SITUATION IN ENGLAND

Evening Star, Issue 15668, 5 December 1914, Page 13

SITUATION IN ENGLAND

SPLENDID RESPONSE. COMMERCIAL MAN'S VIEWS. The I/cidon representative of a. New Zealand mercantile house, writing to his principals in Wellington, makes fiomo interesting comments on tho situation in England. j —Staunch When Tried.- I There is one outstanding feature, ho said, of abiding satisfaction, and that, is lint the e-taunehness of our troops, when tried, perhaps, as neier troops have been tried bofers in tho field of battle, was j perfect. Tho long and bioody rearguard j fidit from the Belgian frontier to the euvnor.s of Paris was a test of the courage j and endurance of the men, and they net only stood i*, but in a way that, was superb. This was a supreme test, and , has been stood in a. manner beyond all I praise. A-leo. must it, be admitted that | General Trench and hie divisional gcncials j have given proof of their aptiludip for . w.v. Th??" mm have br-mi specially charged with tho training of our field army, and it is now clear, ahnongh we feared that, such might- not, be tho ease, that the lesmns of the Eoe-r War were learnt and have been applied both as. | regards organisation and direction in the j field and discipline. —Satisfactory Recruiting.- - The strenuous recruiting which has been and is still going forward is bringing to th" ranks men of all classes, but of a very satisfactory type, and whilst the strain of getting this flow ot men equipped, armed, and drilled has been vevy'great, it has been and is being accomplished with far less confusion and conge?(ion than any past experience would have led us to expect-._ The enlistment in such eases as Lancashire went off with a rush ; it was evident ihe more- quickthinking people, in big industrial areas recognised more quickly the paramount urgency of the call, the more truly Anglo-Saxon people ol Essex. Norfolk, and Suffolk wore at, first rdow 1o move; their minds did not lightly turn from the pre-occupation of harvesting and its attendant wages: but when their sloemoving minds got to grips with the problem they came forward well enough. All this is to tho good ; a- nation, nay. an Empire, which showed signs of disintegration is born again. _ nat will be the result? Where will it lead us? are questions easier tq put than to answer; Act we shall be renewed in some way is prottv certain, but at what price and with‘what suffering V. ho shall say? V) ul it crash out tho senseless display, the vulgar ostentation of wealtn. and shall return to a saner outlook' w ill men bo measured bv their manhood and not bv their puree-? Will women cease to pose, and abandon grotesque costumes, and again regard motherhood and domestic duties as first- claims on tncir mes-Torh-ios ■ I hope so. The average, man is not carried away by female fripperies, but looks for something more, although, he has fallen in a measure, into the despicable, habit of American mm of slaving that their womankind may ho foolish , t.e rum not gono so far on this roan that he cannot- arrest his step?. —A Glimpf.-- into Urn Future.— Ac. tar as I can think onr the, situation, whilst the bill to be paid will "taa-gger hi inanity.’’ the ultimate result to .he Em-pb-c will be good. D will tend to a, mora kinpathetio attitude between and employment, and to wages .-mould w cooi for a long time to come- But this vill -nit be *o juft vet—not un’i! the. full loic.ra ot our* iiiduftrial iif" e an again be sot m ! ' Th'ra-o'dicr?' song of the mornm’- begins ■ Bis a Long, Long Way tc Tipperary. It couvs to me that it ir. “a- long, long wa., to Berlin.” by v-hi.h I mean Eras vet me a wav to r.-n enduring peace. L'm.-ia, 1 ran Belgium, and Great- Britain each have, heir views, and it will be less easy at the Council Board than in the field to bnng tnc... CO- fflctine inter-Sts and widely differing : nationalities into harmony, th* more c- r -c Germany and mnsti).-. will l«u lot 6 ;. K " time political and financial wreck?, and the “ loaves and fishes r-presomod by war indemnity will be wit rmut. mat n.ua-.u-]ou3 power of expansion that i? rceorac-d ot ;i \hcu**' a *hcra' ’ will V* rectification oi frontiers with “nations struggling to be ■ fr"o" that Gladstone in his lime was fo concerned about- “ Struggling to ho free seemed interchangeable with cuttmg e*) 0 ') clherV. threat*. The.m problems, cciipwd , vim -‘balance. c£ power,’ and other pet terms of politicians, present some very mI Hcate- problems tor Fe.lution. Then m hive a rVeat- Birrs agitation for “ra.pturir.g German trade.’ It- ?cents to me. that, a -ood d-d of moonshine is being (n.ked. The position rooms to be that- the Gorman •■-stem of heavy bountEr, to their shipping trade must. go. end ‘but their ovmscn.t c iminsr trade is cnnpk'd tor lone yearn to comk "Tho one wae m economic factor uhirh was unround and was doomed sooner cr later: the, other is consequence of war, and H‘h are favorable to u?. and w« shill Wc -a W-t crushing competition cpposed “to t;s in the future which is well, ! but. I see no reason to think H- will he any j advantage to us to eee German industrial Lie. crushed. , , I«, is well for British maker? to wake I up. hut- the vmniE of trade must nlumately rest on our skill, mdv.rtry, .and \ technical training. . I Tke immense wealth r ' li ' r carrying trane j will* give v.s by relief from a crushing cornpot it lon induced by unsound economic method? in Germany, where industries have Ivor, emt rolled by the banks, and the bankas by the Government, are clo-v.K-r.tH, of hope unci satisfaction and all th> •‘’ood \vo dr»V'V from it ■will be ■vNa.nicn bidlv emii-h to reinstate our financial petition biff R* «ill onlv be ref arched by placing ’ clirtitcKs in tie "’ay of mternaticnal trade.