Evening Post WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1901. THE WAR.

Evening Post, Volume LXII, Issue 129, 27 November 1901, Page 4

Evening Post WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1901. THE WAR.

♦ The acute attack • of Anglophobia recently developed by the German press, stimulated, according to Herr Sasse, the London correspondent of the Vossische Zeitung, by Dr. Leyds with the gold of Kruger, is visibly abating, thanks to the determined attitude of the British press as the exponents of public opinion. There could be no mistaking the tone of the leading London journals. "We," wrote The Times last week, "equally with the ( Germans, are entitled to gua*d our honour and resent hateful and poisonous calumnies. The belief that the war is being conducted ferociously rests on a propaganda of mendacity and malignity, generating international ill-feeling." The Standard and Daily News were even more outspoken, and warned Germany of the danger of tolerating unlicensed abuse of England. The great English journals sounded the true note of resentment at the right moment, and it is pleasant to reflect that, despite a wide feeling of pessimism regarding the 1 war, they had the will of the nation behind them. The latest and probably the last great Continental campaign of calumny has failed, and the evidence upon which it was mainly based has been completely discredited, even the Cologne Gazette expressing surprise at the credulity of the 680 of the 1 German evangelical clergy who signed a statement that the British had placed Boer women and children under fire in order to shield themselves. Dr. Leyds has expended more of the Transvaal gold in vain, and the incident has cleared the air, and may largely influence the duration of the war. Another event of the week that should have a powerful influence in the same direction, if the men are acting in good faith, is. the volunr teering for service with the British of many of the Boer surrenderers, who have declared their eagerness to attack the irreconcilables and end the struggle. General Andries Cronje, brother of he of Paardeberg, will command one corps of ex-burghers, and General Celliers another corps. Most of Morley's Scouts, we are told, are Boers who were recently fighting against the British, and are rendering valuable service. If these men can be relied upon, it must follow that their alliance with the British will have a very ctrong influence upon public opinion, for they cat only be impelled to take up arms against their countrymen by the conviction not only that the Boer cause is lost, but that they can best serve their country by helping to terminate the war. Yet another hopeful sign is separation of the Cape Colony from the military direction of Lord Kitchener, who has been unduly weighted by the enormous field of operations he has had to direct. The colony will now administer its own affairs, both military and civil, and it is satisfactory to note that already colonial officers of distinction have beam chosen for the chief commands. This is in the direction of a self-reliant policy that cannot but stimulate patriotism and remove many local heartburnings that have followed upon the imposition of the British Army system. All things considered, the outlook is more promising, but the end is not yet.

At the last meeting of the City Council a letter was received from Mr. James Moore asking for the grant of a site for the Mission to Seamen. This request led to a short discussion in the Council and has evoked some correspondence in our columns. The Council, we fear, did, as Mr. Devine alleges, play a somewhat disingenuous part in referring the letter to a committee. This appears to be that body's ordinary way of disposing of questions to which it dislikes giving a direct answer. If, as we feel confident must be the case, the Council, as trustees for the citizens' property, cannot see its way to accede to the request it would surely be more straightforward to say so. at once. If it were made clearly understood that municipal property is not to be alienated for any outside purpose, but to be devoted solely to municipal uses, there would be no apparent discourtesy in refusing any request for a site, nor would there be any reflection upon the institution on be- s half of which it was made. It would be much wiser for the Council to lay down a hard and fast rule and deal impartially with all these demands by rejecting them on principle. If a concession were made to one religious body or philanthropic institution others would naturally expect similar treatment, and in the end the Council would have to face the alternative of partial injustice or spoliation of the city. We recognise to the full the excellent and useful work which is being done by Mr. Moore. He is not only doing good to the seafaring folk who visit this port, but he is also conferring a benefit upon the community by providing the men with wholesome means of amusement. Were it a case of private benevolence we should gladly urge the public to help the Mission, but the case is quite otherwise with an official

public body like the City Council. There are among the ratepayers niany who differ greatly from the creed Mr. Moore teaches, and the Council as trustees for the whole body of burgesses would not be justified in giving away municipal property, and valuable municipal property, to any enterprise, however good its objects, which was of a denominational character and essentially fitted for private rather than public charity. Sir Joseph Ward evidently intends to make the most of the Tourist Department. He said yesterday that he was having a set of photographs of New Zealand scenery taken for advertising purposes. We would suggest that the photographs in question would prove more effective if they wer© carefully coloured like those used for a similar purpose some years ago by Mr. Richard Daintree, then AgentGeneral for Queensland. The tourist traffic of this colony is, we feel confident, capable of great development, and in these days judicious and constant advertisement is absolutely necessary if the scenic beauties of this fair land are to be kept before the travelling public of America and the Old World. Our natural scenery is a valuable national asset, and there is 'no valid reason against our turning it to advantage much in the same way as the Swiss have done theirs. We have, fortunately, many more resources than the little European Commonwealth, but €hat would not justify us in neglecting to follow its example in this respect. Sir Joseph Ward is not likely to show any lack of energy in the working af the Department. The only danger is that he may give full vent to his ideas without paying due regard to economy. The country will not grudge any necessary expenditure, but it naturally expects the outlay to be proportionate to the estimated return. So far the cost of , the Department does not appear to have been exorbitant, iand we trust that for the future also such economy as is consistent With effectiveness will be duly observed.