make this the motto of the Empire. Having been scourged to the elevation of duty, honor, and patriotism, were we now going to Telapse again? Were we going to sink back into selfishness, luxury, and materialism, and lose sight onoe more ?! the ~e 7 e riasir|g things that matter? if we did we would again be scourged by the .hand of fate; fresh wars and calamities would overtake us; if we sank too deeply _we would be overwhelmed. A nation taking for its motto sacrifice and service, and living" up to these principles, l would not decline or become effete. Backed T by a nation imbued with these principles, our Navy would go on from a glorious past to a still ■ more glorious future, and would for ever be invincible. ..-.•.

The following office-bearers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Mr James Begg; vicejoresidents —Messrs J. A., Johnstone arid P. R.. Sargood;. hdh. treasurer, Mr W. F. Edmond; secretary, Mr D. H. Rogers: committee —Messrs Peter Burr, It, S. Black, F. O. Bridgeman, W. F. Edmond, T. R. Fleming, Peter Goyen, F.L.S., Neil Galbraith, 0. Holdsworth,' J. A_ Johnstone, W. A. Moore, W. J. Morrell, M.A., P. R. Sargood, W. D. Stewart, M.P-, J. Waddell Smith, 0. G. White; Ladies' CommitteeLady Allen, Mrs ,W. F. Edmond, Mrs J. M. Ritchie, Mrs Theomin, Miss M. C. Ross, Mrs E. a Reynolds, Mrs J. M. Gallaway, Mrs J. C. M'Georgo, Miss Rattray, Mrs James Begg, Mrs J. A. Johnstone, Mrs W. A. Moore, and Miss Williams. The meeting concluded with the singing of a verse of the National Anthem.