The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1886. THE WAR SCARE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2435, 26 October 1886, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1886. THE WAR SCARE.

Wk notice that some of our contem. poraries are beginning to work up leaders out of the war scare on tlio other side of the globe, Home news, that is to say "colonial home intelligence" !b a little dull just now, nothing stirring but racing odds, and thorp are some people in the wmmiunity who do not ihvest'tlieir raonoy on the favorites, and consequently are indifferent to this peteunial source of excitement. The big gooseberry season hae not arrived, and the anxious period of waiting for nature's phenomenaa may l» judiciously occupied by speculation on the war scare. It in immaterial whether the war scare is a genuine article or only an inflated infatuation. If. the exigencies.of the press require a war scare the public will usually accept onu a.B gospel, and be profoundly interested in all its phazos. On the present occasion there is a little haziness as to whether the war cloud arises in Bulgaria or Egypt, and therefore the public-are free to accept either alternative. We only know that thiugs look ominous, and that the coming struggle is being freely canvassed. Under these circumstances what oujht New Zealand to do? What part should this gallant little colony play in the great game of. brag that appears to be now going on. as a prelude to "slap bang" among the European Powers. Will the Stark purchase protect our shores, or must we, as a Wellington contemporary urges, make full uso of such breathing time as may be allowed to complete our system of defences, which we proflume means that the Government uhould secure a few more Stark sites. Should the coming struggle in Europe eventuate, and as long as there are ho many millions of armed men kept for

fighting purposes only, there is a danger of tinp, our best hope will ho ilmt -New Zealand will be considered such asmall potato in the world's niurket that no hostile powenvillthmk it worth while to take notice of us. Qui 1 , true policy is to by sensible that (iter all we are a small potato, a poor potato, a 'potato covered with many undesirable excrescences in the shapi! of debt, and neither the Russians nor the French can do much with us unless they spend money on developing our'resources. We iiru now a very little dog trying from ut safe distance to worry the big dugs into combat. Perhaps no big dot; will uotice us or want to shake us, We hojie this will provo to be the case, because in the coming struggle that is talked about we fee! pretty ■ curtain that our systems of dofouce are more likely to invite than to repel an attack.