New Zealand Must Defend Herself

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 64, 17 March 1938, Page 8

New Zealand Must Defend Herself

Hon. W. Perry Expresses Grave Fears RELYING ON BRITAIN Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. ”1 fear trie people of tnis countryyoung and old—are in for a horrible and a bloody awakening unless they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary in the cause of defence,” said the Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C., addressing the annual meeting of the women members of the New Zealand Defence League, yesterday. “The idea that, in the event of Britain being at war. New Zealand might be seized by a foreign Power is generally thought fantastic but I would suggest that it is not only a possibility but a probability,” he added. When the Defence League had been formed a year ago. said Mr. Perry, the International situation had been grave It was now far more grave and appeared to be approaching a climax. Only last Monday the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mr. Neville Chamberlain. had announced that the £l,500.000.000 which—as was announced two years ago—Great Britain would expend on rearmament over a perio:’ of three years, would not now be sufficient, and it needed no imagination tc. realise the Implication of that statement. Within a week of that announcement German troops were on the Austrian frontier. Next day they had crossed it. and to-day they were in Vienna. Obviously, Germany’s next move would be against Czechoslovakia, a country allied to France, who would have no alternative but to go to her assistance. Britain was tied to France and thus a world war would be precipitated. "A Riny of Enemies.” “We must face facts,” said Mr. Perry. “Britain is surrounded by a ring of enemies. A circumstance of which I have lived in daily terror has come to pass—an alliance between Germany and Japan. It is an alliance allegedly for the overthrow of Communism, but I believe it is for the overthrow of the British Empire. Great Britain, in the event ©f war, will have her hands so occupied protecting her own shores that she will be unable to assist Australia or New Zealand. That is the reason for Mr. Chamberlain’s latest state* ment that the three objectives ol British defence policy are: defence of the United Kingdom. (2) The defence of the trade routes that feed it: and (3) The maintenance of naval bases and strategic points in -arious parts of the world. Not Fair to Rely on Britain. “It is not fair that we in New Zealand or the people of Australia should rely on Great Britain for protection. It is obviously the first duty of Britain to protect her own shores and nationals and it is obviously our own duty to protect our shores and nationals. In a world war New Zealand will be thrown on her own resources. The first object of an attacking enemy will be to cut Britain off from the sources of her food supplies and New Zealand is one of them.” New Zealand’s distance from foreign countries was often cited as proof of her immunity from attack, said Mr. Perry, but Japan had been brought closer when she was given a mandate over the Marshall Islands after the war. The Marshall Islands were as near to Australia as they were to Japan and almost as near to New Zealand. It had been proved beyond all doubt that •Japan had fortified these islands and there would be nothing to prevent her secretly assembling an air fleet there. With the use of aircraft carriers Japan could bomb New Zealand out of existence