SNAPSHOTS.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4433, 10 July 1909, Page 3

SNAPSHOTS.

By Sharpshooter. f A writer in a Wellington paper asserts that if we take care of our fleet we needn’t worry about universal military training. He’s wrong ; hopelessly. He bases his argument partly on the current theories res* pecting sea-power. He misapplies these theories ; violently. A great nation cannot stand by sea-power alone. Since the world began no nation has based its greatness on sea-power alone. Naval

* power must be associated with --military power. A Dreadnought dreads nought—at sea. ’Twould sail heavily on land. And it’s on land that fights between nations are brought to a finish—even defensive fights. England’s struggle with Napoleon was defensive the grimmest defensive war that ever she fought. Trafalgar saved England from invasion, but it took ten years’ fighting by land to plant the knockout blow of Waterloo. The young New Zealander—consummation of c dolly of futile syllabus - makers—learns little history. Let him reflect on this : Every big war 13 ritain has fought, offensive or defensive, has been finished on land. For over 200 years our wars have usually been partnership affairs ; we have provided the ships, our allies the bulk of the land forces. As often as not we have hired Germans to do our land fighting—and for the future we can’t be sure they’ll be in the market.