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Hokitika Guardian, 11 July 1922, Page 2

In the course of an address at St. Andrews College. Christchurch last week, Sir Thomas Mackenzie gave some inteiest ing illfoi ination concerning tlw great war. He opened with a brief sketch of the diplomacy which led to the establishment of the Entente Corilialp with France. He said that he was in Egypt soon "Her the beginning of the war, and he met the New Zealanders, who ha.l lelt home to fight ill the great cause. They were all keen, and seemed to feel Hint therfc would be no fighting for them hut their apprehension was unfounded, for their chance came at Gallipoli. The speaker was afterwards a member of the Commission which sat for eighteen months to inquire into the Gallipoli mistake. It was alleged that the fault lav with Mr Winston Churchill, blit other members of the Cabinet were equally to blame, for they calculate,] that as the German artillery smashed through the forts at Liege and Namur, so would the British gnus smash the forts at the Dardanelles, but this proved to be a miscalculation. AVliat was necessary was an early amphibious attack, that was, combined naval and military operations. Tlie whole affair. however,was bungled. The men were left short of guns and ammunition, and yet at the time Air Asquith had said there was plenty of each. When the big nttnck was made in August 1916. there was ample guns and material, but that time it was the commanders, that were deficient, and the outstanding feature of these operations was tlq. gallantry of the troops and the failure of some of the higher officers. Referring to New Zealand defence, Sir Thomas said that he was a strong believer ill training the voting men and boys, because with the world in the present unsettled state, there was no knowing win i might happen. It was no use putting complete trust in treaties and disarmament conferences. There was a

tireless reconstructive spirit in Germany at tlie present day, an,) a section of the people would not be satisfied until they could once more attack France and Britain. An uneasiness also existed on account of the Japanese, because they had a great influence on China, and if they were able to organise the East, they would seek new territories. It. was not wise for Now Zealand to spend £400,000 a year in tlie maintenance of ships like the Chatham, when the money could be better used in training troops, maintaining aircraft, arid submarines and erecting shore defences. There seemed to be little doubt that the country would one day have to defend itself, and there should lx* no delay in the establishment of an efficient scheme for so doing. The great duty was to prepare for eventualities.