Speech by General Wolseley.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 268, 30 May 1888, Page 4

Speech by General Wolseley.

There is a very uneasy feeling in financial ciiclcs o\cr the inline peace of Europe. With the death of the piescnt. (.Jeiman Empeioi, now .-.o imminent, the last posiLi\e assurance ot peace will be gone, leaving a period or gtcat unca.sincs.s and insecurity. Quito a sensation has been nuide by the speech at a dinnei to Sir John I'ender of (Jcneral Wolseloy, who, aftei calling attention to the disgraceful condition of atlaus in the English aimy and na\y, in its lack of preparation ioi an uneig<.ncy, said :—: — '• We li\e in times when 1 think it behou*sj the people ot Rutland l<, know not only the truth, bub thu whole truth, with icspcft to its (uni) and na\y. \\ c see all the nations- of Kuiopc— eeitainly all the gicab nations of Europe- with the one exception ot England, aimed to the teeth. A.s yop Jook around on the political hon/on ot Europe \ou can gather nothing piomifcing. Storms thi oaten and cci tainly bode no good for this countiy " Those who, like myself, have to study matters connected with the cletenc.es of this empire, not on y at home but abioad, put tin; question to thein^elvc • ' Arc nob the ami) ,md n,i\) as stiong c.s they ought to be v but- 'Why are they not so strong as they should be V A-siuedly, as Lord Derby has said, the people ot thia country have ne\er leiusod tin- Mini^tiy lor the time being any mono) they ha\e asked toi, eithei foi the army or na\y. Assuredly the tax-payers- of ihis country never pfiud^e any money which they are asked to pay for the eflieienej of Lho^e .services. No answer to the question. Why theaimy and nawaio not a- strong ;ks they ought to be i- found in the s^teni ol our (lovcrnniont In t.he party that is the cui^e of modem England: nhich is .Nipjiing and undo mining the foundations ot our connti) winch i.s depri\inu; our statesmen of iJieii manly honesty, wliicii wdi their only chai act eristic.'' The ('onsen ati\e "St. James's Ga/ette ' in commenting upon ttiis speech, makc=* a liiicet attack U])on the Ministry for its neglcot^ of piopM 1 inilitai\ piepaialion. England is now open to im.i-ion fiom any ope ot the Co'itinLiital power*-. It s^\ ■■ that \e*--cK ot the nav\ ha\e no piopei irmi', and none rratU 'L'he\ ha\u no '-toies of gunpowdei , and no -<y--t'm ot lood supply incept tiom iOK'i;_>tt mhikc. 'Lhe (iatlina gun people \o-fla> bioirjhi out a limit eil liability company tor »c vi il bu^ines^ in Euione, Moekeu ,>t -^'],000,('JO. The v e»c Mjld <it ihui .juait'i- oi 1 ]>cr cent, premium, cwmnth norn liie i »«- lut that theie would he a d» in in»i (huing the war \ov the weapon Tlie Duke ot Cambii'igi, ('o'nm.inik'i in-('hiet oi rhi Hutish lone-, w.is ex amiucd befoie a solet t coiunuttec ot I'ailiament, \osteida\ t\v -ud th..t 11,000 additional men weu- lequned to ])lacc the at my on a t-ound toounu. lie thought it was impossible to i educe the militaiN estimahs, because, with army \oluntecrs, it was necessity to make the sei \ioe attraetne. in (ieimany this was not necc-sary. because militaiv service wascoin]ndsoi\. lie luithei expicsscd gienf dissatisfaction with the equipment and aimamcnt of the forts.