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Press, Volume LI, Issue 15369, 28 August 1915, Page 10

'•Thrift," said Lord Cromer in a recent speech in the House of Lords, "is not a characteristic of the English people." It, is still lets a characteristic of the New Zealand people, and least of all a characteristic of tho general and local government of this country. We deal in one of onr leading articles with the importance of thrift on the part of the National Government, but we may add here that tho local governing bodies must do their part. too. If they want an example to follow, they may look at what the London County Council is doing. The Council's Finance Committee has been making vigorous efforts to effect economics not only in capital expenditure, but in maintenance. The other day the Education Committeo struck out of the maintenanc3 votes cum*, amounting to nearly £90.000, the greater part of this saving being effected in the painting ana cleaning of schools. On March 30th tho Finance Committee .submitted estimates for tho current year amounting to £(303,000 less than in the preceding year, but even- theso estimates wero made subject, on adoption, to tho proviso that "such approval is without prejudico to the limitations of expenditure to such sums and for such purposes as will comply with the requirements of his Majesty's Treasury." All tho comiuitt?es accordingly revised their estimates, and fresh estimates wcro prepared, amounting to £2,181,500, effecting a further reduction of more than a million and a half. And it does not follow that anything like tho whole of this expenditure will bo made. With such an example beforo them, our local bodies ought to bo able to do a great deal towards that high end, the conservation of tho nation's resources.

The announcement mado this week that M. Venizelos. the Premier, intends to tnko active stops against German intrigue and corruption in Grecce, is at once reas-suring and disturbing. It is disturbing because wo had been led to suppose that the nation's verdict in favour of M. Venizelos, and, still moro important, tho ' substantial majority who voted out the Gounaris Government, meant that tho German intriguers had finally failed. Tho Athens correspondent of the "Gazette do Lausanne" gives a surprising account of tho effrontery of the German agents. All Athens knows that the German propagandists sought to bribe many new Deputies to break their pledges to Venizelos. and the Athens papers aro indignant that nothing has been dono by tho Government in tho matter. Tho head of the German propaganda is Baron Schcnk, who took up quarters in the leading hot?! in Athens with his staff. He found an ally in a prominent German Greek, who, besides having tho entree to the Palace, had tho entree «»ven to the Gounaris Cabinet's meetings. The pnrposo of the Baron has been to win over and consolidate for German uses all tho Greek Germans, all those who for any reason disliko Venizelos, those Greek patriots who aro troubled about certain mistakes committed by Venizek)R, and, finally, tha easily-bribable Turks and Jcwf, of "New Greece.'' It has been openly asserted that tho Corruption Fund of the Baron paid out GOO,OOO francs during

tho election campaign in one province alone.

The Germans practise tho stratagem known as "shamming dead." There is no doubf that reports of shortage of food and materials have been deliberately spread to deceive Germany's

enemies, especially Enplane!. They had their effect in the belief in England that Germany would bo defeated in tho spring op the summer, whereas Cor mam astonished the world by tlie vigour with which she took the offensive on both fronts. Xow the Treasury officials at Washington aro reported as regarding the statements of Germany 5 grave financial condition as inspired by ulterior motives. The reports from Amsterdam of a secret conference before tlio Reichstag session, at which strong picas were made for peace, is suspect on the same grounds. \\ hat the Allies have to do is to fight Germany as a sound and determined opponent until she is down and counted out.

We shall know some day what proposals for peace with Russia have been put forward by Germany in the last few weeks. It will be specially interesting to learn whether, as reported today, on the authority of the Stockholm correspondent of "Tho Times," Germany had tho amazing impudence to offer Russia Constantinople as compensation. It is almost incredible, and yet German policy is so selfish, so insensible to the interests of other countries. and so incapable of understanding national feeling, that it may bo true. What a piece of irony it would be if it turned out to be true that after dragging Turkey into the war for entirely selfish reasons, Germany sought to buy Russia off with the heart of her Ally!

Tho horrors of invasion that England has oscaped aro luridly illustrated in a dreadful story told by Mr Piihip Gibbs in his new book, "Tho Soul of tho War." A friend of his was in a company where an English officer had read out to his brother-officers a letter from his daughter at home, a letter filled with light household gossip. A Fronoh officer who had b«en listening with a set grim faco of despair, said: "Yes, you Englishmen "who are not killed out here will be happy to see your worneii again. Tou do not -want to die bocause of that. Gentlemen, if I were to go home now, I should find my wife and my daughter both expecting babies, whose fathers aro German soldiers. England has not suffered invasion." It was this kind of thing that mado Mr Kipling warn English pcoplo that if Germany .won they would suffer rape, robbery, and slavery. Yet there aro Englishmen—let us rather call them men born in England—insane enough to say that the lot of the people would be no worse if tho Germans invaded tho country.

But England has had to pay for her freedom from such unspeakable things. It is inconceivable that if 4be country had been invaded we should-havo witnessed so slow an awakening to tho peril, and such tragic follies as work-, men on striko, employers' selfishness, venomous newspaper campaigns, and blind unreasoning opposition to compulsory service in tho field and the factory. Th© Navy has at once saved England and retarded realisation of uer peril. Tho prico of tho delay Trill be blood and treasure. .