TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20280, 24 August 1937, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Delayed Action. Ido not claim that war can always be avoided. Ido not need to answer the question whether war is even defensible. The question does not arise, inasmuch as our knowledge of human nature tells us that in practice there are circumstances when war on our part, whether defensible or not, is unavoidable. We are brought, therefore, to the second aspect of foreign policy. The first duty of foreign policy is to avoid war. Its second duty is to ensure that, if it occurs, the circumstances shall be the most favourable possible for our cause. Let us consider the immediate position from this point of view. By postponement we gain peace to-day. Have wo anything to lose by it? Our capacity for cunctation I delayed action! is one of our most powerful and characteristic national weapons. It has been our age-long instrument against dictators. It is maddening and humiliating to have to take so much lip. We may, conceivably, have to submit to great humiliations and worse betrayals than any yet. Those who applaud war and believe they have something to gain from it have an inevitable advantage, which cannot possibly be taken from them, in a game of bluff and in the preliminary manoeuvres; though all the time they may be running unperceived risks which one day will catch them out. But we have to look farther ahead; believing that time and chance are with us, and taking precautions that if we are forced to act, we can be quite sure. —Mr J. M. Keynes.

Sapping The Foundations. “ At the moment there is no more insidious attack being made upon the foundations of prosperity and of peace than that which is bein‘ r made by the advocates of economic nationalism and of neutralitv in case a conflict should break out between two other nations,” says Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler. “ There is anti can bo no economic nationalism without ultimate national suicide and worldwide disaster. There is and can be no neutrality, in the nineteenthcentury sense, without complete and immoral neglect of the highest of national obligations. “ The attempt to establish old-fashioned neutrality under newfashioned conditions will not only do nothing to keep a nation out of any war which comes to pass. In this day and generation pro-o-rcss consists in not overlooking governmental immorality and faithlessness, but in preventing it when possible aud in rebuking it when impossible to prevent it. That means genuine world organisation and collective security through the use of an effective world police force.”