Western Star And WALLACE COUNTY GAZETTE. Published Every Tuesday and Friday. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1920. WHAT DOES IT ALL PORTEND ?

Western Star, 14 September 1920, Page 2

Western Star And WALLACE COUNTY GAZETTE. Published Every Tuesday and Friday. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1920. WHAT DOES IT ALL PORTEND ?

Lovers of humanity were hopeful that the Great War would end. war; that nations would be so horrified at the awf&l enormities perpetrated in the name of war that governments would forever shun that method ol settling international disputes. They looked forward to the early arrival of the time when expenditure on military training and preparedness, instead of being of colossal proportions, would be reduced to an infinitesimal sum. They overlooked the fact, however, that one generation frequently reverses the thought of a previous generation ; that racial needs and antipathies survive the passing of generations; and that economic pressure often forces governments into a policy that breeds an antagonism that leads to war. The Great War was fought and won. Germany, that menaced not only Europe but the world, was humbled in the dust. Freed from the haunting fear of Teutonic aggression, one would have imagined that Europe would have settled down to pursue the arts cf peace. On the contrary an inefficient, unemployed, "disorganised Europe faces the world, torn by internal strife and international hate, fighting, starving, pillaging, and lying. In Russia, Poland, Turkey, Hungary and Austria famine, cold, disease, war, murder, and anarchy are an actual present experience. Policy conflicts with policy, agreements are not binding, and suspicion broods over every conference. Just when it was thought that Poland and Russia had come to an understanding, the Bolsheviks at the eleventh hour decided not to send peace delegates to Riga to pieet the Poles, while the State Department at Washington has received advices reporting, a uew mobilisation thronghout Soviet Russia of all males between fourteen and fifty, who* are being called to the colours in a final effort to strengthen the army. Turkey, whose misrule of subject peoples has been the theme for denunciation for scores years, and whose . iniquities justified her ejection from Europe, has friends whose action can do nothing bub stimulate military preparation. Last week the Indian National Congress at Calcutta adopted by 1826 votes to 804 Mr Ghandi’s programme, of non-co-operation as a protest against the harsh terms of the Turkish peace. To quote the cablegram, this includes Indians surrendering honorary titles and offices and the withdrawal of their children from Govern- | meat schools, the withdrawal of lawyers from practice, and boycott of the Legislative Council and of British . »(K»ds. By the Treaty of Versailles, t he League of Nations was to undertake i be gradual disarmament of nations within the League. So far nothinsr has been done. The Council of blic” League has delayed action while' awaiting the co-operation of the United States. And what has the United States being doing? Discussing, the naval estimate, a Republican loader declared that for the first time for half a century the United States planned to expend a greater sum than Britain upon .its navy. The American Navy in commission next year will he virtually equal to that of Britain. Excluding Britain, it will lie superior to the combined navies of the world. Britain’s naval expenditure for next year is estimated' at cu hty-four mil- ! lions: America’s at eighty-five mil- ! Hons, or one million more. This does : not look- like disarmament, against I which, il must he noted, Japan pro- ! tests bmaree of her peculiar geo- ■ graphical position. A fortnight ago the cables mentioned that the greater portion of Japanese revenue was to ; be expended on the navy. Speaking | in the House of Representatives last j Thursday, Mr Hughes, the Prime Minister of Australia, outlined his I defence policy. He said a White j Australia, which was of vital import- ! ance to the nation, might he a source of complication. / Hence, the defence expenditure for the current year would he £7,809,000, ’ as against £4,645,000 in 1913-14, an increase of £3,161,000. And the proposals sub-

mittecl to the Commonwealth Parliament are only tentative, < because ;• scheme of Imperial Defence, of v.vicis little is heard, is being formulated as a result of the deliberations between representatives of Britain and: the overseas dominions. An Imperial Conference on defence is to be held very shortly, when a definite policy will be agreed, upon. This will involve New Zealand, and we think it may be taken for granted that this policy will not mean any decrease in defence expenditure on the part of this Dominion. On the contrary, it will increase it so far as naval defence is concerned. The reason of this is that war is probably the most progressive thing in the world. What is up-to-date to-day is out of date to-morrow. As an illustration, take the guns of the future. A French officer, Lieut. Delamere Maze, has made an invention by which it is claimed that it will be possible to double the range of guns off the pattern of that which, the Germans shelled Paris in the last yejar of the war. , The velocity of the shell will be increased from 2,625 ft to 4,625 ft a second, and the range lengthened to one hundred; and fifty miles, practically the distance from Invercargill to Dnnedin. So- strongly do the French Government believe in this invention that they have purchased the patent. At the same time they' have, in the best -spirit of the Entente, authorised him to dispose of his rights to the Allied Governments. It may, therefore, be taken for granted that the invention, which its author hopes it will be possible' to adapt to machine guns and lifles, is a practical utility, with which all nations will have to reckon'in futuie wars. That makes it a portent m the military history of the world, and enormously strengthens the case foi the League of Nations. It was already obvious, long before the war ended, that the increased range of guns and the development in the numbers and efficiency of aeroplanes, had extended the area of destruction by the enemy far behind the actual battle-front. That all new inventions shall become the property’ of the League of Nations is essential to its success. French action in regard to this new gun was right. Every Power, mindful of the interests of other nations as well as of its own security, should do everything humanly possible to strengthen the “hands oP the War is destined to become a mpeh more hideous menace than it has been to the prosperity and happiness of the world. The" League of Nations must have it in their power to inflict such a heavy punishment for unjustifiable acts of agression that no one will dare to go to war except for reasons of the most compelling nature. And for that purpose the League must be the strongest combination of nations that can possibly bo formed, and in possession of the most scientifically up-to-date weapons. • In this way war can he localised, and its horrors reduced to a minimum.