MR HOGG, M.P.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10108, 1 October 1910, Page 7

MR HOGG, M.P.

AND THE DEFENCE QUESTION.

The Wellington "Free Lance" deals in a playful way with Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P., over his recent remarks on the defence question. In the course of a very satirical article it says:—"Mr Hogg's advce ta New Zealand is to trust to Providence and don't trouble about Keeping your powder dry. Apparently he doesn't believe in burglar proot safes because there aren't likely to be any men livin* who are base enough to be burglars. Everything is all serene, saya Mr Hogg; there 11 never will be any' war; no one will ever worry us; New Zsaland is all rißht as she is—and nothing matters, anyhow. Let her rip! But, if the worst comes lo the worst, Mr Hogg has his doughty champions, the heroes who will suddenly rise in t'leir might, like the old Maori slayrs of dragonß, and | wipe the surface of the landscape with any Jap or German who dared to profane this free land of New Zealand with his military heel. Who are these warriors, the saviours of our country? Listen to Mr Hogg; he knows. "Why shoud we be frightened of Germany?" he asks. "Has *he ever proaucec! an Arnst or Switzerland a Wilding?" He was sur-

prised that en every possible occasion the example of Germany, Japan, and Swiizsrland was brought before New Z aland. "Has Germany ever produced a Johnson or a Jeffries? Has

any country on the Continent produced a Sandow?"

I These, then, ate the men in whom wh are to put Gur trust. Pitch sour rifles into the sea, .and bring out Mr Wilding/ with his tennis racquet, and Dick Arnst with his sculls. Send for Mr Nigger Johnsing and Mr Jim Jeffries Tney'll do the trick. (By the way, Mr Hogg is rather stretching a point when he has to lug in the Yankee nigger and the German Sandow as sons of "Old England,"j but let that pass. Nothing could be more satisfactory if an invasiun or a cruisar raid could be settled in that pleasant fashion. U would certainly save a lot of money and trouble and lives if the Japanese admiral, say, could be persuaded to send his best tennis, player ashore tu play a tour-* natnetit with Mr Wilding, with New Zealand as the stake. And Dick Arnst could scull, any sauerkraut to a standstill, we have| no doubt. It would be an idyllic fashion of waging battle. Only—we have our doubts as to whether that beastly uncivil fellow, th° enemy, would look at things in exactly the same light as Mr Hogg. Suppose he happened to put a playful bullet through Mr Wilding' 3 strong right wrist, for instance ! It would be all up with New ..thea, ]