Our Problems.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 101, 23 January 1919, Page 6

Our Problems.

t .."Wβ have our.problems for tlio fu-' i. .v ■'• i tiTre.' , Heaven knows what "Jiey may j'■ .' .' he,.and liow they, are .going to be met: ; .■•■'.'" pur.-problems of, reconstruction;. :our .' ■■'■■ .problems of the relation, between Capi- ■ tal and .Labour! We hope.-thn result '-"' .of <the war —we believe the result of '■ ■';■'. the war has* brought about in. us, at !• . anyrate/a regeneration to a , large ox- \ ■■■■>:, i-ieni in purl', idea's. All classes in New ; : .Zealand:have:met in camps.for : train- ■-, ': ~ing";3hey"haye fought alongside one an!j "' '■ other in, the. trenches, and rich 'and V■"■-'.- pooKalike>have.nieVa : common danger. ; It-is nota bad thing that they should ';" have felt'-thoir dependence upon each other, and I; trust they will profit by • this fellowship.. I trust 1 hat in future ; ; the relationship between one ond the : other may be more happy, and that our :•■■-.-■. country, as the result .thereof, may ' V"i'be more.prosperous. ;. ; y., : .: i ;.• The Sea Unas! . -. I- "Our.connection with the Motherland » r isby.sea, our .connection'with Australia i .i-■ is by sea. An open sea-way is. to. us,- ; everything, and whatever may happen ; ■:'.;' at the Peace Conference I .hope our ria- ;':■--• tionrriay be made secure in this sense, '.:■'. that the-pathways of the.'sea are left I-... -open to .every'part of theXßritish JSu'i- .: jure. It may be true that a League of :"',-.i'"-".--Nations may- be a sound proposal, but : .: 1 .recollect that scrap of paper, that ■•''■":■ : was signed ; with, respect to. .Belgium. ';■ It was torn up. I believe no League of ;' Nations js worth the paper it is written ;■ .. on iunless.it is backe'd by honour, uii- :,..- : less, the' nations, -.that -suuse'ribe to it |: V'haye the one characteristic v of houuur, 1 1 ■ . '■• so that-any honourable understaudiag !'•'';- they will stand byjthrout;ii'Lnii:ji anu' 'rr<; .thin. So that" I : say in any rfina 1 ' con-' !•: A. elusion that may be come to, League , \' '.of Nations, or no League of Mations, L- our Motherland and v.ner Dominions ! . should have, '.-secure, , what, is vitSi to i '■""'" tjiem/ their moans; of inter-communica- : . tion. ■We have had no difficulty -it all ;,-,;■•'■'-.with regard to the French possessions ;. -y in-the pacific, and whatever difficulties ;-.-■:..-'.ina'x;arise with tlie'Japanese in the l'a- , ■■.. 'cific,'they..are such as can be tetcltd i --'■. by a talk round the table; but .we have ' 'a/wholesome fear that , if the duniiiiiis ■,-',':.' were to be allowed to establish/a b:ise : " in the Pacific, that would be a menace i. , .' to Australia arid New Zealand and to. ;.: bur fellow-speaking people on the<Con- ! ;:.-,.: tineut of America. If ybu gentlemen ; •'. are back before the Peace Conference ;■ : ; ends,: if you have any power'at .ill to •:■;•'.■•".-influence those-who aro.■considering the I .'.i'. great problems arising out of this war,.l ;■[. tell them that we are entirely in favour : : ~of! . a League of Nations, it they can ;■."■• rely: upon the, honour of'those "who ■■■■.■ sign, , but tell them- that we /in New : : ', Zealand and Australia are concerned as i ■ ■'■: to t our conraiunioatiqns, and that we '■■." ; want no menace to our trade -a/id com- !;.;--. merce. Tell them that so far as Bel-' !.' . gium arid Frande are concerned we con- ■.'■■■■■ sider them, next door : . to - our own i / .Motherland,: and that-we are prepa-eu ! ; to do "all we can in. trade—in honourable ,:.;.;:trade—to 'help them to re-establish ;. ...themselves. '.. :•■.-:■ ...-. / '■■ r,;.-".; The Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald, ; speaking in support of the toast, spoke i ■:- ijiso- of. the' cruel "sacrifices made by -irance.and the unprincipled conducts / ■■.;■ .the, foe/in-ravishing -her fair lands a'i.d'l j. terrorising and maltreating and'.robbing , ' I : the defenceless population; He, ox- ! ■-...■ pressed the fullest admiration for the I l .' . bray€ry,and.;the ..constancy : the r-, ..Frenchr.people.,,He hoped that "France ;.-.-:. :wpuldvhave : the bright future of peace .;: ■":•- and:, prosperity she deserved.- - : ;;■' GENERAL PAU'S RESPONSE* "' r' / 5 .THE STRONGEST-TIES OF ALL; • I. ■■: ■.'Generai, Pau I,- (interpreted. -• =by 3Dr. ; . ~ Siegfried) -acknowledged compliments ;. :: paitt. to the, mission; " ■ ' -.:..". "When, we go back to'Ftanoe," he - 'continued, "we shall: be ableto tell the I ■'■' .tPeople of .our country, and not only! ' . th? people of our country but our !■■ Government, what we, have seen here. [,< ;We shall be able to tell them not only : ■.-■-■.. of the possibilities.:of.-,-the country, but ■ ■■' \ of the actual--lyealth iand produce of : . .--the Dominion;-'-What: we".have admired ■ : ~ in, your country is not only its wealth .-■ and produce, but we have admired the I;-. ,i country.; And I may say here that we i"; .have especial reason', to love this Do-

I ■■'.:■' lrumon, and:it is beciause the scenery i ■ of this country is so much like.one of !-., ( . the old countries,: "'■ especially '-. England : . i.o'r France;;. But it is not Only thepro- ;■: duce>;and wfealtli of ■' New Zealand we , : . .admire';; 'it is also' the population of ;.•/'the''country'; the spirit of the popu- ;■ : latioh of New. Zealand." We have ,ad- ■ /mired the. people. One thing is that :, ' -your population while leaving the Old ; ~- Countrj'to settloliero, has lost nothing ■;.- '-, -of ;the strength' of the. traditional spirit -■: s> Old;Cdimtry,':which is bearing ! A. subh' i great results in all British coun- ,', ' ■trie.?....At the /same time, wjiile keeping ;■:. tnis,-. traditional temperament of the ;■:; ; British :yoii have shown such a pro-' <: v. gressiye. spirit;; : and 'such remarkable i: : boldness in approaching the most diffi;;.'cult social problems of the age; and ► by doing that you have.shown a union .. ■'■'■_ -of qualities' which we "cannot but much iV: admire. Gentlemen, New Zealand for ■'.'.■■ this reason will have our admiration, ! ' and for another reason we will remain .■.:• tied'to .this ;country,with strong ties • ;■:-. of ' sentiment:'As was'said by the j. Prime Minister our two nations have j; ;fought in the old days, but they have fought always in a gentlemanlike way, '; and to-day they- hava fought together ■: and are developing together the ties'of j-v, love between them. They not only J ■•■■-: admiro each they not only esteem t ■'■; each!other—l do rinfc say,too mi'ch whe": ;.;■;' ' T. saj; that they, lovn each other, and x i-. that nowadays, .as. always, love is the |: : ; creator.of good things in roanj-:' bind. . .'.. . I' , .'-' , '■.''. ' :"' •" . . ' ';. ■ ' . . . !:'■"" ■.:-- "'trie Dark; pays, i ; • "Gentlemen,- ,1 and apologise . T >-for representing in this form what the precedent speakers have saiß so much i better- than I could say it. They have ;. the advantage of cornir.g to the sub- ; , jects with great authority, especially !.' .• the Prime Minister, who has spoken on ; . '.behalf- of the country. With his elo- ' quence and-knowledge, whiiftiigivo him i-. authoritv,'ho has. dealt with a good . ;.■ many of these problems which are _ so ' important in'the day. in.which-we live. I ■■'■ I will only follow him in a few of these \ problems. First of: all come beck with i me to those momentous days of th" do- :■; claration of war. In those days there !". was a balance, between Germany and i.. the Allied. nations. Online side ther° I-' , - was liberty and justice; and this ba.laiicn seemed to. bo very light. On the. ! .other balance there was the mighty :'■' .. fttrength of Germany—the strong Gori many small nations l«o].-pd at. and I thenilit that it would be victorious. , Jii those days mam - m" , " thai"* , -*- ': ' that the.side of justice nntl liberty would • not hnvp th».lnst word. ' Put Germnny v discounted something. Germany disj ..counted the'absence of any written ■ treaty between France and England. '< It is true—l know it —thero was no- \. -.' tiling in writing, but there was sbrheI ; thing hetter'ithan the written paper. i This something better was the allii auce which France had drawn with li- • herty and justice. You also had an i ■ Alliance which Great Britain had also I drawn and signed with liberty and-jus- '' ' So that when the time came France and England went together on S ' thp same battlefield, with a conviction !.. : mid with a" strength and sincerity • ■ which have been unequalled I think in , ' ' • the history of both rations. The Germans, I think, made this mistake 1 --iii not undei'standiiig the trite strength j-. ' of Franco and England. They misy judged that in which was lying our ' ■ true strength. Well, they have been : • heavily and quickly punished for that I mistake; because -Providence, which i generally waits long to show the sane- !.:' tionsof justice, has decided that tho i Germans must.bo quickly and strongly !■ punished. They have been punished •;■•' .because they have violated Divino and ; human laws. We, . tho Allies—the >" British and the> French—have, repre-

sented in this war the true spirit of Christianityj while, the Germans on the other side of the line, although they .boasted of being the representatives of God.in the world, represented the old_spirit of paganism and King Odin.'T- ' -' . Pride—And the Fall." "Now, gentlemen, they have been punished for that. They have been punished, also, because they' have shown two great defects. The first is their pride, and the other their desire —their lust: 'they had gone for the material wealth of the world at the expense of others. " Well, gentleman, jor 'nil these reasons they have been punished; for having ignored the true spirit of Christianity—for never can pride be a sourco of wisdom and prosperity—and also for having looked for material wealth instead of the true wealth of a nation, which does not Hβ in .matters material. Now the time of expiation has come for tho Germans, and we appear to be tho hand of Providence to■ enforce this expiation. 1 hope we shall do it with tho necessary firmness, but witnout any spirit of revenge, and that we shall always endeavour to be just and fair. 1 But although we must "' be just and fair, we must reipember that there are a few ' things we must demand. We must demand reparation for the damage, done by the Germans. We must demand the ''restitution of everything which has been stolen by them from us, and, looking to the future, and longing for the safety of the future generations, we must demaVid a warranty that the horrors, of the last four years be not renewed. That is tho way in which wb .must look into the future. In speaking like this I trespass on a domain which is not exactly mine, which is a dangerous one. -It is , the domain cf politics, but I dare say that the last four/years, if tl-ey have dono much to malce the statesmen wiser, they will also have done much to make the governed wiser, and I think now 1 am entitled to express tho whh that after .this great victory of the Allies a lons peiiod of peace, and of safe peace, will be given to mankind. Ensmy* Still Dangerous. . "But'though we may hope for a.long, peace, there is reason to guard. My most sincere wishes are wjtli this scheme for the society of nations which, is now being discussed in Paris, but I say that the Germans have not renounced, or. have not sacrificed their old aspirations, I regret to say. • This armistice in the way it has been signed has spared the German people the horrors of war. The French, as well as the Belgians , and .other small nations -of Europe,'have experienced the horlors of war. Wβ know what it is to have the war in our very countries, and the Germans have not known, that; they have hot known what actual war is. Now, although-they say that they are a- new people, and that they are-a new democratic country, -although they have turned away as foapegoati their former leaders, I am afraid they are Vtill the same people as before. Are they not speaking again of their great .united Germany. Are they not speaking again'of a new German Army more powerful than the old oner- Pvn they not disposed to start again 'he economic: struggle^in,which they hitd been foremost, and for,which they now yerv likely have the .advantage■ of, havinb great stocks' of goods, and also I am sorry to ■ say the boats which, have bien somewhat lightly left to them, and which/will enable them to carry their goods' in 1 a bettor way than .'/a should be able to. That is x why, gentleman, although looking with great trust to the ■ societv of nations, T think ' we—the Allies—should 1 ' trust mostly to 'the union ■ between ourselves, We ,have been united in',the war; we should be united in peace. We have been united on the battlefield; we should be united in commerce. In saying that tani not saying anythingapart, from "the subject or tins mission. Our mission is a.very modest mission.' Its. true aim', is to procure for the future peaceful and irieudly' commercial relations between tue. Allies. 1 think if we remain .united, il we act together in commerce, as we, Jiavo acted together in war, well we shall render services not only- to Allied countries but to tho whole of nniuKind. . Thanks and Leave-Taking. "Gentlemen, this is the opportunity to thank you, and especially the Gov- I eminent, ior the help, which has been I given us country to the work j ol our members. I'he members of the: mission have been studying the'com-j niercial relations between .New ' land and JTrance, I believe the com- j raercial relations between New Zealand ; and France were'very much curtailed, ; 'but with the help you have given we i feel that we can look with confidence • to the future, and we arc thankful j for' the words the Prime Minister has • epoken on this subject. He has ad-; mitted that preference should be re- i served for the 'Allies, .and specially for j France and yelgium. I daresay you'.j ;have admitted this principle and have ; welcomed the Fr'encli Mission, because j you are friends of France, because you j have loved x and admired Franco, and j in doing so you have done a thing for j which we are very grateful; ' and I may say that, in doing so you have also rendered your country and Empire a, real service, because it is really by a union of those who havo fought that we can best ensure the peace of which I was speaking a few minutes ago. Mr. Prime Minister and gentlemen, we are now about to leave this country. We leave 'it. with regret, but with most ch'arming recollections, and' we hope that,our stay here may prove useful iii\ making closer the friendly relations between our two countries, and will have for its effect the good of the French 'Republic and the British Empire, and also the good of all nations and all humanity." (Applause.)