RESPONSIBILITY’ FOR WAR.

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 24 July 1935, Page 6

RESPONSIBILITY’ FOR WAR.

The Australian Prime Minister has just been telling a Canadian audience that if another war comes it will be the politicians who will be responsible, because the peoples want peace. The answer to the question, “Who is responsible for wars,” is not so easy as that. Observers as diverse as Dean Inge, Lord Beaverbi’ook, Sir Norman Angell, Aldous Huxley, Major Douglas and Sir Austen Chamberlain lately provided the audience of the 8.8. C. with a series of essay-addresses on the causes of war, and no two of them agreed. Sir Austen Chamberlain, to whom the summing-up is committed, leaves the issue open, at any rate as between the responsibility of the politicians and the responsibility of the people. He thinks that the prime cause underlying the present unrest in Europe is the “spirit now at work in Germany,” and infercntially the rulers of Germany are blamed. But he omits to say that Germany still has four major national grievances, disabilities and deprivations imposed on her at Versailles ; and if war in Europe comes as the result of Germany’s efforts to restore her national status the blame will rest not so much on present and future politicians as on those of 1919. Sixteen years ago the politicians were very much under the influence of the peoples, and Versailles reflected London, New York, Pains and Romo opinions. To-day the peoples do not want war, but they have less influence than formerly, so that it may be right to hold the politicians responsible.

Cooking classes for men were begun at the Christchurch Technical College recently, following a proposal that young men taking up farming should be given training in cooking for themselves. Nine men attended the first course and, under the direction of Miss C. Graham, were instructed in the art of making pastry, stews and fruit pies.