The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1939. A TIMELY DECLARATION.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14092, 25 March 1939, Page 4

The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1939. A TIMELY DECLARATION.

The Prime Minister’s complete and unqualified identification of New Zealand’s destiny with that of Britain expresses the heart, mind and will of all m this country. “New Zealand will be found wherever Britain is when Britain is in trouble,” he sanl, and added: “When Britain is in trouble, we are in trouble.” This close adherence to the British connection, in fair weather or in foul, holds the line taken by all Mr Savage’s predecessors as Prime Ministers, whatever their political opinions. Mr Seddon was as robust an Imperialist as Mr Massey, Sir Joseph Ward as Mr Coates. Mr Savage may not wish to be called an Imperialist, lie prefers to speak of the British Commonwealth of Nations rather than the British Empire, but—- “ What’s in a name?”—he ranges the Dominion with the Motherland, where all New Zealanders would wish Her to be. The policy is compact of true and deep sentiment and of enlightened self-interest, and is therefore immutable. Even so, Mr Savage need not have deprecated the rev petition of loyal assurances. This is one of the things that go without saying but that at times are well worth reaffirmation. The present is i one of those times, when Britain is facing the spectacle across the North Sea of naked and conscienceless force. Mr Mackenzie King in Canada and General Hertzog in South Africa, each compelled by racial differences to qualify their declarations, might be glad to define their attitude to Britain a« downrightly as Mr Savage can do and has done. Indeed, since the political question is so simply and directly answered here, Mr Savage is well placed to go further and give a lead to the sister Dominions, by stating what his Government is doing and what it proposes to do in support of Britain, and by Way of contribution to the general defence of the British Commonwealth of Nations.