The Waipa Post. Printed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1925. DEFENCE MATTERS.

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1680, 29 October 1925, Page 4

The Waipa Post. Printed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1925. DEFENCE MATTERS.

THERE is a timely force in Mr Coates’s warning against, the influence of people who wish to cut down the provision for national defence to an ineffective minimum Some of these people, including well-known politicians, adopted a sinister attitude during the Great War, and fresh recruit's have! followed in the same malign tradition. It is not exactly clear what line the Labour Party would take in the matter if it found itself in office, but if that contingency were at all likely there would be ground for grave concern. We shall be doing no injustice to Mr Holland and his political associates in assuming that the question of defence has a very small place in their minds, if indeed it has any place at all. They trust to sentimental platitudes, and think that the security of the country cannot possibly be imperilled so long a-3 the gospel of unreflecting pacificism is assiduously preached. The Prime Minister, possessing direct knowledge of worldpolitics, harbours no visionary illusions in regard to the prospect's of permanent peace, but lie is not an alarmist. He deprecates the notion of an extravagant outlay on defence, and emphasises the necessity of co-oper-ating in ail movements tending to international amity. At the same time lie jealously maintains the obligation of defensive preparedness. As lie puts it in his breezy way: “I have never seen a man worth ‘tuppence’ who would not fight for his rights, and 'here is no nation worth ‘tuppence’ which will not stand for its rights. In regard to naval defence New Zealand will do all it can to make provision so that in the event of trouble we can protect our trade route's. We have to get our products to the markets of the world.”