The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is corporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1932. ON BEING PREPARED.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 February 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is corporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1932. ON BEING PREPARED.

To “be prepared” is the watchword of a common defence for a nation, but now with disaunament. in the air, it is flying in the face of providence to think that preparedness can be only a hiatter of -men and munitions. There are other means of preparedness, and Great Britain has not neglected that opening. It is nearly a decade and a-half since the Great War, which was a war to end war, .and since tout great event of' history, Britain has neea trending towards preparedness by force of commerce and not by force of arms. The paring down of the Army and Navy has alarmed the dogs of war in the United Kingdom, but Biitaiu lias decided as an experiment meantime to drop free trade, and build up her commerce and her Empire by a widespread scheme of protection, It is true there are armed camps on the Continent, and the United States aims at an all powerful Navy to range the seas, but while all this is being established those veiy countries (along with Great Britain) are bound by various treaties not to war one with the other. Why then the expensive rivalries in armies and navies, except it be because Japan has apparently torn up the treaties referred to, Great Britain it may be assumed thinks better of the integrity of tin; European Nations with which she has consorted, and perhaps realises in the case of Japan, that that nation is anxious to redress grievances against China by force, because the latter nation has not an adequate organisation to enforce law and order and to maintain treaty rights between the two nations. Be that a,s it may, Britain has come to realise that in the commercial war, which meant bread for the people, she had the same rights as other nations to attempt a tariff in the hope of recovering lost trade and setting industry on its feet again. Britain has made a good beginning and other nations are realising her objective, As an important trading and greater financial nation she re-establishes her power in Europe, and the sotting in such that there are signs that the nation will win through. But Britain low greater opportunities to succeed, more brilliantly than any other nation, for she' lias a far-flung Empire including greater territories as large and larger than European countries—• her chief trade rivals. By building the Empire together with tangible tit's of trad*', and building up overseas ;i '• n Home growing nations, the potential strength of Great Britain will lie magnified greatly. Pud) a de> olopmioit will create a union of

•peal potential power, and a force en p:i lile of oil tin will”; war. The arv for disarmament to-dav lia-i tirmvii mil of I lie eNiierieitee nf tin 1 Oreal War. II i uni an emplv ery, lint ni'C of real meaning. Hritain can .".fiord to lead I lie way in disarmament, at the same time iisiiio her financial strenjrtli In hiiihl up her I rude and emnmerrc, and so lieinii fully prepared by her ueallli aid inlltience to demons! rate the futility of a war attack for commerce will hold the balance of power.

Matt bus have taken n most unusual turn in Australia, where the Federal Government is set upon a policy to prevent the New South Wales State Government fooling all the time. Mr Lang has been begging and borrowing lor a considerable time past, and neglecting to honor bis promises to repay at the due date. Legally the Commonwealth Government had to loot the bill, and it. was necessary to do so in any case for the financial lion-, our of the country. As a consequence ‘the Federal Government had to secure its advances and the repayments are now to be earmarked by law out of the State revenue. The law as passed applies equally to other States, but its existence is neaeseary only because of that phase of the Bang Rian which is to pay when it can and what r- *3 disposed to ptv, be the principal what it may, or where it is clue. Naturally such a free and easy method bad a bad effectOn Australian credit abroad, and if Mr Bang could only have carried on as lie was doing, and not have a Federal Government to come to the rescue, his repudiation methods would have been quite effective enough to destory totally the financial credit of the country. As one Sydney paper has said, Mr Lang’s administration 01 fifiance has been a disease. The paper adds: “He has been elected constitutionally. Yet if his'crazy finance leaves him unable to carry on the State, constitutional methods ■ can depose him.” That process may be difficult, but the legal method of the Federal Government may have its effect,