FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 110, 11 May 1935, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FROM " THE POST "

OFFICERING THE FORCES

■ •"■ "We intend no disrespect to the officers of :the. Forces •' when we say that thieinen under them could scarcely have much confidence in their leadjership were; they called on to take the field under.it," remarks."The Post" of 'this, date fifty years ago, when vblun- , te'ers were being enrolled all over the : country, owing to the fear of war with > Russia. "The men are under .the com- . mand-iff -who no doubt have been, able tp discharge their ■ duties ' ' very-satisfactorily in the piping times • •'.. of. peace, but ..these, .gentlemen can scarcely; be held quashed to command a. large force on active service.. They manage, when. dr^-nursed by an experienced adjutant; to get creditably through :avxeyiew, or; a sham fight, but - if 'the. real .emergency arose the- ad--1 jutant 'could not always be at the L commanding officer's elbpw. It may, of ; course, be, said ■■[that there, is.'only-a Very remote possibility of the land .. , forces ever being required to,meet an ;. , enemy,. If .the possibility-is so, remote as riot to ;b^ worth consideration, why thfen; isyso.much trouble gorieto aridi so much money expended in organising . < a.,force' at! aU? If the ". organisation of the forces at all justifiable, then. . it, should,be completed by the appointment "of^thoroughly, competent, comJ : manders'ih; each, centre.- We have h^ard social cbnsideratfons urged as an ■^element "in this question—that it is ..desirable^ to have, gentlemen - as" cpmBjandirig. officers-who possess large means, are', of liberal disposition, and given ■to ; entertaining company. There mayjbe something in;this, in times of peace,-but -the Russian visitors the "Co'untiy, is !how; preparing for will hot be~enfertained' at the club or asked to dinner. If balls were given them,-they .'should be,of-other than.social character.; Weflook upon this question, of . c6mmandihg,.officers as one of ttie most important-withwhich the Government ■ ■, has .to'; deal,- arid it cannot be concealed .that throughput the colony there is the grayest dissatisfaction at -the appointments ..-which are rumoured as 'probable.^':....;-;;... . ■'.•'.:;' •■"•.■ ; '■:/■: ;.- ■; THE K.OM.G. STAKES. "The'excitementiwhichi as we indicated a few weeks ago, prevailed m scientific circles • regarding this; event ! has in sdtoe measure subsided. Two , out of the three candidates who en-. ■tered have broken, down in training] • and, if riot'yet' actually scratched, are ■ not ; likely: to come to the post. The Man of. ■ Moas ;wi11,.; almost >• ■ certainly have - a walk over,. although we shall not be surprised, if the stable of the ' Universal Scientist makes an effort '•- during- the coming session to secure a start for him. -■ Rumours are also ■ current that a conspiracy is afoot to "hobble' the present favourite and let : the race lapse' altogether rather than , allow? him .to carry off the, stakes. ■■ The '■' disgust of •the backers of the • Universal and the Ornitholo- : gist is said .to.be very great at the . -' unexpected turn A events have taken. v The Man of Moas'was looked upon as i a complete'outsider, until suddenly he . came'up-^th;a.rush in the betting, on : the assurance that the others had gone : almost; hopelessly- wrong. ■If there are ■. any-honours',knocking, about in cori- ; nection, with; the' Colonial Exhibition, '..New Zealand's' scientific- represehtat tionwill be^almost'sure.to drop-inlfbr : aishare, and,sbeuig a C.M.G. already, the Knighthood -is of' course the only i' thing,;tb,follow.> .But,there-will be c ■weepiijg.-and; wailing arid, gnashing of teeth if, tiw! Man of/Mbas,; ias is not . Improbable^, returris. to ■ New: Zealand as Sir J^ius yon Haasti K-C^LG;, with' the;Adaiti6iv,tp; his-name of;more let- . .ters.thart there are. in' theValpfiabet to ■ : "designa|eVhis:tmembersKip of .^thglearji*ed:;/s6crejdes and/^ his .breast,: cqviered With'-foreign'decorations." ':' . • -\..fTE»AK.O,MCLi!Mi!mON. ';./'( • . !*!The..present'.position of- affairsibe- •. tween the ;City Council arid the Har- ; bour-Bdard-appears practically,to be e '_.thte. v ,Jßoth are^^ agreed as to the line " <»f .reclamation which' will best1 suit all the interests, at stake. Both admit ,-thai, it 3s, "desirable ...that reclama'tipn to the line agreed-upon should be carried, out with as little delay as pps- ; sible.^ ;'• Tb:^effect this, certain conces- ; sions^have/.to be made by each body,' -:and: a-certain jnonetary compensation 1 iss admitted to be -due to the City Council from the Harbour Board in respect to; .these ; concessionsi The Harbour Board has offered to 'give £5000;. the. City Council asks for £8500. Thtis ■&c" rpiijy "point which' is iri dispute .. ■really:-",.ip. tiie^ difference between the f two sums; At * this point negotiations Lhave:been temporarily broken off, al{though^ it, is abundantly^evident that •the majority'in! 'each' body still wishes aseitienientHo: beyarrived at.; There should-not,^we'think, be.much fdiS&- ■'. culty.about this* land we confidaitly hope that ;a. speedy; and amicable set- ,-• tiement-will be 'brought .about." ■ ! : SHE GOT THE. BEST OF IT. : ; •, "It is stated that considerable -. trouble is being experiericed in some ■? of the telephone, exchanges owingito . the opefators being almost exclusively girls. They; jit isalleged; stay up | late , at.'riight1 and'coine'down" tp'i'the office late, and ■ sleepy. When One girl was reb'uke<ivfc>r: -beihg 'late; 'she serenely replied that she had been; delayed by a ; fog ..on the^railway. The next day she • -was even'later still,' "Was.- therea fog ; on the railway again this, morning?': she. was asked. ■ 'No, I'she replied demurely, .!there .was.a. cp^.von.the track.' ■■> This is-a-'serious matter,'. she\. was .told with some severity,.but before.more could'be said she repHed 'innocently, •Yes, that is what the cow thought 1 ; i^ter that sb the tale goes, !she, was •'given up as a hopeless case." ' r - .'.;■;.'};. peace-ax^ant-price.. • ■]■■. "Tlie news1 which we. published tfaiis afternoon as an Extra announces a " ■ tempprary.settlement''■; 6t'■< the; differences between England .and -Russia. : 'Thlsfseems- to have been arrived, .'at , by. .England':;. practically conceding everything to Russia. '$Io mention is ' made as to what Power is: to act .as arbiter,.but ; there is no doubt however, ' that,it,jvill'be,Germany, and,s,that be-, ing soothe ultimate result Js riot likely to be satisfactory to England, arid prob- ,. ably not ;tb^Russia either. We' regard . the difficulty as. benig merely ;ppst- :' poned; riot settled; but it will certainly V be.advantageous to' the' colonies; that '!> they .should have further time to. per^ . feet their. defences before. actual, hps-' •:'.tiliti'e&.arise!"." '•'■.■' '<..■'. ; \ '"■ ■ "The iiews from' England shows that '■ a ; . considerable party; there, arid the PressY generally, holfi the same views re^artoig Mr. Gladstone's • concessions k to Russia which we have expressed ,-; to the effect that they involve national humiliation arid disgrace. Lord Rarir! dolph: Churchill has given very em- ; phatic expression to this feeling, and ■i, even the Liberal Party seems to view ] the action of its leaders with distrust i The wholesubject is to be brought t, under, the direct review of Parliai menV and we should not be at all sur- ; prised-to'find the force of public opin- .' iph) sufficiently strong >to induce * a majority of the House of Commons to ■ ;*<• express its strong condemnation of the (j conditions on which war has for a time ii been avoided. The reported resigna- '■~\ tjpffof.Lprd Dufferin 'will tend greatly ' ; to .bripg about such a result, implying, -.as it. must do, emphatic condein'',',■■nation of ■ the action of. the Govern■^.ment. by the pers6n best qualified to ' estimate the probable results. The-fall in, stocks, is significant."