1940-10-29 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 20, 1940.

Page 7.

CHINA MAI Looking Forward

WINDSOR HOUSE

NEW WORLDS

To-day dictators

▾

are

commitments

►

NOVEMBER ALLY

In his last speech in the House over the world of food reserves than the planning of relations be- | blems of transport, of housing and of Commons the Prime Minister destined for the relief of Hitler's tween food importing and food public werks; and of industrial re- refused to embark on any discus-victims-among whom Mr. Chur-growing countries in such a way construction would be a prudent sion of the shape which might be chill was careful to include given to Europe after the war or people of Germany and Austria to regulate its even flow, and to certainly be foreseen, whatever theas to clear the channels of trade, anticipation of needs which cati looking about for other of any "new securities" which so soon as Nazi power is over- remove the arbitrary interference political shape a liberated Europe worlds to conquer. But might be required. This caution thrown. But the problem of food of national that is not because they be more unreal than the elabora-ed to the immediate needs of post-now for this task, and to extend war aims and of post-war inter

was clearly right. Nothing could supplies and nutrition is not limit-interest.

or individual self-may assume. This is a more prac- To make preparations tical approach to the problem of have finished one job and tion at the present time of hypo- war relief. No international task the survey to other, aspects of national cooperation than the de-

thetical political structures to. At will be more urgent after the war European reconstruction to provising of political constitutions. are ready to go on with the situations which cannot be fore- next. They need new Nothing could be

scen even in broadest outline. worlds. And they need to than to undertake more unwise make them look as impor-or to encourage hopes whose ful- tant as the one they are impracticable

fllment might prove either wholly

or incompatible, not conquering. They may with our larger purposes. In 1919 hide from their own popu-of political commitments and of we suffered from a plethora. both lations how disappointed political theories about the way they are with the way constructed. When arms are laid Britons are acting. But down at the end of the present

war, it may well be prudent other peoples sense that devote our immediato energies to the promised attack on the practical needs of relief and British outlying posses-attempt to build a more perman- reconstruction, and postpone any sions is only a second-bestent political framework until substitute, in the eyes of to emerge.

clearer perspective has had time Axis engineers, for quick conquest of the British | Isles.

in which a new order should be

to

usc

સ

This is not to say that the Axis cannot make a should refrain, so long as hostili- But this does not mean that we lot of trouble for the Britties last, from looking towards ish Empire. But the very As Mr. Churchill said last week, any goal beyond the end of them. intensity of the German "the road to victory may not be effort against Britain he quickly added that we have so long as we expect"; and though shows that Herr Hitler "no right to count on this," it and his advisers know the prospect of a long war as an

would be equally wrong to that their best hope of argument for refusing indefinitely winning this war lies in The well-worn saying that last to consider the problems of peace. direct rather than indir-time we won the War and lost the ect action against British Peace contains a large measure of truth. The assumption that, once power. Their best hope, the war is won, no further leader- obviously, is not material-ship or initiative will be required

sing..

no

from British statesmen, and further effort ur self-sacrifice fromn British people, is a dangerous form This is the point that of complacency. We have suffered recent meetings and dip-cause we had not made adequate much during the past months be- omacy have emphasised. preparations to equip

ourselves for war. To equip ourselves for peace is also a wise and nccessary precaution.

5

INVASION PORT

Victory Of The Atlantic

our

and naturally want to continue to of the year and yet it has never could not be cut off.

sources of supply

paddle their own canoes.. But, as been officially announced.

into

Mr. Churchill. last week permit- ted himself one further glimpse the future-the eloquent peroration in which he spoke of the growing community of interest between this country and the United States in the defence of freedom. But this common inter- est will end with victory in this war, at any rate in its present form.. Our Diplomatic Corres- pondent has drawn attention to the way in which German pro- paganda is already trying to sow mischief by deliberately exagger- ating the scope and prospects of military cooperation, More dan- gerous still is the small band of enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic which from time to time canvasses romantic schemes of world-wide political federation. Let us tell ourselves frankly that the United States have no inten- tion of concerning themselves in the political future of any Euro- pean country or of cooperating in any new political order outside the Western Hemisphere.

Where

we can count with confidence on the prospect of American colla- boration and American generosity after the war is in the field of economic and social reconstruc- tion; and this is yet another rea- son for thinking in the first in- stance in these terms.

posè,

ne that its trial is over or/voy. Nor is this: merely a neces-has happened. Nevertheless that poncd since has undermined its from its war-time programmé

con-

The approach to the economic needs of Europe cannot be made in isolation from the needs of this country. The intensification of war effort and the increasingly Together with revela-

complete mobilisation of our re- sources render all the more im- tions of surprisingly slight

perative far-reaching pro- damage to British war re- One moral which seerns clearly

gramme of social reconstruction in Great Britain. serves, and of increasing to emerge from the experience of

A problem of enormous dimensions. will the war is the qualification which aid to Britain from the will have to be applied to the con-

front us immediately on the ces- United

sation of hostilities. States, the facts cept of neutrality in the crowded

We cannot give ground for comfort, countries of Europe will rightly been the outstanding naval event world-wide

simply slip back into peace............ A. European continent. The smaller The victory of the Atlantic has effort in the shipyards, and

large part of the vast war machine will come to a standstill almost hough difficult days be head.

over night; for the production of a correspondent remarked in these details about it are known out-our future as any pitched battle denly lose its thening and pur- Few It was a victory as important to munitions of all kinds will sud- vast quantities of aeroplanes and columns a few days ago, they will side the Admiralty, and the world ever fought between flees on the London does not imag-have henceforth to do so in con- at large is hardly aware of what surface, and nothing that has hap whole machinery of production The readaptation of the sary measure of common defence. victory has played a considerable significance. even diminishing. Britain if Europe is to become once more part in shaping the events of the

to loes not suppose that all a prosperous as well as a peaceful immediate past and moulding the

The Magnetic Mine menace of invasion this and economic policy have become,

land, common economic planning immediate future.

It was brought about by the Fear has passed. But all unperative. The economic atom-vigorous offensive of the Navy at tory about which rather more is A second important naval vice ism of the thirties was a prelude the very start of the war against known publicly was achieved with he world can see that the to the military disasters of 1940, the German submarine campaign. the nullifying of the effects of the Boasts of Berlin were ut-No system of political and military plans for establishing convoys credit of the scientists more than needs which will have the most and helps in part to explain them. Rapidly though the Admiralty magnetic mine. That goes to the ered too soon, and that guarantees can uphold indefinitely worked, they would not by them to the fighting fleet, but its im-urgent claim on our liberated re- he alternative to swallow-a structure which fails to

bring selves have defeated the U-boats.portance in the war at sea is just that the needs of Europe require sources of production. It is here decent and stable conditions of The German expectation was that as great as a defeat of the enemy to be examined in ng them

is to direct life to the European peoples. The some two million tons of shipping fleet, since it ensured free move-with our own.

conjunction action toward other ob-mirage of domination based on would be destroyed in the first ment for our warships as well as construction is one; and it is for

self-sufficiency must be replaced, month, and this appalling ectives.

loss for our merchantmen. in Germany, and throughout must in their estimation complete- Europe, by an economic organisa-ly wreck any plans we had for may fairly be classed as a victory fence of civilised Europe rests on A third naval development that main responsibility for the de- us to organise it. To-day the tion conceived from a European the prosecution of the war. In is the fleet's successful defiance of Britain. or, so far as may be. from

athe result, the U-boats were world-wide point of view,

To-morrow the initia- so air power to interfere with its tive for the building up of a new harried and hunted by our anti-operations. submarine flotillas that it took all dramatic encounter between sea shoulders. Without slackening for Not only the one Europe will rest the same their attention looking after their power and air power during the monent in our concentration on own safety, and they were unable withdrawal from Dunkirk marks the present task, we must to concentrate on the merchant this victory; scores of incidents, look forward to the future task ships.

mostly already forgotten, by the if we are to undertake it with the

"FINE AS FIRE"

There's a man in Lon- on, So it seems, who isn't etting a proper night's

é would complain to

hat

the needs of peace is an operation which will not brook delay. But it is an operation which 'cannot be ment. Chaos will be the penalty improvised on the spur of the mo-

in advance; and this can only be done by an early review of the of failure to plan this change-over

The work of re-

on

also

est. It's because of noise, Mr. Churchill revealed that plans able to inflict in this first month evidence during the year that the

In one most important respect The total damage they were general public, have plled up the same success. f course. And he has were in hand for future recon- was no more than 184,241 tons, fleet, though not untouchable, is omplained to the auth-struction, We have undertaken and in the course of those opera- unbreakable from the air.

to encourage the building up alltions we know from a statement

been, except in one or two in- rities. One might think

It is necessary In Parliament that they lost at these three aspects of the naval dreds of victims in one disaster, to emphasise stances, the visible drama of hun- least six or seven vessels in three history of the past twelve months, It has been among the fringes of weeks. The actual total was pro- for they have not the picturesque the fleet that the price has been that there 'Itler" or at anti-aircraft batteries?bably higher. In the next four drama which imprints events on most heavily exacted-75 east desist from adding Not our Londoner.. Evid-was one day on which three U-deed, has given us a striking illus-31 destroyers, 14 submarines are weeks the hunting went on. There the public mind, The year, in-sweepers and patrol vessels lost, mine- b the decibel dilemma ently he regards them as boats were destroyed, and by the tration of that "daily silent pres- part of the toll among the smaller

London authorities New Yorkers and other clear, guarded though the omcial excitement of the Battle of

end of three months of war it was sure" of which Mahan wrote. The craft. A casualty-list of a dozen hust face. For, one might American cliff dwellers do statements were, that the

the here, of fifty there, perhaps of a total Plate, of the destroyer, attacks at hundred on occasion which would appose, there is only one their elevated trains. They forty boats. That meant that half Altmark make "history" in

German loss was approaching | Narvik, of the stopping of the shock public feeling to the core in ay to lessen noise in Lon-make a noise which is part the available craft had been re-popular sense, but it has been the strange transmutation of values, the peace-time becomes, by some on now, and that is by of the routine. "You get 3,000 traified oficers and men corded events at sea, that have

moved, that between 1,500 and little-known, the almost unre-but an item of news in war-time. efraining from adding used to it in no time." But were lost to Germany, and that really affected

But at the end of a year of war he din of anti-aircraft what a chap can't put up tion that the U-boat menace was

the courie of we may surely pause for one mo- we had shown beyond all ques- events,

ment to think upon not only the re to the din of bombs. with is But that isn't, the pro-radio, or, as in the case of the dimensions it reached to to other fellow's not likely, in this war, to approach

Victories that have been achieved, Heavy Price

the safety that has been ensured, in 1917.

but also unon those thousands lem at all. Who said any- our Londoner, a neigh-emain open, losses could be kept in men and in ships to pay for their lives, the silent, unseen

There has been a heavy price who were in their deaths, as hing about bombs and bour's rooster,

within the limit at which they the sea security, that has been builders of both victory and could be replaced by strenuous achieved. Again, therb, has not security...

..

in'