The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1920. A SENSATIONAL MILITARY EXPEDITION.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3401, 4 February 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1920. A SENSATIONAL MILITARY EXPEDITION.

With which its incorporated “The Taihape Post. and Waimarino News."

It seems that even New Zealand‘ may actually be involved in a state of‘ war without its people knowing any-‘ thing whatever about it. This Dominion is supposed to have been at‘ peace with all the world since thel signing of the German Armistice, and 1 people were wondering why the Gov-‘ ernment was purchasing great stores‘ of munitions and landing no less than l five hundred rifle barrels a week. It may be rema'l-ked that where there is smoke there is fire, and just as logically, while this country is importing munitions in lafge quantities, and‘ landing five hundred rifles per weekl there is undoubtedly cause for as‘ suming that trouble is. anticipated‘ somewhere on which they are to come ‘ ‘into use. Now, we have the sense»; tional news sprung upon us that (,ur' little army has been ordered to em-‘ bark to some centre of trouble and‘ that the Tutanekai has sealed orders‘ to proceed with men, munitions and‘ stores to Fiji, on a strike intimidating or quelling mission. To ‘be correct we should say that the Tutanekai did depart on Monday night on its warilike mission, while the public had no »idea that military force was needed ‘anywhere within our Governments ‘dominions. Two short cables from ‘Fiji contained an indication that [Workers there had struck for better ‘treatment, and some alarmist had voliunteered the opinion that the indian ‘population might wipe out the few Europeans that controlled them, beyond that a strict censorship has kept New Zealanders in blissful .ignorance of anything to disturb their usual ‘equanim-ity, Even now, after the |'.[‘utanekai has shipped a large supply 101' munitions and stores, is loaded with our little army, has a four‘llounder gun on her bow. uncovered and ready f_r action, has‘ shipped a twelve-pounder in addition, taken from Fort Ballance. and a number of the artillery force parading her decks, she sailed away without the people ‘having any idea of the real magnitude ‘of the force shipped, or what the artillerymen are going to do when th----y ‘al'l'iVe at Fiji, which is adniittcslly ‘their destination. Mr Massey, \n~l:.c.ll approached for information said men, ‘munitions and guns were being dt'-S-Datched at the request of the I-‘iiian ‘authorities; he said he is advised that ' what is being: done is the right thing. Indeed, Mr Massey appears 1;.) know very little about the nature, extent or intensity of the trouble he is advised needs the presence of guns andamili tary force. He does say there is no cause for alarm, but when an armed ship ready for action, with an armlery force aboard and carrying :1 cargo of munitions and supplies, clan-'lt-s----finely rushes away under sealed orders, it seems there is cause for very real alarm. Mr Massey stated that the Hindu labourers. servants and other-s were out on strike and he lurid. some farmers who were tints:-x.-;_..;wjng him that it was more serious tha--. it appeared from the short cable messages received. It is not (]ifl‘;gul'r, +0 guess that Mr Massey knows very much more than He has felt disposed to make public; the public are anxious to know thenature of the advice he has received, which furnishes the idea for need of guns and a military

force. The Prime Minister may or mayinot be right, but we do contend that a censorship which treats people as though they were children is dangerous, nay foolish, in the extreme. Here is a case of the national house being on fire, brigades and munifions for fighting it are despatehed, y-et occupants of rooms in the burning building are not even told their house is on fire. There is a Government tendency to do things independent of public opinion, yet when months of hardship, expenditure of money, lossof production, destruction of industry has resulted from that autocratic secrecy, the people are startled With a frank admission by the Prime Minister that public opinion is the great righter of wrongs. When secrecy fails there is 3. volte face which is surprising. Only the other day the Railway Inquiry was to be held in camera, purely a departmental matter, but railwaymen and the public wanted to know the truth. There is no subject

about which the a.c'tu'a.l facts are less known than what is termed the Coal Crisis, yet simmered down, the whole thing is in a nutshell. Mr Massey is supporting the coal-owners in an effort ito discredit and burst up ‘the Labour Alliance, and to bllankly refuse to ‘ allow the miners to appoint men to ter present in a conference with mine-own-i ers. That attitude has failed, the men refuse to be so dictated to and driven, and they are walking out of the coal mines by hundreds. Strange though it Iwill appear. Mr Massey has at last ’. come to the conclusion that all conferences on economic questions should be held in public, and he says so, but newspapers have said that all along; they know that where there is secrecy corruption may be sought with a. good chance of it being found. Then why not let the people know the truth about the economic question now troublesome in Fiji? For we contend rthat the Government has a double- , barrelled danger in Fiji, and should Mr

Massey give an order -to pull the wrong trigger, he risks the possibility of setting up a. consuming flame, not only in Fiji, but throughout‘ the whole British Empire, at conflagra—tion that once started may spread over all Asia. The fact that the whole Indian Empire is a. source of the gravest concern to_ Britain should have its influence upon what is ordered in connection with the Indian population in Fiji. There is no denying ‘that Indians appear to be looking for causes of strife; in India much British life is already being sacrificed in fighting tribesnien, and there are strikes and rumours of strikes in The manufacturing cities of India. Added to this, utmost cifort ig being‘ made to i_nflame the Mussalman population lalgainst the Peace Treaty in the interests of Turkey, and taken altogether India is little short of a tinder-box which only requires the spark to set up a. confl'a'gration to- which the historic mutiny would be a mere marionette show. We think Mr Massey would be well advised to take the people into his confidence before setting any military expedition

‘in motion anywhere; the public through their newspapers would not hesitate ‘to support any clause, military or otherwise, that seemed to them necessary and just, and why the public are not allowed to shoulder responsibility for such expeditions is indeed :an enigma. However, the Tutaneklai has sailed under sealed orders, armed with four and twelve-pounder guns; with a military force on boiard, ‘and carrying a large cargo of muni- } tlons of war and other supplies. We are in perfect. ignorance of what those l soalod orders are, and our only pOSS'il>lo attitude at present. is one of hope that no foolish mistake will be mil<l<‘. 9» situation as ridiculous as it is dangerous. If a military expedition were not being sent from one room to another of our political domicile, but to an extraneous enexny there might be some cause for rigid censorship and sealed orders, but there is no sensible reason for playing at war. Every citizen should have been told where the Tll— was going‘ and what it was going for; though it may not be realised in some quarters, it is an expedition fraught with much danger and far- , reaching results.