Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1919. NAVAL DEFENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14985, 12 August 1919, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1919. NAVAL DEFENCE.

The old adage that the best security for .peace lies m preparation for war still lioHis . good to-day, the League of Nations notwithstanding. Field-Marshal Haig — the Earl of Benersyde, to give him his new . and well-earned title — said the other day at Aberdeen m urging the- necessity of ; a universal military training corps : I "Those people are wrong who think we will never have to fight again. We must be prepared." And such is the opinion of the delegates who are coming back from tjhe Peace Conference, as also the [ people of France. "The peace of to--morrow will be a peace of vigilance," explains the Paris Midi, m a sentence that eptomises the anxiety animating all schools of thought. If there is a snigie 'Frenchman who .thinks the- peace of. is going to give Europe tran- , t cnulity and maintain durable order, his voice has not been heard above the tti .voice has not been heard abovethe tumuit '.' of denunciatory criticism. Mr. Mas"sey, m dealing with the subject of "The ■War and After," 'has said: "The prin- 1 ciple of the League of Nations is admirable, and we should do everything , -to support and encourage it, but," he : added, "there, are still people and naI tions who recognise only the principle of might and so the League of Nations, must have force behind it." Th© Premier declared himself opposed to diminv iahing the strength of the British Navy. "The British Navy," he eajd, "never failed either a man or a nation, and I don't believe it ever will. .It is the most' 'important factor for peace , m the world to-day, and without it this war could never havo been won." He went on to say that the seas no longer divided the British Empire. The war had welded it together and to insure this : magnificent union he was' of the opinion that it was vital that our trade routes be protected., "We must not allow our connection to be' cut,"- he warned. "Also," he continued, "the colonies are no longer dependencies. They are partners m the Empire and as they stood side by side during the war. period.^ so they, must stand together" r and - assist eacbv other' during the period of peace."' These remarks are interesting m view of the announcement made m a cablegram yesterday that the Imperial Government is negotiating with the New Zealand Government for the placing- of a number of warships on the New Zealand station. That will be irrespective of the cruisers and, submarines that the Home Government is prepared to offer the Dominion., the number being only limited by our ability to man and maintain them. The subject of naval defence must be brought prominently before the people of New Zealand m, the near future. It is a subject that is vital to bur security,. We

must be prepared for any. contingency that may happen m the near future in' this troubled world, and not the least-: likely . contingency is the possibility o£V strife m, the Pacific. The , United-. States recognises this, and as we are told to-day, the Secretary for the > Navy, v Mr Daniels, has explained that tA&! reason for the transference of a : larger^ fleet of the United States navy irom;y. the Atlantic to the Pacific is to predate* for coastal defence m the possible event' of aggression by some foreign. State.\ Which State th c Naval Secretary was'\ referring to, of course, is obvious. De-»; spite the idealism of the President, the^practical statesmen of America arenQta gpingf to put all their money oh the • League of Nations or the Fourteen^, Points as a guarantee of security. Mr. -, Lansing, Secretary of State, m a - fafe-'-'i. well message to France onTeaving Paris, a few weeks ago pointed out that the - present treaties were but the starting j. point of world reconstruction on a stepping stone from the old internal tional methods to the new — and thai itwas s if possible to forecast what they future would, be. "Undoubtedly," he said., "there is a great danger m theS worl£ to-day. Many people have thought that the mere signing of the treaty with' Germany - marked the ending of the' world peril. Public opinion seems tot: have breathed a sigh of relief , and lapsed!, back' into apathy. Concentration of thought on world problems is weakening now when it is mastiiessen^ial, and the forces of disintegratftju have been given a/fs|e.dqm of^gidon far greater . than wh*eis^fche • w^£t^^&&s on its' guard.' The si^aptionrVto^S^ia^aerii* ous. Western civilisation •4a]-, swajsuazedJ--bV the shock of four ■<and^sai?;half years of destruction. Industiv 'had^coi^riieT^B are not yet restored^'' All)^^f/;E^ljQpi^ii impoverished,- paiits' of it ayeVifwyTOMii| Its whole political VfibreV hjfs, telm through. Russia i^md^HniTgary. W«?': gripped by subve^SLYfc t)olipicai doctrin^s^ Auatr!ft-Hungary\ ijn^diyTurfcjpsr [&$ Emj^Sff. lia^V ceased to be,X ! ?olalaii : ' l *a.nßL l S)( J OS!^&^-* Slovakia afs.s^«fe§J?i% i? Aift^feev^aft^ membei's.^f^^he/famiOT^pf natioftßi«i 1 . Ji J^^ 'that complicated, mScWnery«.* v of ti'aiJw^^* which toofc'dec^geß to elab^aife anlj\a? world---. w,aF' to.f'te'ar rfpwn > capnol) be r«^ placed Oye^nifijfti j .by. ft v whollyV^ differehs machin4r% ;: • Ma'n^''probTeni|' remain unsettled. 'Temtor^l'ad^Bibmepts to secute* the ligliis of + peoples Js vli't^ under their, own. flijig -a^< f^ aß^-'pjb^ible m the' tangled j^ifeTiV' of European nationalities may be^ made effective. Attainment \6jt ■■ the Polish frontiers on all sides, par-4 ticularlv m East Prussia, is. very diffi-' xmit' -.The Teschen coal fields are still a source of contention between.. Poland! and Czecho-Slovakia ; Hungary is iritefr riiptine the trade of all Central Eufbpef *The;' Adriatic problem is still unsolredi* |as -vyell as the fate of those large terri^; itories formerly u^id,er the Turk. ioplttd|> ; : lings tfespfici^Uy^Asia'i Minors >and; Armemß^f Tlieli' b e is rafich unpertainty m tKe Far,'r, iiEasil-:. " World, statesmanship. fi will bej sorely tried m the next few yearSi andl^ , whY can teEE^tbat^ it , will to^unifiyppf 'the nations and . theyjaer^v •'ma'nentr peace we have all hoped . iejp?. f Tliere is only one safe course • for , the j British and that , is to be ;j>^eij nared.'ftfr every contingency. New 2Tea*v land, which took so brave a part m tbe c .; defence of the Empire on. the batile-»v fields of Europe and Palestine, must be ready to "do her bit" on land or| sea again whenever the necessity arises.^ As' an^isln.n^. :V iDi)i!niinion she cannot' afford to disregard' the possibility ptj attack -from/ th^V sea either upon. nei£ coasts or her eea' commjuijcations. .'.Ts>. her the preservatibjn: of. the. Irtish NaTJr-; ■•jln.-.its full strej^gtnV and the.itfaifitenanceF^ of a strong ffeet ' in th> • Pacific tare.^yital^ Admiral ' JeDicpe's coniihg yisit^ may serve to helptis to see things m ar-righ^ perspective, ajnd-- stimulate - a <i es i?j? rfoT adequate naval defencieV, Tiie Goj^ernk ifienfc w'ißf do * wefo if it perßtiadiis/ theY Admiralty- to station • jft • number <j|''abipfif m these waters. '■■■■; : .,, "\^f- : :