The War Cloud.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 September 1922, Page 4

The War Cloud.

WHAT MIGHT H A PitN

WELLINGTON. September 28. « lonel Mitclnll, M.P., president, of the Wellington Miniature Rille Association, in opening the fomth annual championship meeting «if the Association on Saturday afternoon,, congratulated the members on the fine atj tendance and the large number of enI tries. It was specially gratifying, lie ! sa id to see ft number of Indies taking ! an active interest in the wholesome 1 spoit of rifle-shooting, and not only 1 were they taking an interest in it. but they were showing ft wonderful proficiency with the rifle. | Rifle-shooting was so allied with war. j that- (ui an occasion like that one s mind naturally turned to the disturbed conditions ill the Near East - 1 conditions pregnant with grave pos- : sibilities for our Empire and the world. ! “The world.” added Colonel Mitchell. “is war-sick, and there appears 1 to he a, natural tendency on the part of the Powers to free themselves of the responsibility and burden of further strife. But the nations of the world are so interdependent on each other, ami so vitally interested in the freo- ' dom of the sea routes and trade and ! commerce, which are at the moment j threatened, also the Turks are such 1 past-musters in the art of causing ■strife among the nations—and never j was their power in that direction , greater than it is to-day —that if war i does break out between Britain and ! Turkey, the whole of the European | Powers will surely he drawn in for i self-preservation, and the world again i he steeped in war. | Let us, however, pray : for peace, ■ u long peace, that our wounds may heal, and that, we may build up the social well-being and prosperity of our country and make (he peoples hippy and contented again. “But. if evil fate befall es. (unpeoples will face the task in the same spirit as did those who had made the nation’s history.” (Applause.)