A Danger to the Welfare of the Dominion.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 70, 12 July 1912, Page 9

A Danger to the Welfare of the Dominion.

Mr. Bonar Law, ths Leader of tho Opposition in tho Imperial Parliament, iv a recent speech, said: "The victory in the present war of armaments rested with the country with the longest purse. Britain's hope lay in. uniting tlie inexhaustible resources of hor sistor nations overseas."

A few days later Mr. "Winston Churchill referred to tho nccoiiity of concentrating the fleet in Home waters, ■"thus creacing a 1101/ want, and affording a now opportunity for the oversea dominions."

This "new opportunity" is the opportunity for an enormous expenditure in tho creation of an "oversea naval force," that i:i, an opportunity to fling more money into tho sea. An article by a journalistic "naval expert" appears in aii English review, urging that the dominions must take a bigger share of the burden of armaments than they havo taken hitherto. With a surprising unanimity, the "Our own correspondents" of the New Zealand papers in their weekly letters quote this article almost in toto. With an equally (surprising unanimity tho papers support tho suggestion in long editorials, and call upon the people to bo "patriotic" and borrow more money to present more Dreadnoughts.

All those who havo tho true interests of their country at heart should bo awake to this new danger. The expenditure on armaments is proving an intolerable burden in Croat Britain, bod statesmen are at their wit's end to attain the money to hand over to the

wealthy armament syndicates to pay for more battleships and nioro guns as a protection against tlie battleships and guns of our "enemies," to whom they havo boon supplied by precisely the same "pabriotic" armament syndicates.

The folly of it is that this enormous ovor-burdening expenditure on armaments to ensure security does not bring security—security ever vanishes like a will-o'-the-wisp. The reductio ad absurdum of the old heathen maxim, "Si vis pacciu para bolluin" is the present situation between Great Britain aud Germany. Every additional Dreadnought built by cither Power which, according to this ridiculous outworn adage, should boa further incentive to peace, is a direct provocative of war.

Our greatest enemy is not Germany or any other Power. It is tho proventiblo poverty, prevcntiblo criino, and preventable disease within our own borders. Never forget for one moment that every penny spent on armamonts is wasted —it is absolutely unproductive — and it does not bring security one whit nearer.

Protest energetically, in season and cut of season, against our politicians, at the. behest of "patriotic" armament syndicates in England wasting your substance, tampering with your "ihoxhau«tible resources" to buy battleships and guns which benefit nobody but their parasitic manufacturers. The crushing, almost unbelievabkv poverty of England should be kept in mind, lest their experience bcoomos ours.