JAPAN MUST PREPARE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8737, 20 May 1914, Page 7

JAPAN MUST PREPARE

TO STAND ALONE GENERAL SIR lAN HAMILTON CRITICISED. “A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE.* By Telegraph—Press ABaoclalloa —Copyright "Times" nnd Sydney "Sim" .Services. (Uocfivcd' M;.v 10, 0.30 r.nu) TOKU), May 10.The pres:-, referring to Gemma US if lan Hamilton’,- remarks in Auckland, declares that Japan must prepare to stand alone and in face tin' white race., in battle. Asia must eo-oporate with Japan for common defence. The newspaper “Miebi Nichi Shimbun” complains that General Sir lan Hamilton is a disturber of tbo peace. JAPANESE DOUB'J'S RENEWED, EQUAL FOOTING WITH WHITES DESIRED. (Received May 20, 0.5 a.m.) LONDON, May 19. Tho “Daily Mail s” Tokio correspondent says that tho Japanese doubu concerning British enthusiasm for tho alliance have boon renewed by General Sir lan Hamilton’s speech referring to tho Pacific as a possible battlefield between Asiatics and Europeans. Count Okuma’s declaration has not removed the uneasiness. The “Nichi Xicbi Sbimbun” declares that Japan must warn other Asiatics of the fearful consequences of tbo white men’s prejudice and their unrighteous attitude. Japan has no warlike designs, but is striving for an equal footing with whites. “NO COMMENT.”

Press Association. WANGANUI, May 19. A “Chronicle” reporter waited 018' General Sir lan Hamilton this- even- j ing in reference to the cable message from Tokio giving Japanese press j views on rhe Gonoraljs utterances. , General. Hamilton said he was unable/ owing to military rules to make any, comments.

One of the most important and in» (creating speeches made by General ; Sir lan Hamilton during the course of I Iris Australasian four was that which | ho delivered at a civic reception at the , Town Hall, Auckland, on May i(!( lr. When referring to the imperative need ' for adequate defence measures in New t Zealand Sir lan Hamilton commenced by, saying that in New Zealand’s biggest city he might make answer to lire query which hail directly and indirectly' ‘ been submitted to him throughout his tour from south to north. That tiuestion had been: —"Why, when wo are expecting the inille.iiTiiuni, do wo find practical and prosperous countries like Australia and New Zealand ear- • ncstly engaged in furbishing up their armour of defence?” Ho would like . to try and answer that question—not in the obvious way, but rath or in the abstract. It might oven be limit those whom he was addressing would yegaid his statement as original. The first reason he would givt. then, win because of tho shrinkage of distance, The advent of electricity,' steamships, aeroplanes, and high explosives, “so high that a shot, from a Winch gun could kill a man twenty miles away.” They had brought most dangers nearer. Next there was tha obvious reason that in the Pacific great rations had either risen during the Just 100 years or else old nations were showing marvellous energy. Even as volcanoes long quiescent broke again into activity, so it was with some of tho old nations of the Pacific. WHERE NATIONS’ FATES MAY BE DECIDED. Tho third obvious reason, was that the Pacific, despite its charming name, was if anything more stormy than some less distinguished parts of tha globe. And while they would all deplore such a contingency it was conceivable that in the future, apart from , the storms of nature, there would ha, . greater and more terrible convulsion* than in the past. That was to eciy, .the.... Pacific was the meeting ground .. not ... of nations, hut of continents. And hero it might bo decided whether Asiatics or Europeans were going to guide „ tho destinies of this planet, These wore more or less obvious reasons; but there were dthore which ha believed to be real and true, although they were more-or lesw under the sur-, face. In tho Malay States, lor in-J stance, they would see fine people going under before the , influx of low-, class materialists —coolies brought mj. to work for low wages* China, a coun- i try over which he travelled two yearsago in tho course of his inspection^. showed signs of breaking up. The old ■ moral restraints bad gone. Whale there he saw a modernised Chinaman scratching with a nail his name upon tha wall of tho Temple of Heaven—a. temple until recently so sacred that the Emperor atone might approach it, and that onlv once in a year. Iriia was but an illustration to show the than ire out of which was evolving a chaos and weltering confusion such M existed at the lime of the French Revolution. from which Napoleon arose. BRITISH EMPIRE DANGERS.

lastly, there were signs of a, danger in, our own Empire to the white race from the existence of litis materialistic factor. In Ladysmith. when b« first know that town, the main street- i was a street of prosperous husinosa , places run by European shopkeepers.. What a change had been wroughtl . When he wont there two years ago no bad. taken Sir George. White’s place as president of the Ladysmith orgaraai- ; tion, and bad kept constantly and close!" in touch with’ the place. Where the European shopkeeper had prospered the monopoly of business was now held by bunyahs and coolies, who existed on a couple of meals of rice per day. They had no conetructwe ot talent but: llicycould handl© coins of the realm with extreme nicety. NEED TO DEEPARE. This, then, was the point of his sior* This was why, instinctively, in tune ol progress and prosperity, Australia and _ New Zealand did not lose eight of the necessity for preparing for defence 11 people with high ideals and high td.'indnrds were forced to live cheek by jowl with people of low standards and low ideals, they must either become slavedrivers or sink to the level of 1 ho:-e of whom they were surrounded , u, which case they won la he beaten 01 couix., added the Gcnend, New Zealand a long v;xiv off. but Australia was \ayy close to the danger zone; and Tv'heTi n® looked at the map it seemed to him that New Zealand occupied the ikiki.iou of a little sister, .smalt by comparison in size, but no less eager if danger oned Australia. He lead noc toe , ,' est doubt that New Zealand would be readv and willing to lend n hand to her , sister in the Antipodes. (loud and pro- . longed applause.)