Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 1902.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 5697, 28 June 1902, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 1902.

I The news .cabled recently &a£ i^g Ninth and Tenth New Zealand contingents hayip feeeja .pr&eyed home has created a good deal .of smmlfrtiw* because it was generally «»dei;steQ# bk/ip &t the .conclusion of the war ifcho I&ip,ew# would avail th@maely.es .of <bh,e sepyfcps £>f the colonial troops ® OG^^yiftg th,e towas, *n,^ m keeping the disaflfee&d iji .chpcfc .tfte country districts of the Or&sg# i?,nd Trapsvaal, until the Dutch colonists can J>s entrusted with complete self-governraeufc. Apart from the apparent change m the fplicy of the Imperial authorities implied y' ( i4©,isfc:«.rn of our last contingents, the men i»ms4^^ ,/Cfnnot be oxpeeted to regard with .jgatd^a^feg?. their immediate deportation from the lm& 9* yg}wtefi, We pointed out m a recent articl*? thai> .v sff strong inducement to our young mt\n fo volunteer for service at the front was the fpospect of finding better openings than fceojr could offer. That prospsct has, how-jaw, .disappeared from the view of the members of the top latest contingents, some df whom gave up gAQd positions expecting to be able to try their luefc i»t>hk

new territories that have come under] British rule. The Eighth contingenters wore, we believe, enrolled on the understanding that they could take their discharges m South Africa, but for some reason, which can only be guessed at, the later ones will have to return to New Zealand to get their discbarges. This may prevent many from leaving this colony, who might otherwise have done so, because a considerable proportion of the returned troopers will not be able to obtain sufficient; funds to take them to South Africa, and get a start there. Even if the Government of this colony were prepared to find employment for all returned troopers not having positions open for them here, the experience they have had of the life on active service would militate against their settling down again to ordinary occupations. But the Government has done nothing of the sort, and it could not have been expected that it would. The Government might, however, have foreseen that the New Zealanders who have been induced to go to South Africa would be anxious to avail themselves of the opportunity to settle there, and they are entitled to some consideration, however unwilling this country may be to lose them. That view of the position wiib not considered when the men were askwd to go away, but it is one that cannot be ignored, It is absurd and unfair to expect that by bringing the men back to New Zealand they can be kept m this country. Under existing conditions, the majority of them can only remain here m the ranks of the unemployed. In the interests of the colony that is not desirable, and m the interests of those who have risked so much for the Empire, and have earned so much distinction for New Zealand thej should have every facility for settling m South Africa sliould they desire to do so. It is not to be expected that the New Zealand Government should send the returned troopers back to Africa at the expense of this colony; but all who desired to stay there should have been permitted to do so if they so desired, without; having to come back here first. Several of our young men who were members of the earlier contingents lost chances of permanent employment by being compelled to get their discharges m New Zealand, and the Eighth and Ninth contingents have been ordered home just when the men had a chance Of bettering themselves.

The President of the Canterbury Licensed Victuallers' Association has written a letter to the "Lyttelton new development Times " denying or humour. that there were a large number of "immature youths" under the influence of liquor on Peace Day. He says:— ■' Strong liquor is not palatable to them, and not one m a hundred will indulge m it. Some of the lads from mere sport and sheer exuberance of spirit, conduct themselves m a way that might lead a prejudiced observer to conclude that they had been drinking alcoholic liquor, whilst, as a matter of fact, they had taken nothing stronger than ginger beer. On the most festive occasions isveral gangs of youths may be seen staggering up and down the street arm m arm pretending to be intoxicated. This is a new form of larrikinism, the perpetrators not having tasted alcoholic liquor. Their noisy antics have no origin m liquor, and I respectfully contend that these boyish pranks should not be charged as a sin against the hotelkeepers of Christchurch." This is the most remarkable and original explanatien of certain scenes which attracted public attention on Peace Day that las yet been given, and shows that there must be about a fund of unsuspected humour, only requiring some extraordinary occasion to bring it to°the surface. The difficulty now is to decide whether the palm should be given to the festive youths who made themselves notorious m the chief centres of population on Peace day, or to the President of the Canterbury Licensed Victualties' Association, who alone appears capable of appreciating the point pf the youthful gambols referred to.