DEFENCE QUESTIONS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8740, 23 May 1914, Page 7

DEFENCE QUESTIONS

To the Editor “N.Z. Times.” Sir, —I thoroughly approve of Mr Hirst’s letter in to-day’s paper, cntiteising Sir lan Hamilton’s remarks re Ijipan, etc. I consider they were wholly uncalled for, and could be productive of much mischief. Japan should not be blamed if she put an; overt construction upon his words and steered her course accordingly. b). course, it is foolish of us to wony about what these military fire-eaters say. It is their nature to talk war, they live continually in its atmos-; phere, and necessarily are controlled by its- spirit. They are good fellows, but nwt diplomats. If the capitalist ever rules Australasia, then the Jap j anoso invasion, is assured. They wall come 1 in the spirit of peace to work for the capitalist at lower wages than the. white man. In California we had a lot of talk about the little men of Japan, and it was termed the “Brown Plague.” But who was glad to tfse them? Why, the very people wdio protested against their coming. They could bo had for less money, and i therefore were a valuable asset to_ the I farmer and the fruit rancher. I entirely [■ disagree with General Hamilton’s re- : port on the military necessities of the Commonwealth. Evidently, his desire is to make Australasia a military power against an imaginary foe. The United States of America have nevef been on a war footing yet. The colonials successfully fought the British Redcoats during the American War of Independence, and the Civil War which l followed later was fought by mostly untrained men. What about thel South African War, which lie recently l referred to? Was the Boer 1 army on a war footing P Never; it was mostly recruited from the back countryfarmer, and if there had Wen enough Boers, the British would not have beaten therm The United States Is one of the greatest commercial nations of tie world, with a population of over 90,000,009 of people. She gained her place amongst, the nations not as a military power, for her standing army has never numbered over 25,000 men In recent years, hut through her commercial enterprise. She did not even have a navy until a few years ago, but she built one just to show the world what she could do. —I am, etc,; REV. DAVID A. LUSK. Wellington, ■ May 21st, 1914.