REAL CAUSE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 10 June 1927, Page 5

REAL CAUSE

VICTORY IN THE WAR

BRITISH ARMIES AND PEOPLES

EARL HATG BREAKS SILENCE

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright)

(“Sun" Cable.)

LONDON, Bth June,

“I doubt if it is yet fully realised in Britain the immensity of the British Army’s contribution to the war,” Laid Earl Haig, presiding at the Service League Conference. Tremendous cheering broke out as Earl Haig proceeded to break tho diplomatic post-war silence. He said that the national tendency to belittle outachievements was often fostered by political considerations, and allowed us to ascribe victory to various causes, for example: “The military genius of our allies,” “our enemies’ mistakes” and “the intervention of America” —anything in fact but the true cause, namely, the inherenL fighting qualities of the British armies, and the endurance, loyalty and discipline of British peoples throughout the world. “But the American reserves did bring the war to what many politicians regarded as an unexpectedly sudden end. The British Empire, during the" last eighteen months of the war,-carried the burden victoriously and almost solely on her own shoulders. It mobilised, equipped and trained the finest fighting force the world has ever_ seen in the greatest war of history.” The direction of that instrument mainly rested with liimself. So far as he personally was concerned he was prepared to leave that to the judgment of history. At present, he was concerned in securing a. fair measure of credit for all ranks composing the Empire's armies. “It is of the utmost importance for tho future that tho. people of Britain and the dominions accept the true version of the part they played in the Empire. The Service League will have justified i I self if it keeps alive in tho hearts of members a just pride in their achievements in war time.”

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

Mr Amery, Dominions Secretary, in the opening conference, paid a tribute to the League’s work in assisting the development of the overseas Empire. Some people seemed anxious regarding the effect of the Imperial Conference of 1926. They were mistaken. The conference had not loosened a single bond. On the contrary, it made clear that unity depends on common interests and mutual co-operation. The conference passed a resolution urging the extension of the Overseas Settlement Act, granting special concessions to ex-service men.

Mr Andrew Y’oung, a Scottish school master, declared that Australia was worse than Canada in excluding boy migrants because they were convicted of youthful escapades. He hoped delegates would persuade governments to modify the restrictions in such cases. Captain Simson, secretary, expressed the opinion that the dominions’ restrictions did not discriminate between murder and youthful crimes. Thousands of youths were not accepted because they were convicted of trifling offences at 9 and 10 years of age, when they lacked parental control. The conference became uproarious when Mr Fraser East, of Brisbane, defending the Government, pointed out that some dominions formerly had no choice in declining to accept criminals. Mr Gyett declared that the British laws should be amended permitting boys convicted of trifling offences to migrate with clean records.