INVASION.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 25, 25 August 1911, Page 16

INVASION.

Dear Sir, —If those good people who advocate compulsory military training as a means to keep a possible invader out of New Zealand would come down froni the clouds and think the matter over, they will be able to see that if they were to arm and drill every man, woman and child in New Zealand it would be a waste of time and money. They will admit that','New- Zealand being an island, the only possible way an enemy could come is by sea or r>i-r. '■■'-r>s they think that the intruders would come in canoes like the Ma<j;-rs of old. No, Sir; they would come in very modern warships, and they would not come for pleasure; they would come for cash, and if we did not shell out, they would shell in to the tune of more damage than the sum .originally demanded, to say nothing, of the loss of life that would occur on our side. For they could stand miles out to sea, out of sight of land if need be, and shell the seaport cities, without any risk to themselves; at any rate, not from our citizen army, land they could also send aeroplanes 'ashore to fire the" inland town£ and arsenals. Of course, it is quite on the _' cards that some enterprising Territorials might swim out and bayonet the ships,, but then some one on board might see them, which would be bad < for the health of the adventurous ones. —lam, etc., Wellington. COMMON SENSE.