The Daily News. TUESDAY, MAY 3. ARE WE FRIGHTENED?

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 379, 3 May 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, MAY 3. ARE WE FRIGHTENED?

In this remote ;part of the Empire, where we watch the current happenings of the real world by means of more or less "readied-up" cablegrams, we have come to "believe that Germany intends to trail the power of Britain and ner Empire in the dust. We do not know why, but we have accepted most of the things we have read about the relations between the two cousin nations as likely to cause war at no distant period. For this reason we generalise to the extent of believing that every German in the Fatherland has for his goal a camp in Trafalgar Square and ,a slice of loot from the Bank of England. Consequently, because of our vivid imagination, we foresee the destruction of the Empire by the guns of the German Navy which is not yet created. As we -have pointed out prevpusly, the German Navy is a comparatively new engine, and German man-o'-war sailors are new, too. The supposed fright of the British nation is speculative in regard to what this Navy w.ill achieve when it is large enough. The person ■who believes that: the moment Germany has enough weight of .armaments to make battle 'with. Britain possible she will be able to wipe us off the slate is a very foolish person. He is insulting, too, for in nearly every case of British victory at sea the enemy has been overwhelmingly superior in ships and guns, 'but never in training and personnel. In any future naval war it is the training and personnel that will count, as before. Germany is at the present time seething with internal rebellion, the national .protest against the huge taxation necessary to keep the naval and military programme going. The only possible reasons Germany has for attacking Britain is that she may obtain a sea outlet and command of the ocean for purposes of trade. In order, therefore, to achieve increased trade, the Briton affects to (believe that Germany intends to sink countless more millions in warships (which may be eventually sunk), to tax her people to the uttermost bearable farthing in order merely to try her chance to handle the trade that. Britain now enjoys. The idea that our cousins the Germans merely desire warfare for the sake of bloodspilling and conquest is unthinkable. The Germans are not really .bloodthirsty, although their leaders talk gore. The German Press talks a great deal of fight, and the English Press views with alarm the merest news item that Germany has laid down another keel. And supposing that, as is apparently generally believed, Germany really intends . to try to smash the Empire, and supposing that she cannot hope to do so until she has a navy heavy enough, why allow her to achieve such a result? "Thrice armed is he who hath his quarrel just (But better still to get yer blow in f'ust)." The serious folk of Britain have concluded that in order to prevent Germany from wiping us out on the sea in, say, \ten years' time, we must build two leviathan engines of war to Germany's one. Thus it is seen that engines of destruction of incalculable power and perfection are no earthly ,use for the purpos.es for which they are ■built. In fact, we" are to believe that they are to be used as a spectacle and a prevention of war. It has to be admitted, however, that human nature is ever the same, and that as long as the world endures there will be armed conflict. Whatever eminent naval and military men say about desiring peace instead of war, they merely speak by the book. No naval or military leader worth his place to die without using his skill for the purpose intended. It has been pointed out that nations, and particularly the German nation, carefully prepare the way for war by J suggestion on all possible occasions that they are most friendly to the enemy they desire to smite. This is historically true. Consuls on foreign soil must naturally be most tactful, and the speech recentlv made by Count Irmir in Brisbane is characteristic. He particularly mentioned that the handshake of Wellington and Blucher, perhaps the two greatest of all modern generals, would exert its friendly influence through the centuries. Everyone knows that international courtesies do exereise an immense influence for good, and recalls the incident of King Edward saluting with, a kiss the Freneh President, his exceeding care in grasping an opportunity of understanding the feelings of foreigners, and his unparalleled genius for diplomacy. If two nations, however, have cause of disagreement, a handshake of 1815 cannot prevent hos-i tilities. The German Consul-Genera] said it was not righteous to talk oft war between two friendly nations. If this is so, it is not right to build warshins for the purpose of making war. It is. absurd .to talk of warships as if they Were made for mowing corn or cleaning windows. Warships are for the destruction of men just this and .nothing more. The Consul-General cheerfully disposed of the possibility of future war in Australia by saying that a cosmopolitan army of twentv thousand men would make it impossible for Australia to be attacked. With all respect to theeminent German, there are difficulties. An enemy must come by sen. He mus"r, be harassed before he lands. If not, lie has the choice of any of ten thousand uninhabited spots 011 which to land. Australia is not railroaded propn-lv, therefore the cosmopolitan army of twenty thousand men might be a month or two before it got in touch with its foes. It docs not seem likely that even the most benevolent of Asiatic or European enemies would carefully select the place where they could be the most easily routed. The future of both Australia and New Zealand lie* in their ability to crush an enow before he lands. A New Zealand Minister has lately mentioned the undefence of Aust:\illa, us'ng as an illustration the his-

torioal story of the Mongol horde that swept across Asia and a part of Europe centuries ago. But the Mongol hordes lived on the land they pillaged. Xo part of their urcadful campaign was naval. Any peril, either Mongol or German, must come by sea to wipe the Empire oil' the map, or to take the outlying portions of it. And so we uin our faith to the Xavy, not altogether because we think that it will never be used, but because when it has been used on former occasions it has given a very fair account of itself. And as the Imperii] policy is to keep up the two-Power standard, so it should be the policy of the great Imperial States to help headquarters all in their power, to cease the idle talk that .presupposes destruction at the hands of inferior people, and to remember that warships are mane for war and not as drawing-room ornaments. We are exceedingly fond of talking about "the German menacii," and Germany is fond of speaking about ''the British menace." Anil lois nf solemn people pretend that the menace will end with the (lying of the German flag over Westminster.' Even Xapoleon did not lead his armies into London, although he struck a medal for the soldiers -who were to dine in Hyde Park. For it must be ever remembered that the successor to the "Master of the World" must come by sea—'and ''there is no sign of deterioration in the personnel or brains of the Imperial Xavy."