DEFENCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 44, 19 January 1935, Page 8

DEFENCE.

(Contributed bv the N.Z. "Welfare League.) There have been meetings held in various parts of the Dominion by delegates from outside to protest against war and fascism. The demand is that the Empire must disarm completely. In order to rouse support for total disarmament absurd statements were made to audiences about our Government’s intentions and its reasons for maintaining a defence force. Here is one of these. The Government have ordered 90 ’planes nofc for encouraging civil aviation, hut to use against our farmers and workers who may unite to protest against the conditions arising out of the depression. Aeroplanes and aerodromes for the rapid transportation of guns, gas and soldiers have been planned for this purpose. There are idealists who honestly believe that the total disarmament of one country will result in freedom from attack, but history proves that this is fallacious. Mr Henderson’s secretary at the Disarmament Conference admitted that we must have some defence when there, is a possibility of attack from Fascist Powers; again Communist protesters against Empire defence approve of Soviet Russia’s maintenance of huge forces to defend her National* interests, yet these same people deny our rights to defence in any .other emergency. This Socialist-Communist advocacy for our total disarmament is patently inconsistent and when supported by such an obvious absurdity as above quoted is clearly suspect. The motive behind the campaign is well known.