The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.’’ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1940. "ONE PURPOSE ONLY"

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20141, 10 January 1940, Page 6

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.’’ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1940. "ONE PURPOSE ONLY"

The speech delivered by Mr. Chamberlain at the Mansion House yesterday was at once an inspiration and a warning to the Empire. The Prime Minister, as is his custom, struck precisely the right note, displaying determination without bravado and confidence without either vanity or a desire for vengeance. As on other occasions he has implied, rather than stated expressly, just how closely the war touches him personally and how keenly he feels the failure of all his earlier efforts for peace. Above all else, however, he makes clear the firmness with which he intends to pursue the path which circumstances have compelled him to tread. “Now that war has been forced upon us,’’ he said, “all my hopes and aims are directed to one purpose only. I shall do all within my power, with the aid of our staunch and brave French allies, to bring this war to a successful conclusion. To that purpose I subordinate everything else. From that purpose, as long as I hold office and until this war comes to an end, I will not be deflected, nor will I shirk my inevitable responsibility.” It is not for everyone to play the important and responsible, but far from enviable, part that falls to the Prime Minister, but even for those in the most humble spheres there could not be a finer or more inspiring motto than is contained in those words.

It was fitting, as Mr. Chamberlain himself said, that his first speech of the new year should be delivered in the very heart of the Empire “which every day is growing stronger and which is united as never before in its great history,” And the words which he spoke were a splendid message to the Empire which, as he said, “has given unanimous approval to our cause.” None who heard him speak could have failed to be impressed by his obvious earnestness and sincerity and, however much he may have left himself open to criticism in the past,

there can be no doubting Mr. Chamberlain’s fitness to lead the Empire

through its present trial. The same single-mindedness which prompted him before to devote the whole of his energy to the maintenance of peace now characterises the manner in which he leads the nation in time of war. “All my hopes and aims are directed to one purpose only . .

That should be the text for every part of the Empire and to the extent that it is adopted the more certainly and the more speedily will that one purpose be attained. It is, perhaps, only natural that those nearer the actual seat of war should be prepared to subordinate everything else to the war effort, but Mr. Chamberlain’s precept should find a ready echo much further afield.

Another part of the Prime Minister's speech which should command attention was his reminder of the fact that the war has not yet been won and that no relaxation of effort should be permitted. “The new year has opened quietly," he said, “but it is the calm before the storm and we do not know how long it will last.” Should there be a tendency to regard this as pessimism it is only necessary to recall that it is the plain truth. It is true that so far the Allies have every reason to derive confidence, and even pride, from tire efforts ot their forces, but Mr. Chamberlain gave a timely reminder that up till now the activity on land and in the air has been only preliminary. Only at sea has the war been in full operation, and here with results not unsatisfactory to the Allies, but the real clash of arms belongs to the future. The need for ever-increasing preparedness is as great as ever and perhaps the most serious danger to the Empire is the possibility of complacency. And the danger here, as Mr. Chamberlain pointed out, is on the home front, where greater sacrifices will be necessary. “To win and shorten the war,” he said, “we must save, go without some of the things to which we have become accustomed, and share and share alike.’’ Again, his message extends to all parts of the Empire. Mr. Chamberlain had comparatively little to say regarding the war aims of the Allies; indeed, there was nothing new that could be said. He did remark, however, that whereas the avowed aim of Germany was to bring about the collapse of the British Empire the Allies, for their part, had no vindictive designs, “but,” he added, “the German people must realise that the responsibility for prolonging the war rests upon them as well as upon the tyrants who lead them.” Here

the Prime Minister strikes a somewhat new, but decidely realistic, note, for, for the first time, he gets away from the idea that there is no quarrel with the German people. However much sympathy might be felt for the German masses in the struggle that has been forced upon them as well as upon the Allies it has to be recognised, that it is not possible to make war upon a State without making war upon the people who comprise it. Whether we like it or not, whether it is our intention or not, we are at war with the people of Germany and, so long as this war lasts, to paraphrase Mr. Chamberlain, all our hopes and aims are directed to the one purpose of bringing the war to a successful conclusion. In the meantime, it is possible to derive satisfaction, but not complacency, from knowledge of the unity and determination of the Allies and to subscribe whole-heartedly to Mr. Chamberlain’s dictum that everything else must be subordinated to the one purpose of winning the war.