The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 1928.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 August 1928, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 1928.

A MEMORABLE ANNIVERSARY August 4th. will remain always a wellremembered anniversary of the date (jreat Britain entered the Great War. The entrance of Britain into the field of war meant a great deal to Belgium and France. It turned inevitable disaster to ultimate security being possible. And though security' was long in coming, it came in the end, and the war added enormously to the fame and reputation of all things English. It is a far cry back to 1914, but in the eventful month of August the war was not looked upon as the serious period in our history it. turned out to be. For over four years it dragged on, and wonderful to be said, during those y'ears Britain grew stronger and stronger. The British Army at the beginning of the war was about, a quarter of a million, and the puny r force sent to Belgium, to stop the advancing and devastating Germans, was so insignificant in numbers that the Kaiser termed it a “contemptible army'!” Yet those few were all heroes, and did their part right well, delaying the advancing hosts, and giving time for organisation of a defence. The first British Expeditionary Force numbered one hundred thousand men—the pick of the Army. Before the end of the month that handful of men was holding 25 miles of front, while reinforcements were being hurried up. There were only sixteen heavy guns to send across to Europe to cope with an invading force well found in every' respect. Yet Britain grew and grew till when peace came there were 4,273 field guns, 2,215 heavy guns, and a machine gun to every- twenty rifles. It was a great lesson in organisation. And of men there were hundreds of thousands. When the Empire called, the Empire responded, and it is not too much to say that Britain being so deeply involved in the war, America as an English-speaking people came in the more readily' to the war. Whatever hopes Germany may' have had through the fluctuating changes of the war, the arrival of American sold lei's at the front vanquished all hope of victory, and so the Great War ran its course, to end with the surrender of

tbo enemy to the terms of the Allies. We were told it was a war to end war, but wars have not ceased, though they have been afar off. Yet there have been rumours of wars, and Europe is still very much of an armed camp. But at this juncture there are hopes of a better understanding. The League of Nations in difficult circumstances has been paving the way for more peaceful times. It hits accomplished much, perhaps a great deal more than appears on the surface. Then we had the Locarno pact of mutual defence—a very useful medium to ward off some of the possible serious conflicts in Europe. Now has come the Kellogg peace agreement so soon to l>e sigiwxl, and to winch New Zealand in common with the rest of the Empire will attest the memorable document. During the week Sir Austen Chamberlain who has been such a notable worker for world peace, lias spoken for Britain in the House of Commons and made plain where Britain stands. This Kellogg pact credited in the main to tho United States was the germ of a thought spoken by M. Briand of France, and it is fitting that the nations to sign will do so at Paris. Heal peace should come to Franco now, and there will be lefts military unrest in that country. It is something complimentary to the anniversary commemorated to-day, that following the struggle and tho intervening period, a great peace is to be enjoyed—a |ieac© in which many of the chief nations of the world will join. This is a hopeful sign of the times. It .suggests that at last tho lesson of the war itself has been learned, anil the futility of a great conflict to achieve a worthy end has been realised. All the nations have not joined up yet. That stormy petrel— Russia—ia.sull outside the pale, but we may hope that in due season the world situation will so impress itself that Russia, will desire to become part and parcel of the pact. That is the final consummation needed to ensure the full peace of the world.