THE ARBITRATION TREATY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10293, 24 July 1911, Page 4

THE ARBITRATION TREATY.

AND THE MASTERTON CHAM' BER.

"■One of the Tailors of Tooley Street" writes as follows* to the Wairarapa Age:— "It was Tvith intense satisfaction that I read in your issue of Saturday that the Council of the Maisterton Chamber of Commerce had passed a resolution to go to the Congress of Empire, approving of (the Anglo-American Peace Treaty, i and expressing the sanguine hope that other Powers will join, thereby, mating the tribunal sufficiently powerful to ensure permanent peace throughout the world. The Master-* ton Chamber has attempted man/ things. It has fought gallantly fur a stock 'bridge over the Waipoua river, and for an improved' railway service. It has succeeded in .udnc- , ing the Borough Council to take a poll on the- of establishing a' conrLGctiofl between Queen and Chapel Streets! It has built jam factories and woollen factories in the air! Ist has deviated .the Rimutaka railway—in its mind! And now, like Napoleon, it seeks; fresh worlds to conquer. Imagine the feelings of the delegates to this great Empire Congress, when they are confronted with this audacious remit from Masterton! Just see them examining the map of the. world, and endeavouring to.trace the;.whereabouts of tertoSi - And ,1 when ihey - haW foraid' it! Lors! Whait a discovery! But, ; -seriously- speaking;* Sir,' thsi£ is "no 1 telling .what effect this resolution of' •the ' ' may have. One can^alTnost ( see ,-the Czar of Russia, and the Kaiser of" - \ Germany, and the Emperor of the Japs rushing to the fold. The thought has never dawned upon them before, ; of "joining" the AngloAmerican, Arbitration-? Treaty! But. why wait for the Congress of 1912 P Why not cable to the Powers direct,. fiind express the sangjiino hope that they will "join" ? 'See. the expense that would ibe saved in shipbuilding! In twelve months, all the swords in/ the world anight be converted intoplougliisliares, and the stimulus-: which would be given to agricultural pursuits would ibe enormous. Also, New Zealand would have to find no i more I}rea<;lnought&i The, Territor-* •isils icbutd,. be disbanded, ,tfnd the money thfc saved could be utilised in constructing ithe Pongatroa railway. Eureka! Sir jJosepfe Ward's Imperial Council of Defence would not be required, and this great Dominion, would be spared a further influx of Baronets!"