BRITAIN PREPARED.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 March 1917, Page 4

BRITAIN PREPARED.

(American “ Life.”)

Tbe most impressive detail of the world-view just now is the strength of Great Britain.

She haa had time to let out all her tuoks, and she hag let them out until, nowadays, she makes a truly wonderful showing.

For two years we have talked about France, and bold up onr hands to wonder. There was plenty to wonder at, and there is still. We haven t wondered so much at England because the readiness and efficiency of her Navy were taken for granted and exoited no surprise, and her readymade army was killed in the crush in the opening exercises of the war. That army has not yet got credit for all it did, but no matter. For some time after it was gone there was not much to admire England for. Her ships |were on their job without much noise, but it was France and Frenchmen that were standing off the Germans. Great Britain was beating the drum from London to Melbourne, making soldiers everywhere, making mistakes almost everywhere. Her calculations had missed out. She had thought that the navy made her safe and would constitute a sufficient contribution to any war game she might enter. She found out overnight that it was not a sufficient contribution to this game with Germany, and that besides ships and gnns and money she must fnrnish men bj millions to fight on land. So she went about to make soldiers out of the raw material, with Kitchener to show her how.

That was truly a desperate undertaking—to mak6 offhand a huge army to fight the immense levies of Germany already trained, seasoned and equipped, Of conrae without France, the wonderful stop-gap, it couldn't have been done. But as things were, it was done. It is two years and a half since that work began, and for two years England has been putting out fightihg men. She has sent out enough to have had nearly two million casualties ; she is credited now with two million soldiers in France, and with three million more at home or elsewhere, and more taking. And all the while she has been making munitions in enormoas and increasing quantities, building new ships all the time, and raising and distributing billion after billion of pounds sterling to|be pat where they would do the most good. And she keeps np trade too, and being supplied with naval shells beyond ber needs, allows one of her factories to put in a low bid to furnish some for our navy. Ciearly, this breed of men that planted the United States has not yet gone to seed. The Pan-Germanß computed that it bad, but that was one of tbe German mistakes—perhaps the greatest of them all. The war in ite present phase is largely between Germany and Gieat Britain. But it is to the advantage of civilisation that it is not wholly so. Germany has swallowed her allies. If she should win, her will would dominate them all. But England has not swallowed her Allies, and cannot, nor would if she could, and her will will not dominate them. She is fighting for her own hand, of coarse, bat it is not a mailed fist,