The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1942. DRAW YOUR BLINDS—7.30 p.m. THE NEW YEAR.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXI, Issue 15238, 31 December 1942, Page 2

The Pahiatua Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1942. DRAW YOUR BLINDS—7.3O p.m. THE NEW YEAR.

tonight will see the passing of a yeui —a year ol turmoil, of raging cou ilict, a. year wnen tne war iiao b on brought nearer to tlie siioies of New Zealand and one during wni.cn vast tracts of land nave bet*n invaded aj.u many, many peoples Have been ruin fessiy suojugateu in cue train <_q tne amazing piedatory and treacherous southward march of tb e thiiu member oi tne Axis, Japan. Aitiiougjj. the traditional celebrations to usner in tile year wincu _iiovvs wiil be comparatively sombre and austere, there gleams a new fioj e that the longed-for peac© is mueeu iu sight and many fervent prayer.» will be offered that tiie New tear will bring the end of tne tragedy it the second world war. At tins nine last year, the Russians were j. *fiuntly defending Lenmgiad and Moscow, the end of the struggle in the Plilippines was Hi sight wild© Malaya and Sumatra were besieged by tiie Japanese hordes. W bat bas since liapjjened is now history but the future It eked black for the peoples oi the lands lapped by the Pacific Ocean. >eu Zealand made preparations lor tlie foe, E.P.S. and other* defensive bodies springing to tne alert in a spirit lacking prior to tbe alarming news of tlie enemy’s successes in his driv© towards Australia aud our own country. Gater months of the yeai brought little encouraging word a* the forces of Rommel forced our armies back to the very gates of Cairo while the Russians aiter a winter's respite were ruthlessly lorced from tbe Ukraine almost to tbe shores of the C aspa an Sea. There seemed to be lie bait to the drive ol the Axis powers. Then came a change in the general situation and the United Nations who had feverishly swung their resources to a war-time iootuig

were able to stem the tide. The men oj Nippon were valiantly faced Jli the S>oiomons, the arrogant Nazi forces in Egypt were dispersed and sent back over the sands of the deseit, while a mammoth invasion, excellently conceived and competently executed, gave tne Allies a sound footing on the northern shores of Africa, from whence it will be possible to strike at Europe. Meanwhile , the enemy s desperate attempts to immobilise the Russian armies and m a victory there to enable co-ordination of Japanese and German forces in a drive on Egypt and India, were thwarted by the Soviet’s heroic stand—a stand which aroused th© admiration of the Lee peoples of the world- New Zealand s war effort assumed a greater aense of drive and an effort was made to increase tlie size of our armed forces wmie yet enabling the maximum lupus trial production for war purposes, iu Pallia urn the year was marked by numerous farewells to men departing lor camps, by black-out trials and the building of delensive works in the district. Earthquakes and a iiood were unpleasant diversions but despite restrictions aud rationing, the normal fife with limitations continued. What will the New Year bring r The hope of all is that peace will come m this hew year. Not a postponement of war but a lasting peace with an assurance to the peoples of the world of the op • port unity to progress and to aim

with some certainty of. achievement at a new world order. W e hav e varying concepts oi tnat- new older and although it would be the greatest lolly to expect a realisation immediately of ‘'Christs Kingdom on Earth,’ it would be a cruel shock to those who have suffered and sacnlioed to bring the victory, if the result should be a world lftti© different from tli© pre-war days. Economic and social adjustments ther© will he, but their direction and extent cannot yet b© predicted; the main concern of intelligent men is the degree to which those adjustments will assist in the outlawing of war as a means of settling differences and disputes between countries. The accomplishment of this object is absolutely esseutial if civilisation is not to end. The primary aim of the peace born of victory over Naai-ism, jb a seism and th© Japanese lust for power and conquest, is, then, a world from which the possibility ol further wars is to be banished and to achieve such a world order, the peace terms and the future conduct <ff international relations* must be based ° u Christian principles. In taking this opportunity of wishing our readers a ver> Happy New Year, we, too, must express our sincere hope that, beiore the curtain rings down on 1943. there will be Peace on Earth.