WHEN PEACE COMES.

Northern Advocate, 3 July 1917, Page 1

WHEN PEACE COMES.

SIR J G. WARD'S PREDICTION

WORLD REVOLUTIONISED,

A remarkably forecast of after-the-war conditions was made by Sir Joseph Ward at the luncheon given in honour of .the returned Ministers by the Mayor and City Councillors of Wellington.

The war, he said, was .the greatest educator they had ever had. After the war was over the education they were receiving now would have the effect of revolutionising the whole world. (Hear, hear.) In the Old Country one could hardly come across an old family that had not lost a husband, a brother, or a son, and in some cases all of them. And there were thousands of the sons of the old families in the ranks fighting for their King and for their country. (Applause.) In the trenches were members of the nobility and aristocracy of the Old Country fighting shoulder to shoulder with men of the humblest families and walks of life; and it was having the effect of changing all the conditions of life which had existed before the war ,and was removing class privileges and feelings. After the war was over they would never return to the conditions that existed prior to the war, and that had caused most of the trouble in the past; and they would have the 'reflection of this radiating out to all parts of the overseas Dominions. Thiere would be new conditions here in New Zealand after the war, and in Canada and the other , overseas Dominions, and in the United States of America as well.

Referring to the United States Sir Joseph Ward said ithat President Wilson had been returned iat the last election by what was known as the party, and in a period of something like -nine months 'after his election the same man had become the bead of the War party, and 1 the pieople throughout America were acclaiming him as the leader of that party. (Applause.) That showed how gjr.eat 'a change of feeling had taken place. America had a fixied determination that every man if needs required it would be sacrificed to win the war. (Applause.) It only wanted that to show what a revolution there would be after the war in regard to th, e , conditions of life. (Applause.) POST-WAR PROBLEM'S. The post-war problems would be the big&est things that any country Jiad ever bad to handle, and the workingman would-haveto be-given his chance the samt £ as other classes to build up the improved commercial fabric and help the Old Country and the overseas Dominions to get into the position of using all their energies and all their powers in .the commercial fight and keep up th&ir supremacy in the future. (Applause.) The post-bellum problems had .to be settled. (Applause.) The visit to the Motherland of himself and the Prime Minister on behalf of the people of New Zealand had had the effect of giving them some knowledge of the intentions of the *c. sponsible men in th-e Old Country to help to Tegeneratie the Old Land and lift up the social and industrial scale Of the people, which had been impossible before the war. (Applaus;.) There would be more .mutual good feeling and understanding between capital and labour; and the men who wi;re helping to make the capital must be put into a position that would reasonably satisfy them. (Applause) They must see to it that the Empire attained such a 'position industrially and in every way, as would enable ii to stand four-square in the future against any nation, or combination of nations, that wished to strike at any portion of the Empire. (Applause.) To achieve that it was necessary to instil into the minds of the people a spirit of reasonableness to enable them to bring" about the changes after the war—changes which in the long run would be for the good of the Empire as a wholie. (Applause.) 'GENERAL HAIG CONFIDENT. Referring to his visit to France, Sir Joseph said that the greatest authority at the present moment, and the man upon whom they were all relying for guidance .and .determination— General Haig (loud applause)—and whom Mr Massey and he had visited at headquarters, had no doubt as to what the outcome of the war was going to be. (Loud applause.) They had had it from him, and he had expressed himself so since—and they only required to know the man to realise .that behind a beautiful, expressive face was a man full of brains, and of a resolution and determination that could not be misunderstood—that he is getting all he wants. And ho only wanted α-einforcements to keep up. the Army—an Army so great that many of the men they met at the -front had had ,to ask what w i as doing on different parts of the front, and what was doing ;in th, e war generally. Only reinforcements, that is all Haig wanted, and munitions to make sure of final victory. (Applause.) They had got the reinforcements and the munitions as they knew. The h^ad of the Army had no doubt about the outcome and he was getting everything that was necessary in the respects he had mentioned , . That was why, aud

he vfos sure they all 'recognised it from£<the beginning, it was so important |hat they should maintain tli&ir proportion of reinforcements so necesfor the front. (Applause.)" Wherev&r they had gone 'they had neve? met .an individual who had run dowvrtbe NewjZe'alanders. (Applause.) ■ Theyr ; wiere-<held;.to be the finest soldiersHtKf the King everywhere. (Ap plau«|.) ... ThI); .END—EARLY .NEXT YEAR. A prophet wals never knowii in Mb own.icoun.try, but he believei.that next yieari-rearly next year—would see the end of the war. Although nobody, of course>. knew what would really happen.' ■■'jßut the 'enemy were now really getting-beyond the ability to stand oui with .-the 'bluff which they had. used/ for so long with a view to making gooctsjerms ol.peace. (Applause.) The entr||df the United States' had .madethettpture absolutely secure for Oreat Britain and her Allies. There had been|f,financiar .difficulties standing in regard to exchange and |o forth—but the fentry of America had inadie it possible for the war to be. carried on by Britain financially for the next five years if that was necesit was quite .evident that ■Germany's man-vpowier was not all that the Germans would like them to be-lieve:-it. Many of those who were fighting were mere lads, while a great many, -were men over age; and nobody could: believe -that men over age or under age would be sent to the war if theyVeould. find men of military age to do-i'the work.-(Applause.)' America thoroughly understood the position, and realised <th< e , potentialities, and the Americans had made up their minds to g£ in with men, money, aid materials to assune a victory which would make sure the existence of civilisation, and humanity for all the years to come, (Loud applause.)