Clarion Call to Dominion To Assume Fuller Share In Defence Organisation

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27092, 28 May 1949, Page 8

Clarion Call to Dominion To Assume Fuller Share In Defence Organisation

An inspiring call to the young nations of the British Commonwealth, and to New Zealand in particular, to shoulder their defence responsibilities, and, to that extent, relieve the people of Great Britain of a burden they have already borne for too long formed the theme of an eloquent address given recently by Sir Patrick Duff, United Kingdom High Commissioner, at a combined luncheon of the Otago University Club and the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce.

“ Do 3»u ever give so much as a thought to the responsibilities which the United Kingdom is carrying for your benefit to-day? ” he asked. “ When such vast upheavals, such momentous redispositions of power as are to be seen to-day are taking place, and when aggression and malignant intent are openly displayed and announced, the historian writing 25 years ahead may well express astonishment at the unconcern with which so many proud young nations were content to allow so disproportionate a burden of their common defence to rest upon the people of the United Kingdom.”

The major portion of the text of Sir Patrick’s address, publication of which has been suggested to the Daily Times by the Returned Services’ Association, follows: No one can come from Great Britain here without being touched to the heart by the kindly feeling everywhere displayed for Britain, the interest shown in her fortunes, the solicitude for her folk, the dear familiarity of so much of the thought and ways of life, consciously or unconsciously reflecting Britain's own ways and habits, he said. I sometimes think, however, that it is a misguided application of the sentiment of affection for Britain if that sentiment alone - and by itself is invoked as a reason for New Zealanders to take courses of action which are inexorably and demonstrably every bit as vital, and as immediately necessary for New Zealand’s own economy and for New Zealand's own preservation as for Britain’s interest. One hears, for instance, from time to time, appeals made here for more output of work, or for.more production, or for more defence services on grounds of “ aid to Britain ” —as if but for Britain and for the charitable sentiments evoked’ by the thought of Britain, there would otherwise be no need for New Zealand on her own account ever to worry about such irksome or tedious things as work or, production or defence. Surely it would' be more realistic —and bear less hard on Britain—if these things were represented as what they actually are—as necessary, in other words, to help to keep up the floor of her economy under New Zealand’s own feet and to help to keep up the umbrella of defence over New Zealand’s own head. A Continuing Obligation

New Zealand’s fighting men. But the issue for long hung on the razor's edge, and it was only by the narrowest of margins, and not without what seemed at many times the direct intervention of Providence, that we all escaped destruction.

Are we again this time shirking the lessons which that war affords, as we did the time before? Somewhere in the Bible there is a passage which runs: “ They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” It sounds like an anticlimax, like a descent from the greater to the less. But, actually, the last feat is the hardest. To make a short spurt of heroism in the heat of war is to rise like an eagle or to run But the time comes for walking: and it is harder than to brace oneself to duty and to vigilance. Yet those who walk otherwise in this dangerous world are apt to fall. What has happened since the cease fire in World War II? Something ominiously and terribly like what happened after the cease fire in World War I. Again the democracies of the British Empire called their troops home: they leave again to-day all the trouble-spots throughout the world to be policed by 'Britain, this time, as regards several such trouble-spots, in conjunction, mercifully, with a great nation which has learned in rapid and majestic fashion the responsibilities of a great Power, the United States of America. Yet these British Commonwealth democracies should have learned that wars cannot be isolated; that distance has evaporated; that the flames of war spread like a flash. It is a melancholy fact that the idea that all the nations of mankind can live together without wars flies flat in the face of the whole experience of humanity from the beginning of the world. “We have been warned twice, by two world wars in one generation. After the cease fire in 1945 we duly hoped again; but it became plain in very little time that no one in their senses could continue to deceive himself into thinking that the world has grown safer. The United Nations Organisation, which was to have spread the wings of peace over all mankind, was from the start misused by the Russians as a sounding board to trumpet forth their challenge and their aggressive hatred of all Christian and democratic society. Never, in fact, has the world presented the appearance of more noisy or more giddy insecurity. Have the lessons of the past been assimilated, or, in spite of what is unfolding before our eyes,, do we witness many of the same old tendencies manifesting themselves again, and the ‘same complacent readiness to leave the United Kingdom to carry the lion’s share of Empire defence? Do you ever give so much as a thought to'the responsibilities which the United Kingdom is carrying for your benefit to-day? Although her economic difficulties .have caused her to effect reductions in her armed forces, Britain, at heavy cost to herself, is still discharging her responsibilities as a world Power by the maintenance of a military strength which far exceeds that of pre-war days. ■ The British Navy is bigger than it was in 1938. The RAF is over three times the size that it was in 1938 and far more powerfully equipped. The British Army is over three times the strength that it was in 1938. Every young man in Britain between tire ages of 18 and 25 is liable for 18 months’ military service. Britain’s youth stand watch and ward, maintaining the cordon of defence all over the world.

New Zealanders are generous-minded folk. The argument of helping Britain may well be one calculated to exercise a greater appeal to them than, the more selfish-sounding motive of selfhelp. If, however, that argument is to be used, let it, for Britain’s sake, have justice done to it. If actions are to be recommended to the people of New Zealand, as they often are, on the grounds of our debt to Great Britain, it is very insufficient to describe that debt, as I very often see it described, as “ our debt for what Great Britain did in the war when she stood alone in 1940 and 194 L” ■ If attention is to be called to obligations to Britain, then it is surely a very niggardly, very microscopic, very dwarfish, and very fragmentary view to represent those obligations as confined to “ what Britain did .in the years when she stood alone in 19401941.” It is true that 1940-41, lighted up in the glare of her burning cities, illustrated as in a sudden flashlight and in brief epitome the continuous gifts which Great Britain has made to so large a part of mankind. But it is utterly unrealistic to focus all attention on one single, albeit glorious, hour, and to overlook Britain's continuous service to New Zealand year by year over the course of a whole century and more. It is surely unrealistic and ungracious into the' bargain, to . ignore completely the momentous and essential service which Britain is doing for New Zealand at this very hour of this very day. Let us take a rapid glance at those services both over a century past, and at this instant to-day. New Zealand, from her birth a century, and more ago, has been blessed with two fairy godmothers: Mother Nature and Mother Britain. In the shortest possible time, through the long-visioned and liberal policy of Britain, she became a self-governing Dominion within the shining company of peoples known as the British Commonwealth and Empire. And thus the voice of New Zealand, although it has only a handful of population compared with the teeming millions of other nations, is heard with respect and attention because of that association, in the councils of the nations. The Shield of Defence

British mothers, you know, would be just as glad to have their sons at home as New Zealand mothers. Britain’s young .men would be just as pleased to be getting on with their private lives as New Zealand's young men. Britain’s taxpayers would be as. pleased as other taxpayers not to be hourly pouring out their substance in providing universal defence. But these are the sacrifices which are accepted by a nation which aspires to be great and to do service for mankind.

Old habits die hard. Over the last century or so, the dominions, as they all grew and developed, claimed —as they were given by Britain every encouragement to do—complete selfgovernment. But their political maturity, although it implied further rights of which they were very conscious, was not held by them to involve further obligations. And thus Britain’s man-power and Britain’s treasure, deployed in far garrisons and at all the trouble spots around the world, continued to hold over the dominions the shield of defence, as in the days of their infancy, almost unaided. , Histori- ns will hardly assess the many threats and wars and perils from which, frr over a century and more, those pal lent United Kingdom forces, by their unobtrusive, unassuming presence, shielded all the growing members of the Empire family throughoi i the years of their adolescence The Bandwagon of Britain laboured on; the passengers enjqved the view, paid no fares, and proclaimed their equality and independence. A good time was had by all except, perhaps, the Bandwagon itself. . New Zealanders, it should be remarked, were an impressive exception. They began to develop a lively realisation of the needs of the situation and not only contributed the battle cruiser New Zealand to the Royal Navy, but in f§o9 introduced compulsory military service. The preparation in evening •drills and summer camps may not have been intensive, but the system built up a body of competent officers and non-commissioned officers. They were soon needed, and were soon to prove the worth of their training. ‘ - „ Came 1914: the first war, with its appalling losses and its appalling lessons, befell. When the continued existence, not only of Britain, but of the whole Empire family was in * mortal peril, all the dominions rose manfully to the occasion and did not stint to throw, as fast as they could, all their resources into the fight. But, after that war was over and as immediate danger seemed to vanish, ithe tempting old tradition that the 'defence of the whole Empire is the responsibility of the United Kingdom taxpayer resumed its sway. Efforts to Keep Peace This was in the years 1918 and after. Still, Britain’s man-power and Britain’s treasure struggled on, manfully striving at burdensome, cost and in the face of many misrepresentations, to keep the peace of the world. Let those who between the two wars put forth any comparable efforts*in men and money themselves criticise Britain if our efforts • were unable to avert the catastrophe into which Germany plunged the world again in 1939. The Second World War, with its appalling calamities and agonies and its appalling lessons, befell. When it was plain that ultimate crisis was upon us all and when the stark alternative ' was do or die, the dominions again mobilised all their resources and joined manfully in the fray. No praise can be too high for the . valour and constancy of the fighting forces which the countries of the British Commonwealth and Empire sent into the field; and many lands and many skies and many seas bore witness to the renown of

These are huge burdens carried by the United Kingdom people. These are the people in the last war who fought earliest, who fought hardest, who fought longest. Their reward has been to be saddled with a huge burden of debt, and to face austerity in food and in all the lesser comforts of life such as is beyond the imagination of countries which have not stood with all they possessed in the firing line. Challenge of Communism

The United Kingdom is under a heavy strain. Elsewhere, the convulsions of the war laid some nations prostrate and sapped the resistance of many more. Look where you will, formidable commotions are taking place within the stricken world's kaleidoscope; sinister lightnings flicker, along tl<e thunder dark horizons. Indonesia, Malaya, Palestine, China, Burma are the scenes of actual or potential warfare; in Europe, countries with long civilisations and honourable traditions disintegrate, and the Iron Curtain descends upon them. We are living in great uncertainty from day to ’ day and many doubts and dangers darken the road ahead. If the regular news day by day in the world’s newspapers is not sufficient to open our. eyes to truths which we may be reluctant to see, Stalin, like Hitler before him, has been at pains to leave us all in no illusion. /He has publicly proclaimed the tasks of the Soviet Republic as A persistent struggle, bloody and bloodless, violent and peaceful, military and economic, educational and administrative, against, the forces and traditions of the old society. And, parallel with it, is Lenin's doctrine that The existence of the Soviet Re-

public side by with Imperialist States for a long time is unthinkable.

One or the other must triumph in , 4he end. And before that end supervenes a series of frightful collisions between the Soviet Republic and the bourgeois States will be inevitable. “We have been warned ’’—with a vengeance Lenin's doctrine is the creed enforced on one-fifth of the human race. Look at China, and at the recent landslide of 456,000,000 and more people into Communism’s grip. Look at the map! Above you is Japan, to-day a defeated nation, 75,000,000 of them. There is a timelessness about the calculations of the East. Millions of sullen, inscrutable, fanatic peoples are poised dike a sword of Damocles over your heads. The births each year in Japan alone exceed New Zealand's total population. Look at the map! But don’t let the map give you on paper a false sense of security. Distance has crumpled up. The motors burn up the miles. Aircraft are flying 600 miles an hour to-day; we are actually in sight of the ram-jet aeroplane, whose cruising speed will be around 2200 miles an hour As the walls of Jericho fell at I the sound of the trumpets, so the walls I of distance, like the Maginot Line, i cruiflble and melt away before the roar of tank and aeroplane engines. |