The Asiatic Peril

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 293, 14 May 1914, Page 5

The Asiatic Peril

VIVIDLY POUKTRAYED BY AN IMPERIALIST.

CONVINCING SPEECH BY SIU lAN' HAMILTON. THE CONSTANT QUESTION, AND THE ANSWER. : PREPARATIONS FOR DKFUXCB | NECESSARY. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. One of the most important and interesting speeches made by Sir Jan Hamilton during the course' of his. Aus. tralnsian tour was that which he delivered at the civic reception at the Town Hall, Auckland, to-day, when referring to the imperative need for adequate defence measures in New Zealand,

General Hamilton commenced by saying that in New Zealand's biggest city he might make an answer to the, query which had directly and indirectly been submitted to him throughout his tour, from .south to north. That question had been, ''Why, when we are expecting the millennium, do we find practical and prosperous countries like Australia and New Zealand earnestly engaged in furbishing up their armour of defence?" He would like to try and answer that question, not in the obvious way, but rather in the abstract. It might even be that those whom he was addressing would regard his statement iu> original. The first reason he would give, then, was because the shrinkage of* distance, the advent of electricity, steamships, aeroplanes and high explosives—so high that a shot from a 14-inch gun could kill a man 20 miles away—had brought most dangers nearer. Next, there was the obvious reason that in the Pacific great nations had either risen during the last 100 years or else the old nations were showing marvellous energy. Even as volcanoes, long quiescent, broke again into activity, so it was with s6me of the old nations of the Pacific.

The third obvious reason, was that the Pacific, despite its charming name, was, if anything, more stormy than some less distinguished parts of the globe. While they would all dcploTe such a contingency, it was conceivable that in the future, apart from storms of nature, there would be greater and more terrible convulsions than in the past. That was to say, the Pacific was a meeting ground, not of nations, but of continents, and here it might be decided whether Asiatics or Europeans were going to guide the destinies of this planet.

These were more or less obvious reasons, but there were others which he believed to be real and true, although they were more or leas under the surface. In the Malay States, for instance, they -would see a fine people going under, before the influx of low-class .materialist coolies brought in to work for low wages. China', a country over which be travelled two years ago in the course of his inspection, showed signs of breaking up. The old moral restraints liad gone. While there he saw ft modernised Chinaman scratching with a nail his name upon the wall of the "Temple of Heaven," a temple until recently so sacred that th» Emperor alone might approach it, and that only once in a year. This was an illustration to show the change out of which was evolving chaos and weltering confusion, such as existed at the time of the French revolution, from which Napoleon arose. Lastly, there were, signs of danger, in our own Empire, .to the white race from the existence of this materialistic factor. In Ladysmith, when he first know that town, the main street was a. street of prosperous business places, run by European shopkeepers. What a change had been wrought when he went there two years ago! He had taken Sir George White's place as President of a Ladysmith organisation, and had kept constantly and closely in toucV with the place. Where the European shopkeeper had prospered, the monopoly of business was now held by bunyahs and coolies, who existed on a couple of meals of rice per day. They had no constructive or progressive talent, but they could handle coin of the realm with extreme nicety.

| This, then, was tho point of his story, | This was why, instinctively, in a time j of progress and prosperity, Australia and New Zealand did not los,e sight of the necessity for preparations for do- , fence. If people with high ideals and ! high standards were forced to live cheek , by jowl with people of low standards and low ideals, tliey must either become slave-drivers or sink to the level of those by whom they were surrounded, in which case tliev would be beaten. Of course, added tho General, New Zealand was a long way off. 'but Australia was very close, to the danger | zone, and when lie looked at the map ■ it Sri imal ,!•(> hill] that Now Zealand occupied the position of a little sister, ! small by comparison in si'/.e, but no less eager. If danger threatened Australia, he had not the slip-litest doubt thai: Xi'w Zealand would lie ready and willing to lend a hand to her sister in the Antipodes. (Loud 'nd prolonged l applause.)

HEYIKW OF CADF/TS. Auckland, Last Nijflit. Or-neral Hamilton this afternoon inspected a parade of over lirftl) Cadets ill tlio Domain, in company with Ilia Excellency the Governor, and afterwards presented a number of shooting pr'zes and addressed the lads'. To-nip'lit lie was entiiflahied at dinner at the Northern Club, £nd at a hall at CU'VcrjiiiK'Ut House.

To-morrow he inspects the forts, and he leaves in the evening for Xa pier.