The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1928. THE WORLD'S PEACE.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 December 1928, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1928. THE WORLD'S PEACE.

It is one ol the mislort tines ol Italy that its ruler, Mu.ssmini, seems in- < ;i();ii;le ol' <liscus.si any public quesihni in rest rail icd and moderate terms. I'he Duoo lias just made a speech about the peace td' Europe, which, it it were judged by its temper and tone alone, might easily be mistaken for a direct incitement to war. “We want peace,” he tolls his people, but at the same time he warns them that they must lace realities. “The whole world is arming.” Italy cannot alford to he caught unprepared ; and so the Italian people must not he surprised if they are called upon to make fresh cllorts and sacrifices to perfect their forces “on sea and land and in the air.” wh le one must admit the necessity imposed nnon every government to make adequate preparations against the risk or the possibility of war, says a contemporary in passing comment, it may well lie doubted whether the cause ot peace F served by such ominous iiireats and warnings as .Mussolini constantly addresses to his own people in particular and to Europe in general, lint even provocative challenges may be less nrc.iiiiiiciai to tin* interests ol I a<■ ii .-111 than the conviction hy which .Mr I’.unsay MmdJoimld see ms to lie i,')S"s>cd. that, somehow, on some pretext. and probably soon, the world’s is ilee is sure to he broken. "The preen). oositioii of the nations," he said ihis week at Paris, “cannot, continue, or there will he another war." We have no doubt that .Mr MacDonald sin.erely desires to see the peace of the v.orld maintained. Tint he ought to realise that such ominous predictions tend to create that very atmosphere of anxiety, forehodmg, and mutual distrust in which all wars tire engendered. and that the wartime: that he is so fond of reiterating is just as injurious to the prospects of peace as .Mussolini's truculent defiance of the world at large. As to the precise reasons underlying Mr MacDonald's last umnouncemcnt of this topic, there is 111 lie that is novel or impressive about them. It is probable that “the peace of the world rannoi he pent hy a liala nee of Power or hv hilaleral treaties or alliances.” ISlit' in our opinion nothing can possible obviate war hut a wider dilliisiuii of "the will In peace.” Mr .MacDonald terms 1 he Kellogg Pact “a castle in the air.” hut surely in so far as it is an expression of the desire of I he great majority to avert war. it. is a decided .step in the right direction. Wo agree with Mr MaHtunahl that

much may he done* to preserve | enee hv the employment of ;i rhil ml inn si ml oilier judicial methods <m :in even Inreer scale* than before* 1!)M. Hui "■■it her (he slow progress of the League

f Nations nor the failure of the I’oworv lo devise nnv effective nrtiet ical restric(ions upon warfare justify the extremely pessimist i<- (one that .Mr MacDonald usually adopts in diseiis.xing this (|uest ion.