Cant Expect To Hold N.Z., Australia Beyond 1980

Northern Advocate, 9 December 1948, Page 7

Cant Expect To Hold N.Z., Australia Beyond 1980

KIPPENBERGER'S OPINION

DUNEDIN, Thu. (P.A.)—“lt is the duty of those who have served in both wars to see that the conditions of service are maintained, for that is the only hope of survival for our children and grandchildren.

“It is their duty to see that Australia knd New Zealand are well defended,” said the Dominion president of the NZRSA (Sir Howard Kippenberger) in an informal talk to the executive of the Dunedin RSA.

“We cannot expect to hold this territory beyond 1930. “We can only do so if we increase our joint populations to 50,000,000 and are well prepared. “Then we would have a chance —a sporting chance. “We in Australia and New Zealand think we can continue to occupy, without effort, two of the most attractive countries in the world. “In spite of what people say, this cannot be so. “We have some protection in space. The only other protection is in a rapid increase of population and in having cur economy constantly geared for defence and people who are well aware of the danger in which they live and arc prepared to face it.’’ Within the next few months, Sir Howard said, we would see Communism established in China. “That might be all right for the Chinese, but it would not be for us, especially if the Russians got control of that country within the next five years. In Indonesia, there were 70,000,000 to 80,000,000 people crowded together. There was Malaya, which Britain had managed to hold, and there was India. Altogether, there were hundreds of millions of Asiatics within 72 hours of New Zealand, and in Australia and the Dominion there were 10,000,000 people. Those Asiatics could be equipped and ready for an aggressive war within 25 years.