Evening Post. MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1917. ANZAC DAY

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 96, 23 April 1917, Page 6

Evening Post. MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1917. ANZAC DAY

The second celebration of Anzao Day has come in New Zealand at an inopportune time. Wednesday next, which is the actual anniversary, is unfortunately the day also fixed by Statute for the municipal elections. Had the coincidence been observed when the Government was proposing to postpone these elections as will as the Parliamentary elections till after the war, a postponement for a day or a week, so as to avoid the clash with the Anzac celebrations, would have been a simple matter. But the coincidence, was not notioed until it was too late for Parliament to amend; and the result is unfortunate. In some places the true Calendar date has been adhered to, in spite of the distraction created by the municipal elections—a distraction which, owing to the dwarfing of the issues by the life-and-death issues of the. war, is certainly smaller than on any previous occasion. But the decision of the Government which makes _to-day the official date 6f the celebrations will be generally ' followed, and it must be conceded that St. George's Day is quite the best alternative date that could have- been selected. t Wellington has fallen in with the Government's proposal for a part of its celebration, but the effect Will be to Some extent weakened by the holding., over of one of the anniversary functions until Wednesday. . ,

But a much more serious cause than the dual date and the possibility of a divided enthusiasm has intervened within the last few days to jeopardise the: success of the second Aftzac anniversary. The spectre which earlier in the war more than once raised its head in England and Wales, and threatened to paralyse industry, reduce the British Navy to scrap-iron, and hand the Empire over helpless to its enemies, was laid by the firmness and tact of the Government and the patriotism of the miners. The same ugly thing has now made its appearance in . New Zealand. The coal strike, which, whatever may be the motives of its promoters, amounts to a declaration of war by a few thousand misguided men against the Dominion and the Empire in the interests of Germany, comes like a ghost to trouble the joy and the pride of the red-letter day. of. Australasian patriotism.^ If the occasion would otherwise have been one for a; frivolous and vainglorious display of flag-waving, for the " frantic boast and foolish word" which spring so readily to the lips of those who ar^ privileged to do their fighting by deputy, the shadow of a calamity which checked the exuberance of such unworthy emotionalism would not' be without its compensations. On the other hand, irisofar as An2ac Day is intended to commemorate a noble feat of arms in a spirit of sober gratitude and admiration) and to propagate the virtues of courage, endurance, and self-sacrifice by cherishing the memory of one of their most brilliant exemplifications, the danger with which tho country is faced should father tend to enhance the success of to-day's celebrations b> purging them of their grosser elements. Danger merely served a£ a stimulus to the yoUng men who two years ago faced death with a light and cheerful heart on Gallipbli, and we shall show, ourselves utterly unworthy recipients of their immortal service if We allow, the ugly oUtlook to chill the enthusiasm of our tribute to-day.

Apart from our Own industrial trouble, the "general outlook is indeed far from ugly. We have reached, as Mr. Bonar Law said a feW days ago, the most crl' tical stage of the war. With a magnificent courage and confidence Sritain is bracing heraelf to cope wit>lt the last desperate effort of German devilry, arid ■bids fair to provide the endurance, the. self-sacrifice, and the resource that the supreme emergency demands. All these great qualities Were displayed by tho soldiers- of Australia and New Zealand not merely in the glorious feat which we commemorate to-day, but also in the even more exacting ordeal presented by the task of holding oh» during long months of danger and suffering,. to what the dash of their first oilset had so.brilliantly won. The thought that should be uppermost in our Blinds to-day is not boastfulness over the' exploits which have Won for all of iis a Vicarious glory, nor bitter resentment of the enemies within bur gates, whd if they persist may help to turn our; glory into disgrace,- but a determination to prove Ourselves worthy of the men who fought for us on Gallipttlij and of the men who are still fighting our battles in all parts of the world. The need for personal self-sacri-fice, has hitherto made but a slight appeal to ,non-combatants of this city. If the privilege is no longer to be denied them, let them accept with cheerful courage. The memories associated with Anzac Day should help all to face with resolution whatever the exigencies of the Imperial struggle or the domestic crisis

may demand.

A very sound financial position was disclosed at the meeting of ;the Eastbourne : Borough Council last week, when the statement of the district fund accounts of roceipts and disbursements for the year ended 3lst Match, 1917, was presented. The. report showed that tho receipts amounted to £1663 11s 6d,/and the disbursements to £1552 16s 6d. Those present esspMMeS tettltouaa «»U*t&eUeit with the figures