THE FUTURE OF SAMOA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 174, 12 April 1918, Page 7

THE FUTURE OF SAMOA

AND THE DAY OF PEACE, '■ • ■ •) , (To the Editor.) • '\ Sir,—l regret that your editorial ; to-day lays it down as the duty of the • New Zealand Parliament "to urge with ' 1 all emphasis possible against Samoa i aver again reverting to Germany." It *; may be said that it is foolish to dis- j cuss the future of Samoa at a time j when the enemy is pressing us hack i on the Western front. But the fact j remains that an early peace, or a late j one, largely depends, on the belliger-, J ents' - attitude towards enemy terri- ..: tory occupied. And we, as aunit of \ our Empire, are right in studying suck . ; a question and trying to define our \ desires with regard to it. Will you allow mo to again state the case, as v it appears, to what you call an "in- ; significant minority"? _ '■ I can go with you entirely in ah- i horrence of Germany's atrocities, which began by a, deliberate' wish to make war. Atrocities which have grown to \ such a number that it is difficult to . list them without feeling an impulse ; to wipe those responsible forthem off V the faco of the earth. And if we ha;!; ; power to carry it out to-day we Enouy probably, in our anger, sweep away :.: with them thousands of irresponsible ones, just to make sure. But in so great a matter it is of grave importance that where time allows, not only ; impulse, but reason, should be brought to bear on all decisions arrived at. 11> : wiil be a day of triumph for Britain and her Allies when Germany retires ; within her pre-war boundaries and ; gives surety for. restitution in Belgium. That day will bo ono of great humiliation for Prussian autocraoy.

We fihall have gained tho point we set out to win. Such an opportunity may likely come within our reach, anytime that we achieve' a great victory on the Western front, which will convince the Germans that'they cannot win through bv force.

' To eay we will not stop there, but will sacrifice thousands more lives rather than see Germany reoccupy territory she.has lost, is the natural inclination of the animal who has been fighting till lie sees red, and has in a moasure lost his reason. It breathes the spirit of unreasoning fear and hatred, from which no stablo peaco can grow. It is not the stand of the great British statesmen who first called us to tho colours. It is not the stand taken by our great Ally, U.S.A. ' Germany, in the Pacific (under ite old regime) is a menace. So is Germany in the North Sea, and under the sea and in the.air. ■ When Britain and her Allies force Germany within her old boundaries, they (the unprepared once) will have won such a victory that the Germau menace need not affright them in tho future. And their security will be doubled if in the settlement of boundaries they have kept Ithoir hands scrupulously clean. When that great day comes, Prussian autocracy will be abased and international law established and upheld by a great League of Nations —upheld by the league backed b.v the spirit of the remnant armies that have learnt the folly;.bf lawlessness. That great day will naturally be postponed if the unite of our Empire assert to-

day that Germany shall never regain her colonies. Shall ive deliberately postpone the day of peace for such a reason? I trust not.—l am, etc., WILL B. MATHESON. 1 Ekotahuna, April 8.