The Press. Tuesday, December 31, 1918. THE PAST YEAR.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16408, 31 December 1918, Page 6

The Press. Tuesday, December 31, 1918. THE PAST YEAR.

[ he year that of all others in modern mes deserves to be known as "thei [wonderful year" opened with the prld fit war, and the end of the vasti inflict apparently still far distnt. ; It closes with J;he worldl raiting the final settlement of rms of peace, which has already en preceded by the cessation of hosities under the armistice. It has been year of sudden and dramatic changes d of thrilling interest. Its events ve touched all emotions, from the xiety caused by- the desperate Gerin thrust towards Paris and the coast the months from March to July, to a triumph of Foch's counter-stroke in s latter month, and the successful adace of the Allies, increasing in rapid- ■ as the enemy reeled from their jws. Then came the defection in >ck succession of Germany's partners, ilgana, anxions to malce the best barin possible before the inevitable and pending collapse of her greater allies, ,fl shaken by the success of the Brill advance from the Salonika line, jrendered at the end of September, !key, whose army in Palestine had i shattered by the British, after the er had captured Damascus, the jstal towns of Syria, and Aleppo, fol-

lowed suit- on November Ist, and Austria, -whose army on the Piaro had had! to give ground before the impetuous assaults of the Italians and now saw her flank exposed by the surrender of her Eastern allies, a few days later drew out of the war and accepted the terms of the armistice for which she had asked The stage was now set for tho culminating scene in the great drama of the war—the surrender of Germany. Previous to this the German Chancellor had once more made proposals for peace to the American President and had again experienced their rejection. But this time Germany was in earnest. The war had to be stopped if 6he were to escape invasion. A further appeal for an armistice was successful, and on November Uth tho end came with Germany's acceptance of the conquerors' terms dictated by tho Allied military commanders and imposed by the Allied Governments. Coincident with the later negotiations for the armistice, tho mutterings of revolution were heard in Germany. A revolt took plaoo among tho crews of tho warships at Kiel, in consequence, it was said, of their belief that tho fleet was to be sent out: for a "forlorn hope" engagement with the Allied Fleet. Riots, accompanied by serious street fighting, occurred in a number of cities, and finifllv the Kaiser, warned by the rising temper of the nation embittered by the failure of the disastrous war, abdicated and sought refuge in Holland, where he is still awaiting tho decision of the victorious Powers as to the treatment to be meted out to him. The dream of world-power had ended in an awakening to such a downfall as has only been paralleled by that of Napoleon. The armistice has brought no peace to Germany. External war has simply given place to internal troubles which threaten to reduce tho country to a state of chaos. Tho republican Government established By the Socialist Party on the abdication of tho Kaiser has so far had a stormy passage, and has not proved its claim to be regarded as stable; indeed, current reports indicate that it is collapsing. It has had to

face the opposition of the Bolsheviks led by the extreme Socialist 3>r. Liobknecht, and there are signs that the revolution from which it sprang may destroy its creature and develop along the lines made only too familiar by Russia. The returned soldiers appear on the whole to have exercised a steadying influence. In the meantime the Allied armies occupy the Rhine valley, a neutral zone having been established some eighteen miles beyond the right bank, and will continue to do so until the terms, of peace have hoen settled, and possibly until they have been carried out. A feature of the year arising out of the war has been the succession of abdications of European rulers, beginning with that of the King of Bulgaria, and thereafter of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and of every German ruler, great' and small. The map of Europe has undergone considerable alterations. The Dual Empire, as such, has ceased to exist. Hungary has become an independent republic, the Czechs hare formed the now Czechoslovak State, with Prague as its capital, while, the Southern Slavs have joined with their brethren in adjoining countries to constitute another new State, Jugo-Slavia, which includes ■ Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Poland is to become an independent State, freed from German domination, and the Baltic provinces of Esthonia, Lithuania, and Courland may resoivo themselves into another. Beyond Europe, Palestine paeses from the ' bands of the Sultan into those of the Jewish people, whose' form of government of the country has yet to be arranged.. The future of Mesopotamia rests with the Peace Conference, while whatever becomes of the German colonies in South, West, and East Africa, in the Pacific, and in China, it is certain that they will not revert to German rule. Among the dramatic incidents arising out, of the cessation of the war were two that challenged the imagination of the world—one the spectacular surrender to Great Britain, without a shot being fired, of Germany's submarines and a large number of her best fighting ships, and the other the formal resumption of French rule in Alsace and Lorraine. There are many 'other incidents of the last year of the war to which reference might fitly be made.. But the close of hostilities, when all the leading events of the : previous eventful years were dealt with, is a matter of such recent occur- . rence that they will still be fresh in the public mind.

In the United Kingdom at the beginning of the year the food situation was becoming serious, and the compulsory rationing of meat was applied partially in March and generally in April, while the restrictions were extended to cover most of the necessaries of life, including lighting and fuel as well as food. The determination of the country to carry on was still further emphasised in April hy the passing of the Man-Power Act making military service obligatory on all fit men between the ages of 18 and 51. Th 4 provision in this Act for the application of conscription to Ireland produced a great outburst of feeling in that part of the Kingdom.. This feeling developed into a serious danger, and on May 17th, following on a proclamation by Viscount French, who had become Lord-Lieutenant in April, Sinn Fein leaders to tho number of about 100 were arrested and deported to England as being concerned in a new plot against the Crown. In February thq dismissal of Sir Wm, Robertson, who disagreed with the arrangements of tho Government respecting the Versailles Council, aroused much feeling against tho Government, coming as it did after the retiroment of Lord Jollicoe, and after a newspaper campaign which led to two debates in the House of Commons on what some of the leading men. of all parties regarded as the undesirable alliance between the Prime Minister and certain newspapers. During

April Mr Bonar Law delivered his Budget for 1918-19 providing for a revenue of 842 millions sterling, 782 millions being derivable from taxes; and in tho same month the Irish Convention presented its report," embodying a series of conflicting proposals from which the conclusion to be drawn was that the old difficulties of tho problem remained unchanged. Lord Bryce's Commission presented its report on House of Lords Reform in the same month, the plan recommended being a Senate mainly electivo, the elected Senators to be chosen by panels of the House of Commons on a geographical basis. The principal Ministerial changes were the resignation of Lord Derby to go to Paris as Ambassador, the appointment of Lord Milner as Secretary of State for War, and the inclusion of | Mr Austen Chamberlain in tho War I Cabinet.

In New Zealand, as m every other part of tho Empire, the war was the background of the life and activities of the community. The political truce continued unbroken, although its continuance did not check all criticism. Early in tho year an intimation was received that tho presence of New Zealand's representatives was desired n Britain in connexion with the holding of an Imperial Conference and the sitting of the Imperial War Cabinet. Parliament met on April 9th, and sat for a week, and shortly afterwards Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward sailed for London. There were many sittings of tie Imperial Conference and of the War Cabinet, and as a result tho British Government has adopted Imperial Preference as an immediate policy. One interesting and important result of these gatherings was a change in the relations between the Dominion and Imperial Governments; henceforth the Prime Minister of a Dominion will he able to communicate directly with the Prime Minister of t"he United Kingdom. Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward returned to New Zealand in October, and Parliament resumed on October 23rd. The session lasted until December 11th, and was remarkable for the haste with ■which very important Bills were dealt with. The most noteworthy measure of the session was an 'Act providing for the taking of a referendum in April to decide whether National Prohibition (with compensation for tho liquor trade) should come into operation in June next. Very general surprise was caused by the ease with which th© Act passed through both Houses. The influenza epidemic bore its fruit in the shape of a Public Health Act laying tho foundations for a new treatment of tho public health problem from the point of view of the State. There were five by-elections during the year - -m Grey (rendered vacant by the imprisonment of tho sitting member for breaches r{ the Military Service Act), Wellington North (where the elevation of the Hon.. A. L. Herdman to the Supreme Court Bench created a vacancy), Taranaki,* Wellington Central, and Wellington South. Labour candidates were successful in four of the contests. During the year the despatch of reinforcements went steadily forward, and the ballots under the Military Service Act were regularly drawn. The calling up of the men of the Second Division was not productive of any of tho difficulties that were anticipated in some quarters, and although there were many individual objectors to service, the Act worked quite smoothly until the end of the war. From the date of the despatch of the first draft of troops to any theatre of war until October 18th last, the number of men sent out was 99,822, and on that date there were 12,648 more men in camp. These figures mean that New Zealand called up for service as nearly as possible ten per cent, of her population—an achievement which future generations will be able to remember with pride. The cost of the war to this country in money was very heavy—the expenditure had amounted to £51,400,000 by September 30th last

—but th© loss of 15,000 gallant lives is a -far heavier and nloro sorrowful burden. This was a tragic prjce to pay for tho discharge of the nation's duty in the great fight for civilisation and justice, but against it we can set the fact that th© Dominion carried on until the end. Much as the war has absorbed the thoughts of all durfhrr the year now ending, 1918 will long he remembered in New Zealand as the year of the postilencs, which came just as the war was closing and in a few weeks in November and early December swept away thousands of men and women in the prime of life. Canterbury will also remember the year as one in which the winter was of almost unexampled severity. America has hulked largely in the world's news during the past twelve months. The whole country, from the President downwards, bent its whole energies to the prosecution of the war, and accomplished wonders in that direction. When fighting ceased, there were considerably more than a million Ameri-

can -troops in France, and their presence there, and tho fact that there were millions more preparing to come, was the decisive factor in Germany's collapse. A large -part of tho American Navy co-operated with the Grand Fleet in the North Sea, and elsewhere in British waters. The President has grown in popularity throughout the States, and his famous "fourteen " points," in which he set forth tho essential requirements for peace were generally .accepted as expressing America's views, and formed the basis on which the German peace proposals wore framed. The biennial elections to Congress resulted in the success of the Republicans, despite the President's urgent appeal for 'support for tho Democratic candidates. The visit of the President to Europo, for the purpose of consulting the head<t of the Allied Governments, and being present during tho Peace Conference, is one of the notable events of the year, as it is the first occasion on which an American President has crossed the Atlantic dur-

I ing his term of office. The remarkably enthusiastic celebration in England of Independence Day was an indication of the warm feelings of friendship that have grown up between the two countries as the result of comradeship in •war, and the courtesy, which was deeply appreciated in America, has been reciprocated by the celebration of "Bri"tain'6 Day," in honour of Great Britain's efforts on behalf of the liberty of the world. A matter of more than passing interest is the referendum of the States to decide whether prohibition shall rule all over America from June next. So far nineteen or twenty States Lavo voted, and prohibition has been carried in eac-h case, except in

California. A two-thirds majority of the States is required to carry totaJ prohibition. In the meantime, largely for the purpose of consorvlng foodstuffs, the manufacture of all spirits has been stopped and brewing ceased as from the beginning of the present month. In Canada, piohibition has been carried everywhere but in a few electorates in Quebec. The women of the United States seemed at one period of the year to bo on the point of securing the sufTrago. A measure with that object passed the House of Representatives, but later in tho year was rejected by tho Senate, in spito of President Wilson's personal efforts to secure its acceptance. 3lexico, which has been a base for German conspiracies throughout the war, has given- some trouble onco or twice during the year, chiefly in the direction of confiscatory taxation of the oil industry, which is largely in British and American hands. It is understood that at the Peace Conference tho United States will bo invited to take steps to keep her unruly neighbour in order. The revival of a dispute of long standing between Chili and Peru threatened, just as the armistice with Germany had suspended the world-war, to cause hostilities between those two countries, but the danger seems to have passed. Next to Germany Russia provides the great problem of the hour. Early in the year the Lenin Government concluded a treaty of peace with Germany, greatly to the advantage of the latter. Its denunciation is one of the conditions of the armistice. Under the Bolshevik regime Russia has sunk to the lowest depths of anarchy. Her commerce and industry are ruined, her finances are chaotic, and the Government's rule rests on a system of terrorism which has resulted in tho murder of thousands of the middle and educated classes. The fate of the ex-Czar and his family was long in doubt. Many circumstantial stories of their murder under ghastly circumstances have been told, only to bo denied, but tho statement by Prince Lvoff, ex-Prime Minister of Russia, who

lately arrived in London, confirms tho worst-reports. With the double object of assisting the Ozecho-Slovak forces in Siberia, which have been operating against the Bolsheviks there, and of restoring order to the country, Britain, America, and Japan sent troops to Vladivostock, while a British expedition

landed on tho Murman Coast, in tho neighbourhood of Archangel, and has been working southwards. A British squadron also reached Reval, and caused its evacuation by the Germans. Some progress has been made by the Allies in ousting the Bolsheviks from Siberia, but a much, larger force is necessary to reduce the whole of Russia to order, and enable a stable Government to be established, and there is some doubt at present whether this will be sent. There, have sometimes been indications that SolsEfivism was losing its grip of tho country, but as long as terror and corruption usurp the place of good Government it will command the support of all the unruly elements of Russian life, and the others are not strong enough to help themselves without powerful external aid. China has been disturbed by civil war botween the northern and southern parts of the country, but the pressure and influence of the Allies have led tp the return of more peaceful conditions.

Spain an<J Portugal have had their full share of political and insurrectionary troubles. A Separatist movement on the part of the province of Barcelona is on foot in Spain, and in Portugal the assassination of tho President occurred during the present month. Scandinavia has passed, on tho wholo, a quiet ( year, though trade and commerce have been greatly hampered by the war, and shipping has suffered sadly from the German submarines. Denmark's first Parliament under equal suffrage assembled in May, with nine women members. The close of the war was marked by a movement to secure the release by Germany of tho province of Schleswig, but nothing definite has been heard of the matter. Among other ovents of "the year that call for mention in this necessarily brief summary are the futile attempt to pro. moto a revolution in Holland, and tho drawing up of a scheme for giving a considerable measure of self-government to India. Remarkable advances have been made in aviation, illustrated only a week or two ago by a flight from Cairo to Calcutta, and by tho establishment in tho States, Canada, France, and across the Channel .of regular aerial mail services. A disastrous epidemic of pneumonic influenza, beginning in Spain in May, over-ran practically tho wholo world, except Australia, and is estimated to have caused six million deaths, and has not yet wholly died out.