The Daily News. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21. THE FIGHT FUR PEACE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 166, 22 October 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21. THE FIGHT FUR PEACE.

in Britain there is an evergrowing uis satisfaction at the enormous yearly increase in expenditure on armaments, and while labor lights for less expenditure, men who are chosen leaders of the people light for increases. The latest cabled summary of a speech of the First Lord of the Admiralty shows that he was foiled to reply to the criticisms of labor an ever-growing power in Britain. Air. JVlcKeniia, First Eord of the Admiralty, showed that it was necessary to have weapons to carry on a bloodless war against Lheir fellow-country men Unstancing trades unions), and that it was more vitally necessary to have levies to protect the Empire against its possible foes. H is impossible to judge whether the demand of labor for lessening the armament burden is reasonable, or whether the counter demand of great sailors and 'soldiers for a one hundred million pounds loan for increased armaments is the only way to make Britain safe. Ft is well remembered that immediately the British Government showed a desire to slacken its naval programme foreign Powers at once showed feverish anxiety to increase weight and lighting power. I The fact that among the non-naval or I military people of ail the-e countries ithere is a violent antipathy to extended naval and military programmes is comforting, as showing that the people may yet override the authorities and force a general halt. Mr. Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in defending free-trade, said that a bad harvest pinched the belly, but protective tarills gave the screw another turn. In dealing wilh protection and armaments the Chancellor said: "hi the grammar of ruin, there are three degrees —Positive, protection; comparative, armaments; superlative, war." He showed that nations made war for markets, desiring to close the markets of rivals. The Chancellor was roundly abused for raising twenty-live millions sterling! by extra taxation, lie wanted this money for social reform, oldage pensions and labor exchanges. Half of this extra taxation went in armaments. Mr. Lloyd-George said that the Dreadnoughts were necessary but the necessity artificial. "The remedy," said I'Mr. Lloyd-George, "is international and by international agreement only can the headlong race to ruin be arrested."' The man who hates to see millions going into warships knows that the British Navy is life or death to the British Empire—and says so. The Chancellor's powerful argument for free-trade is that Britain keeps her'great armaments paid for out of revenue and that Britain's protectionist I neighbors have long since ceased to do so. "We are not," he said, "going to hoist the white flag of surrender over the citadel of free-trade." The United States Congress passed a resolution some time ago in favor of setting up a commission to report upon the best means to secure international peace and to arrest the progress of armaments," and the enthusiastic Chancellor has already spoken of an Anglo-American insurance i corporation against international anarchy land international lawlessness. The moral I inference of such a corporation would be immense. Here is the basis of the insurance corporation—Shareholders would be Free-trade Britain and Protectionist America; "the independence and integrity of all nations, the status quo. the open door, and despatches to be sent to arbitration, including those affecting national honor." In short, shall Britain cease to pay for her gigantic lighting machinery out of revenue earned by free-trade, raise a one hundred million loan as a further burden on an overweighted community, or shall she, wilh the help of the nations, settle all her disputes by word of mouth and pen and ink V