THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1910 WAR IN THE AIR

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 974, 18 February 1910, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1910 WAR IN THE AIR

We notice that a contemporary, with a degree of nonchaleuce that is quite fascinating, heads a , cable message "War in the Air." A little incident like this causes one to reflect that many a carelessly spoken or written word is otten ominously true. "War in the air"—that really seems to be I the position that civilised Europe , with all its learning, science, enlightenment, and humanitarian principles, has arrived at. Despite the lessons of commeice, despite the victories of peace, the day is not far distant when millions of men of one country will be actuated with the apparently insane desire to kill millions of men of another country, while .other "civilised" nationo will stand by deriding or applauding according to where their interests lie. No matter what strides are made in scientific knowledge, nor to what extent the gospel of the brotherhood of man is spread, there is no cessation iii the work of ■ improving and increasing national armaments, and, apparently, there is no desire on the part of the masses of mankind that

any effort in the direction indicated should be made. With feverish energy the nations arm themselves for fight, and millions of pounds are spent with but one regret, viz., that still larger sums cannot be raised to create still greater armies and more powerful navies. Great Britain, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Holland, Turkey, Sweden, China, Japan, and many smaller countries, including portions of the British Empire, aie all engaged building up navies. All these navies are, ot course, for defence purposes, at least so diplomatists say, but the line between what constitutes defensive and offensive purposes is so thin that I it is not worth discussing. The navies are being built, and they are being built to be used —so much is certainly clear, and it may he added that no ! nation can become or remain a firstclass Power without having what is, or is believed to be, practically, an invincible navy. It is evident, therefore, that the national future of Great Britain depends absolutely upon the fighting capacity of her • navy. Why war should be resorted to, why such a means of settling international disputes of a grave character should be . universally countenanced and adopted is certainjly inexplicable. It is one of the problems that the wisest of men have not only not solved, but upon it they have shed no light whatever. Probably the definition of the "Ruund head" parson in the time of Charles 1., who declared that "war is the besom which tne Lord God hath invented to chasten the nations of the earth," is about as accurate an explanation as any that has ever been forthcoming. It is not, however, ! with the reason of war that statesmen and nations are concerned ho much, as with the extreme probability ot its occurrence, and the necessity of being forearmed, seeing that there is no doubt about the forewarning. It is unfortunate, nay, more, it is extremely lamentable, but it is true, that wf>r is in the air. B'jkt a brief contemplation of the European situation is sufficient to force one to the conclusion that the day is not far distant when the greatest navies of th<j wjrld will meet in terrible encoun I