The Guardian. SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 5th., 1921. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1921, Page 2

The Guardian. SATURDAY. FEBRUARY sth., 1921. THE WEEK.

The Paris Conference ended with great unanimity among the Allied Powers, and notable among the after statements - is Mr Lloyd George's announcement that the Allies dictated the terms, and do not care a straw whether Germany likes them or otherwise. The Allies it was evident, had not much hope of pleasing Germany. The essence of their action was justice, finality, and compulsion. They were dealing with the monster they bad struck down in the field. They had indicated to the fallen and half-disarmed champion of arrogance their idea of what he must do to be released from thrall and sot on his way harmless. For two years the discomfited enemy was restless, protesting fear of all kinds of evil, urging extreme poverty, pleading the iinpossibilty of his situation, evading under one pretext or another as much of Jiis obligation as lie posssibly could. He > relied on the general fear of Bolshevism and the friendship of various pacifists and pro-Germans which bad survived the war; with all its evils its proofs of German treachery and arrogance, its flashes of the appalling treatment planned for the vanquished Allies, and already pressed hard on such of them as had gone down in the fight with callousness of the most inhuman.

These two factors were Germany’s hope, j and tlicir effect was seen during the two years of poet-Armistice peace, in j the indecision of the Allies reflected in the results of several conferences, all of I which began in hopes flaming to the sky and ended in the black darkness of postponed uncertainty, The consequence in Germany was sanguine hope of early ultimate freedom, contemptuous calmness of attiture to the Allies, d" • determination to take vengeance on a world that had dared not only to defend itself against the super-race, but to inflict on that race the oompletest defeat of history since the end of the Punic wars. But the Allies were not as Germany fancied. 11 had, to the German exultation, lost the support of America, which German opinion thought presently to annex for the Fatherland. But if the Allies had the disadvantage of vacillation in Britain kept unstable by the ttvo factors aforesaid. they had the strength of a just cause in possession of the means of compulsion, and directed by the clear vision and strong determination of France. When the Inst Conference met, the moment of decision had come. It was France against the two factors. Quite unexpectedly France prevailed and the fallen German colossus was pinned down to definite action, with stern order of obedience in tlie bands of overwhelming strength. Tho aiinounoement of the great fact, of course proved a bombshell, tearing and ripping through the length and breadth of Germany. i

The Conference has strongly secured national honour as the foundation of the international agreement. That honour is an impassable barrier against the factors aforesaid. No feni* of Bolshevism—which is now at hopeless discount in the Allied countries—can prevail against that barrier. Neither can the utmost possible agitation of proGormans and the old pacifist lwrdc. which is of no other complexion and never was anything else. Against the harrier of honour and accomplished fact suoh movements must break hopelessly.

They are out of court. They are uf) against “causa finita.” No man can listen to their pleas.' They will move, of oourse. But against the “non possums” of the Conference decision they can never prevail. They can only appeal to British power to make British honour is above British interest of all kinds, especially the kind which rests on a false basis These movements of pro-Germanism Variously disguised will probably wrangle for years on the flanks of the progressing settlement now being enforced. But the settlement will progress to the end, however bitter it may be to its variously disguised

and totally unpatriotic opponents. What it may be to the German people remains to be seen. But, whatever it may be to them, the end will be accomplished under the protection of a strong Alliance, bound together by honour for justice.

Fight is obviously impossible for Germany with the forces and fighting means now at her command. Tier hope was to fight when slu* had increased these to adequate fighting stiength. Her heart is as black as it. "as when she marched out for the conquest of the world in that lurid autumn of .15)14 ; her intention as sinister; her will to march again bounded only by the ho'-o-ful plan of armament by evasion of sophistry and camouflage of disingenuousness. That hope is scattered by the stern decree of the Conference non in the hands of the grim soldier who sees the whole situation. He is the head of national armies in close control of the fangs from which they have received such terrible wounds. Those fangs have, as we have seen, been growing under stimulus of treachery. They are about to be ruthlessly hewed in pieces. If Germany, roaring so loud, is determined to fight against just punishment, the fight must be before the hewin of her fangs begins..

The air is full of German challenges to come and take the arms, to come and take the taxes and the indemnities. These challenges are unofficial. If they receive official repetition, Germany will he at once invaded, thrown down and cast out. Of that there is no doubt. It may, therefore be regarded as doubtful that the challenges will become official. But if there is in German, folly enough to issue such challenge, the end of Germany is not far off.

Admiral Grant, of the Australian Naval Board, according to the cabled summary of his remarks to the Australian Natives’ Association on the question of naval supremacy gives the impression that ho desired to infer that Australia could make her dispositions for defence more cheaply by means of battleships and cruisers than by submarines or aircraft If bis reference to the cost of defending Australia's twelve thousand miles of coast-line had any other meaning the point is rather obscure. We may charitably assume that the gallant Admiral’s post-prandial observations were not of the kind that ore improved by severe condensation. Manifestly the “command of the seas” is not a practical goal for Australian naval policy in the present, nor is it likely to be in tbe next century. The Australian continent is washed by tbe Indian, the Pacific and the Southern Oceans, and the command of oceans is not within the scope of a nation whose entire population is loss than that of Now York City. The defensive strength of Australia, and to* a still greater degree of New Zealand consists in the remoteness of these Antipodean outposts of Empire from all possible sources of ’aggression. If naval defence tie the ’ only efficient defence possible to AusI tralasin must be content to be depend- ! ent to a very great extent upon the pro- ' tection of the British Nav«y for many years to come, for the simple reason that adequate naval self-protection is beyond tlu> means of these sparsely setj tied southern countries. But it by no means follows because Australia and ! New Zealand cannot afford large naI vies based on a two-power standard in relation to their neighbours in the Paci- ; fie that they are incapable of self-de-j fence.

The last great war lias developed a defensive arm which many competent authorities have assured 11s can be developed in such a country as New Zealand at a cost well within our means. The strategic use of airplanes against armed ships has been well worked out. In case of a war in the Pacific, New Zealand could safely leave the proteclion of trade routes to the British Navy

and if she could assume the defence of her own ports she would relieve that navy of a very onerous duty. I-ie experts tell us that New Zealand could defend her own ports by the organisation of an adequate Air Defence Force. We cannot pretend to estimate the cost of such an “adequate force,” but we have as our starting point the sufficiently accurate approximation that the cost of one battleship would provide a thousand airplanes. It seems to us that whatever form of protection Now Zealand selects against attack — an attack which must come from over-seas-mobility will be its first requisite. From the North Cape to tho Bluff the distance is 810 miles. On any part of that long line a defensive force of aircraft could he mobilised in lmlf-a-day. As to what' it could do to tlio enemy when it found him and with airplanes as scouts he would he quickly discovered—there is abundant evidence in official archives. ’ We are surprised that this method of defence is not being adopted in this country. The need for defence is not disputed by those in authority, so we need not labour that point .except to remark that invasion, if it comes at all, will come without warning, as a holt from the blue. It is less likely to come if New Zealand does her plain duty as a unit of Empire amf makes use of those means of defence which the tremendous advance in science and intervention in recent years and placed within her grasp.

Following h is visit to Otira Tunnel on Monday, the Minister of Public Works, the Hon ' J. G. Coates had much interesting information to convey to an interviewer on his jrcturn to Christchurch. In the course of his remarks lie said satisfactory progress is being made at the tunnel. Lack of adequate cement supplies is affecting the work to a slight extent. However, we have <IOO tons for the Otira end, and a consignment is under way for the Bealey end. Then in about three weeks or a month’s time, 1000 tons will come

to hand. Another thotlsahcl toils will follow close on that. With the supplies that are expected from Portland, ill addition, we hope to carry on without any serious delay. We hope that the tunnel will be evacuated and lined with concrete from end to end in from six to eight months. After that the Department will proceed to clean up, ballast and lay the track right through. That may take, say, six months. / any rate, about 100 men will be employed on the Healey side alone, and the' work will he pushed on as hard as possible. We are anxious to clean up so that the Britsh Electrical Company can get on with .the installation. Tn fact ,tho company could begin with the preliminary work now. Th o Radway Department is carrying out excavation at Otira for the power station, for which plans and specifications are ready. At Arthur’s Pass the Public Works Department will begin shortly, with the re-layout of the railway yatd. There will be a marshalling yard, with seven sidings ,a big shunting “leg” run ning up to the Bealey River, and another running over Rough Creek, an island platform, coal bins, engine

sheds, a new station and. refreshment rooms. For the erection of a permanent superstructure over too Bealey. a ’ contract has been let to the Cleveland I Bridge Company, England, the eom--1 pany which constructed the Staircase Gully viaduct. At Otira the now layj out will be built on slightly different lines, on account of the main line being on a sharper grade. For safety pur poses a runaway siding will be laid down at that end.”