The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. “Luceo Non Uro." TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1935. A PROPER STAND

Southland Times, Issue 22492, 29 January 1935, Page 4

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. “Luceo Non Uro." TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1935. A PROPER STAND

In the slander action, which has been settled in England recently, Sir John Simon has obtained the opportunity to declare in very firm language that he is not directing the foreign policy of Britain and the British Empire with the hope of enlarging his personal assets through the profits of the armament firms. Very many years ago when Admiral John Fisher sought to change the British Navy from coal to oil, he was accused of fostering a plan to enrich himself, since he was the holder of some oil shares. Fisher’s reply was to sell his oil shares immediately. In this case, Sir John Simon has the advantage, in that he can show that he has no financial interest in any concern which manufactures armaments. There have been in recent years many solemn declarations that the heavy industries which manufacture guns and munitions of war actually control governments, or certainly direct the course of their Foreign Ministers. These sweeping allegations have been made by prominent writers anxious to advance the cause of pacifism, but in every case the proof falls short of completeness. There is plenty of room for suggestions by these brilliant castigating writers, but the point is never driven home. The public is informed that some of the armament firms control newspapers, but whether this be reprehensible or not does not matter since the public is never reminded that these armament firms do not control all the newspapers. A monopoly of the newspapers in the hands of armament firms will be a serious thing, but while the majority of the newspapers are definitely anti-war, and while it is admitted that the majority of them are not controlled by armament firms, the point rather loses its sharpness. A little while ago, after the assassination of King Alexander of Yugo-slavia there arose in Yugo-slavia such bitter animosity that people of Hungarian lineage living in Yugo-slavia were driven out of the country and sent back into Hungary. This was not a Government measure. It was not a result of any armament firm’s operations. It was a spontaneous expression of resentment by peasantry who believed that Hungary had sheltered some of the terrorists responsible for King Alexander’s death. This antiHungarian feeling grew amongst the peasantry and was an expression of popular feeling, however wrong, however unjustified it may have been. Incidents of this kind give an indication of the manner in which popular feeling, entirely uninspired, will flare up and provide governments with some very awkward problems—problems which, unless a solution is found fairly promptly may swell to such proportions in racial antagonism that a conflict can hardly be avoided. Many of the pacifist writers described these things to the propaganda firms or those who are interested in developing war scares, so that nations will buy munitions of war. To ascribe these outbursts to intense nationalism is, of course, to produce an entirely different argument. Intense nationalism is always a danger—the Nazi uprising is a case in point—but one must have a fertile imagination to think that the armament firms are responsible for the nationalism of a people. There are no armament firms in New Zealand, but the New Zealander in many respects is strongly nationalistic, particularly where his own economic interests are concerned, and the good Australian falls in the same category; but, of course, their nationalism does not find expression in munitions of war. Their means of expression is in tariffs and other’ forms of trade restrictions to protect themselves from the competition of other nations. The point is that nationalism carried to extremes is dangerous, and while it should be modified or disciplined by a regard for the general interdependence of nations, and the advantages of international cooperation, there /is nothing to show that this extreme nationalism is the product of the operations of armament firms, It is in the spirit of the peoples of the world that the barriers against disarmament are to be found, and it is a good thing that the British Foreign Secretary should take

action to demonstrate to the people that loose charges of dishonesty against responsible men, even if made in the best of causes, are likely to be punished. It is good, too, that the cause of peace should be rid of false reasoning, and that the people themselves should recognize that the cause of peace is in their hands, no matter how much propaganda the armament firms may use.