SIR JAMES ALLES.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 May 1920, Page 2

SIR JAMES ALLES.

N'BKD FOB Pj&TAIjATTON.

Speaking at a fawwfi gathering tendered him In' the New Zealand P| u !b Sir James Allen in liis reply confined himself to the subject of defence. There i..,d beep no better advertisement 'for Ke'v Zealand than the doings of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and tI) P character apd the attitude of the men who eppipuspd ijs strength. Sir James Allen continued that a little more preparation on _thp part of the 1 British sypuld hayp saved aji enormous number of live. 1 ;. In phis connection he pointed out that wp were very apt to think that Localise the war was over 'arid the Teague of Nations formed that we had secured peace for all time. • This was a false sense of security. No one would be more delighted to be able to wipe put the Defence Department than himself, but preparedness pop Id not iri the light pf {lie present trend of world events he relegated fo file past. The refusal of America to come into the League of fyifiouii ]iad created an extraordinary position, ’fhprp were, 1111foi'tupatdy, gopd reasons for entertaining greaf dpubt as to the efficacy of the League. Indeed, tile League itself made provision for force to he used if one of the nations did not obey the dictates of the others. Who was to pro.vide this force 1 The onus would fall cm the constituent members of. the Leftj giie. .Kiiiji mitioh would have t.o contribute its shhrd' of nieu iind l army. We could not therefore settle down and think oiinselves secure. We insured our property and our lives. Was it not wprjdi while fo ipsiire o«r country and our Km pi rep Tile only insurance we

eptiljcJ place on pur country was to bring up pur young men healthy and vigorous, mentally and physically, apt} give them also a certain amount of basic training---orhich wp knew now from our military experience need not take up much time —in order to enable them I to bo turned into soldiers in a -comparaI tively short-time. Passing on Sir James 1 Allen emphasised the fact that the war

had showed us the mistake of not giving sufficient} framing to our officers and non-eotmnissioned officers. IJpder the old te"rit'jii I system we were not getting the service wo should have got for the amount of money expended, and it behoved ns to guard against a repetitioi.i of any mistake in this direction in file future. As a last word he dwelt on the necessity of the Dominion helping the Mother Country to keep her paval power,supreme and in that way ensure that our roads of communication would always he kept open. Sir James Allen resumed his seat amid applause, followed by throe resounding cheers.