To the Eaitor of the "Normi-Cinxa Dany News"
Sm—No sane person desires war and everyone would do all things possible to prevent it, but are nations Hike America and England really making war less likely by disarmament? or, what virtually amounts to the suine thing, by conceding equality. in armament to other nations? between England and Siam and if Slam were to bulld a navy.
a army equal to England's, and England in turn agree not to increase hers more than Siam's, there probably would not be much danger of Slam attempting to invade England, but England might find it very diMeult prevent her from invading Australia
more wealth and a greater population and India, and the foot that she ba Would not help one lol—her only" safeguard would be to build addiional ships and train a larger army so that she could match Slam's? strength without hazarding her posi tion at home and elsewhere. If Siam Kxnew she would do this there would be no use in Siam building at all for it would be obvious to her that she could not build as fest nor as much as. England, 'When England was Mistress of the Seas she was prosperous and respected. Every dominion and every colony was proud of its nationally Even former' enemies, like the B00!
Africa and the French in Canads became loyal citizens, but since the decline of naval and' military: fore Egypt has gone, Ireland has gon India may be on the way, there is talk "of giving back her colonies to Germany and who can say what other oases. this weakness. and consequent lessening of national conédence will force upon her, Now most of this demand for dis armament is based upon the theory of "Enormous Financial Burdens," but this is a point T want to emphasize—these enormous financial burdens are 'The building of a battleship does not cost the country, nationally one penny in times like this. 'The argu ments put forward on the subject of war debts are based partially on the fact that' America didn't lend. One Jand gold, but munitions and goods and ships and go. battleship does not use up. 25,000,000, there is more money the country after the ship is built than there was before, but it has Used up the. work of men digging ore converting I into steel, fashioning. {nto various shapes and'machines, the Work of men designing these machines fand organizing the great yards and shops and. s0 on, if the ship were sunk the day after 4 was launched, this work might be ooked upon og wasted, but th millions of men idle in England, drawing a dole. and. in what Wa would: the country' be any worse off hen their time had been wasted healthy and stimulating employment than in enforced and enervating ess, If the ship proved of value the wealth of the country would have been Increased by that much, Aseuming that taxation would have been increased, which fe doubtiu the means of paying it would also have been" increased, "and the money transferred in taxes would have been no greater. proportion of the money elreulation than before.
Apart from the question of national prestige and security the building of these "armaments has tremendous value, the establishments necessary designing ard construction of machines are really rear the "improvements they produce the quality of metals, machinery of all descriptions, the skill of worker and human knowledge in general is of incalculable value to the arts. of afraid this is getting too Tong letter to the Editor ea will end by saying thatit is now the fashion 0 accept disarmament as the panacea for the ills of the world, it may be that the disarmament of the leading and progressive nations is one of the major contributing causes, LG Shanghai, Apr. 20.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.