Patea & Waverley Press MONDAY, JULY 1919 A UNITED NATION

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 28 July 1919, Page 2

Patea & Waverley Press MONDAY, JULY 1919 A UNITED NATION

..! i 1 is not too.much, to say thai i!;o O.'oat War did more ihan anything else in hisiory io Ave'td the L>rlt:ish nation together, in fact, il has done iiio .ihupire a service ilmi cannot Ave!! he overestimated, and one none the less great .because it was ihe very reverse oi.' what was anticipated by the enemy. 3.1 r. ihmar Law, a former Secretary ol Stale for the Colonies put I lie matter very neatly when lie slated "Our enemies Maid and probably they believed thai the outbreak of war would be iJie signal for the breaking up of the British Empire. They have been mistaken. After this Avar the relations between the great Dominions and the Mother Country can never be the same again. The pressure of our enemies is Avoiding us together and 1 he Brilish Empire is becoming in reality as Avell as in name a united nation." To appreciate these remarks to the full one has only to consider the assistance I hat Avas lent to the Motherland by her children overseas immediately the o;<!I io arms Avas sounded. Canada for example in less than two mouths from the outbreak of war had concent raicd, armed, and sent to Europe, an expeditionary foici) of 3o\oiK.) men, equal to one-iifih of the whole British army then in the held. This force, small iiiough i! may appear to be Avheii compared Avilh the numbers that aiteriyards took part in the Avar, Avas destined to play an important:, pari iii the struggle that Avas being waged on the western front. .It had scarcely arrived on the held before il was called upon for a supreme test of valour and endurance. On the battlefield of Langemarck it barred the Avay and stemmed the Herman tide, saAing the day for the Empire, the Allies, and the civilised Avorld. This smail force and its heroism were only forerunners of what Canada Avas later to accomplish. Before the end of Xl'lY the iir-igtiiiicant iffooo men had been . increased to 400,000, and more Avere ready to follow. V, hat they did against ihe picked troops of the Eafherland is iioav a matter of history. At Aeuve Chapello, Ypres, .Fcstubert, Oiveuchy, St. Eloi, Coirrceliete, Yimy iadge, and elseAvhere. they have made a name that Avill never die. iS'of content svfth the lieroic deeds of her sons, Canada assisted the Motherland in a marvellous manner with munitions and money throughout the war. Bony before hostilities had ended her contribution in money alone for patriotic Avork was over ten million pounds: in addition she sent forward an enormous quantily of foodstuffs and clothing, and even weld so Jar as io manufacture and deliver submarines. JSot only did the Canadian authorities supply an enormous quantity of munitions oi every description but. they assisted the British finances to the extent of fifty million pounds to pay for them. And Avhal Avas ; characteristic of Canada was characteristic of other portions of the Empire. Newfoundland, for example, Avilh less than a quarter of a million souls all. told sent: forward within a few months of the outbreak of Avar 3000 soldiers and 2000 sailors, some of the former taking part with the Australians and New Zeakmders in the operations on the Callipoli peninsula, whilst the naval force Avas for some time engaged in patrolling the Dardanelles and the North Sea. A feature Avorthy of note Avilh regard to the Newfoundland men was that they were, practically Avithout exception, all native born. South Africa was another portion of the K-mpire that rendered brilliant service to the common cause. Within a few weeks of the outbreak of the war she had an army of (38,000 men in the field who, before long succeeded in conquering Herman South-West Africa and wresting 322,500 square miles of territory from the Bun. Later on a larger force Avas sent forAvard to capture Herman Last Africa, a far more formidable task, Ii is Avorthy of note that a large proportion of these troop;; consisted of men Avho a J'cav shori year;-; before had been fighting against the British Crown,° and avlio Avere expected by the Bun io oil Iter take up arms against. Britain or remain strictly neutral. The South African Hoverument too, set a brilliant example to the rest of the overseas J iominiotis by voting a sum of one million pounds 10. the Imperial Hoverument, "in recognition of the proiceiion afforded bv the British N'avy under which exports for SoHih Africa have proceeded as usual." Loulh Africa 100, rendered invaluable aid lo the Empire by sending large labour corps to ihe front consisting of Zulus, Lasutos and other tribes. No more striking iribule could be found io Ihe value of British rule limn the fael thai no .fewer than six sons of Hie late Basulo chief Heorge Al.osesh joined Ihe labour contingent as well as a nephew of OetcAvayo and a sou of the fighting chief Diiiizulu. And what shall be said of India? This country also bore eloquent testimony to the value of British rule, and must

have proved a bill or disappoint - men! to he Hermans avlio fully expected Ihat an effort Avould be made by the various chiefs to regain independence. AY hat they expected . would undoubtedly have come to pass had India been under Herman and not LrilLh rule. The natives however realised that British rule stood for justice,' freedom and humanity, and no rule could be better. it must have been a comforting sight for British eyes •xhen in September, .1.014, a few weeks only after the outbreak of war, ;i fleet of Indian transports inered the harbour of Marseilles kiiriiig no less thai) 70,000 indi:;:i iroops, the finest fighters a jia'i :■ .i could Avish to have, men who were destined to render inestimable service during the critical times in the early stages of the Avar. h\ addition lo large forces Avhich Ave re used in German East. Africa and in the Palestine campaign India gave in land in a manner never to be forgotten. From firsl to last the ruling chiefs responded nobly to ihe Motherland's call. The Agha Khan, in addition to directing the Mohammedan community to place their services and resources at. Britain's disposal, offered himself to serve as a private in Ihe field ! Another chief gave a donation of £400,000, whilst a third defrayed the cost of a hospital ship and provided thousand:; oi' horses for remounts. Another chief took the field with a if; I !y-cq nipped camel corps, bearing the whole of the expense. Others came forward and. helped to the fullest extent of their resources, placing themselves and all they possessed at Britain's disposal. About; the oilier portions of the ihupire the same tale could be told, ail going forward and counting no .■acrificc too great to maintain ihe ihupire intact. Far from finding- the British, people a na-li-in divided, Germany, to her c.st, has found them lo be a united people, and the thought of ihe prospect of an exchange oi' British for Herman rule has but •;ervcd to fund the crimson ihread still tighter and enable Srilain io stand four square to the world and defy opposition. !n a lew of \hc way the children of the .Motherland have responded when the call io arms was sounded, the people at Home, from Bis Majesty the King dovnwards, may Avctl exclaim

" Thank Hod 1 am a British eiti/.on.