Extravagant Futility

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 30, 25 July 1923, Page 4

Extravagant Futility

Mr. Baldwin, British Prime ter, announced in the Commons during the week that the cost of ti:« British military occupation of Constantinople Avas: Army. £22,50(''.0u0; Navy, £6,000,000: and Air For?c, £615,000—a total of over £30,000.000, not one penny of Avhich is recoA'c-rabie under the Peace Treaty just concluded at Lausanne. Thus ends, with the scandalous waste of millions that might have been spent 1 to provide' "homes for heroes." one of the futile and extravagant adventures in human history- The failure to !oree the Straits with naval power, the-mas-sacre of the Anzacs. the AvithdraAval from Gallipoli, the humiliation of Nationalist Turkey by the "Peace" of SeA-res, Avhich constituted an unscrupulous' viola! : on of Mr. L. George's pledges to British Labour, the egging on of the Greeks to attack Keinal Pasha, the Greek debacle, and the execution of the Greek ministers Avith whom. George and Curzqn had plotted, the desertion of. Harington at Chanak ■by France and Italy, the expenditure of hundreds of millions sterling, ail to result at the end of a victorious Avar in—the establishment of Turkey in -t stronger position than before the Avar began! How sublimely ridiculous! How the gods must shake Avith Homeric laughter at the human insect, toiling Avith pain and loss to realise —nothingness.