The Evening Star THURSDAY. DECEMBER 28, 1016.

Evening Star, Issue 16308, 28 December 1916, Page 4

The Evening Star THURSDAY. DECEMBER 28, 1016.

Tnii Home Government's invitation to the I Prime Ministers of all j ' iJTiparhl War the self-governing Do- \\ Confsronoo. minions to attend a. ■-peeiul War Confer- i enco oi the Km pi re conSinns the inference I di'iiwn from tin- announcement of Mr | : Lloyd G...;rg,> last v, ; vk. that the Imperial j 1 a.!il.liori'ie.! :>re more a n\ious to consult the I Doming.is ~!! piv=sii.Lf war problems than •'. to conf- .as t , in-..;,! constitutional amines '■. ' in re.-pc-ri i,, the future government of the Empiie. It is true tint these essential ; changes will leceivo a certain amount of ' attention, bnfohvi msly the consideration ' given fo them must, at- the most, be incidentnl rather than deliberate and thorough. The- invitation is reasonably definite as !■> tl;.; j.-ur-ioses of the projected conference; its ;..,.!,i.-mty as to dotaiis and j scope of consultative discussion is. in the j riTcum:--tat!rc-, in-vital.!.-. Tlie rnemyhave i tho ears, as well ,-ts the character, of the I beasts of the jungle. Mr Walter Long, j Secretary of .Slate for the Colonies, in his cabled message to the Dominions, explains that "the con f even re is to be a "series of tpcunl toiitirmcas meetings of "the War Cabinet, to consider urgent "questions—the pi-jsaeittiou of the war. "and the possible conditions on which, in "agreement with our Allies, we could "assent to peace, and the problems aiis"ing therefrom." Em-' the purpose of these meetings the representatives of the I Dominions are- to he made members of the I War Cabinet. This method of consultation is preferable to the cabled suggestion as to the possibility of the establishment of a Dominions War Board. The decision to form a temporary Imperial War Cabinet for the purpose of considering urgentwar questions is tho surest- and quickestway to the establishment of' confidence and thorough co-operation. It breaks down all the real avid imaeinary barriers which have been raised and permitted to stand too long between what may fittingly be termed English Conservatism and colonial flexibility in Imperial politics; it is also a pi-oof of the valuable lessons of war, and a stimulating augury of the future constitutional consolidation of the Empire. It is desired to hold the special War Conference of tho Km pi re not later than the end of I-Yhniary. One may presume that this date has been fixed Taw.isionally in order, particularly, to enable General Botha (Pr-emh-r of the Union of South Africa) and Mr Hughes (Prime Minster of Australia) to uU-i-nd the conference. It is to be loped that both will on this occasion he iii a. position to go Home and take part- in a '.onsultatum which is bound to have .. tremendous influence upon th-;; future administration of the Empire. One is a, man of action and deliberative thought, and the other is an active man of shrewd sense and roimtruting wisdom. Of course, Mr Hughe.-, would be handicapped at a conference that must- consider the question of organising the Kmpiie's man-power for war; but the stigma of the Australian referendum does not- lie upon Mr Hughes, nor diminish his valuo in Imperial consultation. Should the threatened dissolution of the Commonwealth Parliament eventuate, Mr Hughes would, cf course, have to remain in Australia- to conduct the electioneering campaign. As regards New Zealand representation at the conference, it lias not been made clear whether it is the intention of .Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward conjointly to-attend on behalf of the Dominion. Although the announcement has been made that both are prolonging their visit to the Old Country becausj of the projected conference, Mr Walter Long's invitation extends only to oversci Premiers. In all the circum- | stances it is advisable for both of our Ministerial representatives to remain at Home until after the conference. ever, though the Prime Minister only ehould be a member of it. Mr Ma.-sey will have tlu ber.etit of Sir Joseph Wain's experience of somewhat similar conferences, and also his support and advice upon matters which, have not been- diseased by tho New Zealand Parliament. The symposium of.legislators' opinions which we publiched the other day has made it clear that -Parliament, at a. whole, may be depended upon, to endorse tie; action of thei Prime Minister »iid the Minister of Finance in remaining at Houkj for the special purpose ._>f discussing urgent war questions with tha Home Government and other representatives of the "Dominions. The apparent purpose and scope of the conference reed not embarrass New Zealand's representation. Obviously the primary object of summoning the "conference is to obtain mi interchange of views on pressing questions rather than a discussion, involving binding resolutions, of an Imperial policy covering all tho Imperial , iifl'aiifi which require consideration and adjustment. Questions as to constitutional changes, methods of combating Gerii man tr.ulo. after I he. u-ar, and so on" mast he ielt for consideration and settlement at a future conference, and, in many matters, alter consultation with our Allies. The forthcoming conference will, as regards those questions, do excellent work J if it clears the yrontid for. more leisurely ; j and more deliberative consideration alter the 11 war. As for the matter of ' T the possible '■ "conditions on which, in agreement with ''our Allies, we could assent to peace," :t is plain that the conference win do no more than formulate basic terms of peace as far i as the Empire concerned. Already all 1 parts of the Empire are united in agreement as to tho main principles that must be adopted in slating the Empire's terms of peace. These have been emblazoned in , letters of fire by M'r Lloyd George: Complete Restitution, Full Reparation, Effectual Guarantees. If our representation stands by these principles, tho people's endorsement of the policy to secure them will be given readily and heartily. It is possible that the oversea representatives at the conference may be confronted with embarrassing questions as to the employment of native, and even allied, labor in substitution of a heavy withdrawal of manpower from industry. This problem, is a raw delicate one for several of tho Oversea Dominions, whose apprehensions have frequently been much exaggerated. As re-

gards the disposal of the German possessions in the Paciflo, the time has not yet come for discussing their future administration in the iight of a reward for services Tendered. Such questions should he left for an aiter-the-wa* conference.

That a desire for peace has been sweeping over the neutral naThe Failure of tions in ever increas- 1 President Wilson, ing waves has long ! been manifest; it is | only the untimeliness of its expression < which has taken us by surprise. It is, in- « deed, difficult to understand what was the real motive which finally led President Wilson suddenly to throw his Peace Note : into the conflagration; a bombshell apparently aimed at those chivalrous crusaders —the Allies. Had the President been better able to judge the correct moment when a Note from him—as representative of tho most influential of the neutralswould have been acceptable, he would j have been a great man, a man of history; < as it is, he stands before the world a meddler. Tie presumes ho has a light to demand from tho warring sides what are their terms, yet ho has done nothing up to tiie present to givo him that right. His very Note itself shows how completely lie has failed to grasp what are the real causes which have brought about this great war. Borne have hastened to give President Wilson the ' benefit of the doubt as to .his sincerity, and declare that, in presenting his Note at tho present time, he \v;is actuated solely, if mistakenly, riot only ' in an endeavor to further the interests of all tiie belligerents, but also to protect humanity at large. Others, again, hold that any effort to bring a stop to the horrors of war is justified, no matter how untimely or on bow superficial a foundation such effort is based. "For ourselves, we can think of but one excuse for President Wilson's action. Born and bred in a country with little tradition—a country where materialism has long outpaced and is rapidly threatening to overwhelm idealism—ho has been incapable of overcoming his environment, and thus lias failed to seriously understand the all-pervading determination of an idealistic people—a -people fortified through centuries of warring for right against wrong, a people with a creed, a people who are not too proud to fight, a people wiio know 'that there are worse things than war which can befall humanity, and among which is the spread of German "Kultur." It is this innermost knowledge which has sent our sons to battle, has made their courage as of tempered steel, and has enabled mothers, sister*, lovers to bless their going. Since the commencement of this great conflict, of Culture versus "Kultur" the American President has had many opportunities of placing himself in possession of unimpeachable evidence as to the effects of '.' Kultur." Rut, as a fervent student of contemporary history, he need not have waited for war to have learnt the full effects of its teaching—effects apparent wherever the flag of " Kultur " has been planted. When Germany's cry for "a place in the sun" first became insistent, nations ungrudgingly—Britain the most ungrudgingly—made room to satisfy this apparently honest desire. Time has proved how the nations in their innocence were betrayed,' and how in their betrayal followed the betrayal of helpless others—unfortunates born in those sunlit places where "Kultur" was so generously permitted to plant its flag. Hardly had the German Eagle iluttered in the breeze of South-west Africa before murder and rapine were in full swing. Jn the first instance the Hereros were the victims. " Kultur's " war of extermination against this intelligent and peace-loving nation of pastoralists was concluded with that infamous decree of General Von Trotha: " All Hereros must leave their country or be shot—even the women and children." Away on the other side of tho great continent, in German East Africa, a similar betrayal of the confidence of sister nations took place. Instead of bringing contentment, liberty, and justice, "Kultur" brought a life of horror. Development was devoted solely to tho aggrandisement of the' German, to the degradation of the original inhabitant. Financial budgets had only one main policy, the furtherance of military measures for a future offensive against peaceful neighbor's—railways, harbors, roads were all built with that one object. Again, in our own Pacific, when the Australian Commonwealth captured the German islands the evidence of German "Kultur" was found written in stone. Whilst millions had been spent in I harbor and other works destined to provide a suitable base for future naval and military measures against the neighboring continent, no serious attempt had been j made to lessen the miseries of the inhabitants'. Ravages wrought through sorcery, head-hunting, and cannibalism were still t unchecked ; indeed, tho people's miseries had been added to. On the inspection of the noisome gaols at Friedrich-Wil-helmshafen many prisoners were found crippled from flogging. One prisoner was brought out to tho sunlight reeking with festering weals raised by wire whips—and be a greybeard infirm with ago. Thus has Germany sat in the sun and profited nothing. Are we, then, to bo surprised that Culture has not turned a friendly eye towards the 'Wilson Peace Note? Rather should wo be surprised if it had. The Allies are to-day the guardians of the weak, certainly self-constituted, possibly the agency of a Higher Power. They aro. as the knights of old, openly and unashamed, seeking the. destruction of a many-headed dragon—an enemy to all humanity. There is nothing new in this definition of the Allies' object. It has been stated not only once, but many times. Row, then, may Culture meet '-Kultur"! in conference, with the dragon coming to the council chamber stained with crime, unrepentant, boasting of being " the vie- j " torious instrument of God . . . os- " pecially appointed to bring judgment on \ "the heads of His enemies"? . i Passing over the untimeliness of his Note, we may now ask if President Wilson is a man whose past record would justify his selection as a mediator? Placed ■ in one of the highest offices open to mankind—an office where it was possible for him to freely uphold sound morals both in ! the government of his country and in his ■ dealings with the outside world—ho has '■ been tried and found wanting. True, ho • has done much in his internal administra- > tion to prove that morality and politics are ' not incompatible; it is in his definition of •- neutrality that as a statesman he has ■ failed. Notwithstanding his nation is a • subscriber to the solemn' Hague Coriven- > tions, yet he has persevered in a-vicious i silence over the ravaging of Belgium, the ■ wholesale shooting of hostages, the mili- ■ tary execution of cities, the carrying of i whole .populations into slavery, rivalling - the Kings of Babylon. Each and every i one of these is a crime which tho sttb--5 cribers of the Conventions solemnly pledged i themselves to do their ritmosl to prevent. i Unfortunately, from tire very beginning of - the war the United States has interpreted i neutrality as silence; and yet, had the head - of the nation spoken out boldly, as was i not only his right but his bounden moral i duty, much suffering would have been - spared. He himself would have been re- - garded as a great and high-minded states-

man, and his nation, whilst keeping the peace, would have been spared humiliation. But as it is he has disqualified himself for coming in the guiso of a Peace Mediator; and the Allies, though desirous of peace, must have peace with honor, and this is not the time nor the way thereto.

' The steamer Maitai, reported to he on the reef at Rarotonga, was bringing European mails and Expeditionary Force letters. To-day it was impossible to" say how long tho arrival of this mail matter will be delayed. The important fact u that it is safe. The Overseas Committee (Wellington) have intimated to the South Island Dairy Association that the Imperial authorities have authorised them to give space for a limited quantity of cheese during tho next four weeks. This will bo good news for those factories which were on the verge of closing down owing to congestion brought about by shortage of shipping. Alfred Longman, a lireman, was arrested at Port Chalmers yesterday on a charge of drunkenness. He was brought, before Mr John Tait. J.P., to-day, and fined 10s. Ho had been convicted of a similar offence on .Saturday last. Notice of appeal against the .sentence of 12 months' imprisonment imposed on Fred. K. Cooko (Socialist and Laborite) for a breach of tho War Regulations Act was served upon Police Superintendent Dvryer at Christchurch yesterday. Mr George Hutchison, ex-M.P., is acting for the appellant. ' . " Our Own ".-wires from Wellington::— Mr Massey's report that the Imperial Board of Trade will arrange for the shipment of butter and cheese is reassuring, but does not clear up the position fully. If the British authorities propose to send additional ships for dairy produce loss will occur before sliipment is secured. Many stores aro full already, and there is immediate danger of deterioration in the case of cheese. If room is to be made for dairy produce on tho steamers already available, then tho meat will have to wait at some ports. The Ministers here have no more information than is contained in the published cablegrams, but they hope that early shipment of butter and cheese, will be possible. No developments are reported with regard to purchase. The Imperial authorities have, made no further move towards purchase at this end.

As proof of the fine patriotic spirit displnyed by Natives in the war, the Napier 'Telegraph' says:—" Kainga's gang, comprising a number of Natives working in the Wallingford district, decided that no bonus should be accepted for sheep shorn whose owners are serving tho Empire. Captain A. S. Wilder's sheep were consequently put through at tho rata of 20s per 100." l During an examination before the Military Service Board at Hamilton, Waikafo, last week, a diary farmer who appealed against his milking employee being immediately called up for service said that ho considered that he was a producer of a foodstuff, and was entitled to some consideration. Major Conlan (military representative): "All the farmers say that, but the countrv must be protected." The Appellant: '"'Yes, but if the farmers do not get tho men, von will not get food." Major Ccnlon : "Yes, and if the Defence Department does not get the men, what will become of the country?" A Melbourne paper states that various city and suburban publicans have been victimised in a novel manner. A customer _ would call shortly after 5 p.m., generally on a Saturday! and order and pay for four bottles of colonial ale. Just prior to closing time, the same man would rush in, explain that the contents of one bottle had been consumed, and ask the publican to exchange the remaining three for another brand. An exchange would then be made. Later on, it was brought under the notice of one of tho publicans that he was selling bottles of water, and not colonial ale. The publican then discovered that the customer who had originally bought the four bottles of ale must have removed the capsules, poured contents out, and filled the bottles with water. Then the capsules were skilfully readjusted, and in the rush before 6 p.m. an exchange was easilv effected. Mr E. C. Culten, R.M., in sentencing James Horn, of the ' Maoriland Worker"' staff at Auckland on Friday for using seditious utterances, said ho had little difficulty in convicting accused. Consideration was to be taken of the. fact that not only was the commission of the offence deliberate, but accused's speech contained a number of breaches of many clauses of the regulations, and passages likely to have serious results. Accused's offence was not only serious, but, being deliberate, might bo "likely to be repeated' In providing a term of imprisonment the law intended it to be preventive as well as punitive. It might be said that- in an offence of the present kind accused would be released it the war ended before the termination of the sentence, but he did not know whether that was so or not. Thorn was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment.

Three Port Melbourne men—J. TV. Pat- ' C. p-iterson, and Rupert Greaves— ; were fifhing over the fishing ground known ! 'ns the Rubbly, three miles oil* Point Coo];, j a -few days ago, when a monster think 20ft long drove its snout, torpedo-wis?, through the starboard side of their 20i't yacht. Peterson had hooked a. large cod, and was hauling it up, when he siiw the shark pass under tlio boat, at a depth of three fathoms. At this spot the water is 40ft dsop, and verv dear. Paterson hauled the cod to the surface. At that instant the snout of the shark shot just ■under the fish on the line, and the shark, nose, on, struck the boat with groat force. Srna.shiv.jj through the outer shell and the inner lining of the boat, the snout penetrated right into the yacht. Rebounding, the shark rolled over"throe times on the ! surface of the water, and then swam slowly away. The holo made by the shark in the inner lining of the boat was 6;n in diameter and Bin below the water line. Tho water was pouring into the boat in a stream, when Peterson, with a bag. managed to stop "the hok\ Meanwhile his companions had unshipped some of tho ballast and stacked tho remainder on the port side of the boat, giving her a list ! that lifted the damaged boards on tho i starboard side above tho water line. An auxiliary motor-dxiven screw that the yacht carried was set in motion, and in 'this precarious condition three niiios of water was tvaveiscd, and the boat beached on Point Cook. There temporary lepairs wem «ftVcted, and the return journey to Port Melbourne, was made without further j mishap. ! Tho educational requirements of the girl, I and how they were to be. imparted, were discussed at some of the " breaking-up" functions in Sydney a few days ago. At the North Sydney Girls' High School the principal (Miss Grossman, M.A.) said tJiat some parents seemed to think that a girl could go through the high school coursein a couple of years. She must be a remarkably smart girl to do that. This would be at the .risk, possibly, of her health and her mental development later on. Jt was intended to advise the majority of tho North Sydney Girls' High School pupils to take three years in preparation for the intermediate examination. Mr H. D. M'Lelland (Deputy Chief Inspector), who presided, and who endorsed the remarks of Miss Grossman, said that there was nothing farther from tho mind of the Education Department than that over-pressure or cramming should creep into the scheme of education. Those who wished to give their children a high school education should put their appeal auainet any ■erotic or ..hothouse process. Miss M. Fuller, principal of '• Ravenswood" School, Gordor, said that at the school the groat world crisis through which we weia passing was accompanied with im portant changes in tho social order; but it was well-to -insist that the main object of the education of .women remained the 6ame. To fit woman for her ■rightful place in tho world was to train her so that thought, sympathy, emotion, and effort might be at the- same timo responsive to right impulse, and controlled by the disciplined will. This they should best do as they trained girls to "a sympathy with ifatufts. literature, and mankind.

Mr Paulin advised at 2 p.m.: S.W. io S.E. winds and fine. The summoning of the Dominion Prime Ministers to the War Conference to be held in London "not later than the end of February" will detain Mr Massey, and probably Sir Joseph Ward also, In tho United Kingdom. The invitation as it stands (wires our Wellington correspondent) is to Prime Ministers only, but the fact that the two heads of the New Zealand Coalition Ministry are in London umbo taken into consideration by the Imperial authorities. If one Minister only is to be admitted to the War Conference, Sir Joseph Ward will start for New Zealand in advance of the Prime Minister. According to the plans he has indicated nlready, he intends to visit Canada on his way. There is reason to believe, that tho session of the New Zealand Parliament will bo held early in May, but naturally the date will be dependent upon the movements of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. Probably Mr will be unable to reach the Dominiof before the end of April, even if the Conference is a short one. It is understood that Sir Joseph Ward has practically completed the financial business that he had to transact in London on behalf of the New Zealand Government.

One of the difficulties of the bather is to know what to do with his money when he goes into the water. It is inconvenient to take it with him, and risky to leave it behind. A case in point occurred at tho St. Clair Baths this week, when three ladies suffered the loss of email sums of money, which were taken from their clothes in tho boxes while they were bathing. A large number of people were at the baths at the time, and' there, was little risk of the thief being detected. A safe rule when going bathing is to ca-rrv as little of the coin of the realm as possible. Last night the delegates who have gathered from all over New Zealand to attend the annual convention of i.he New Zealand section of theTlwosoph'cal Societv met together to spend a social evening at tho new building of the Dunedin Lodge, Dow'ling street. An enjoyable evening was spent, the items including speeches by the Rev. J. I. Wedgwood and Mr J. R. Thomson"; songs by Mrs Macdouahl, Mr Butler, and Mr Hartley; and a picturosquoTndian dance by some of the younger generation. Mr W. A. Scott (president- of the local branch) presided. A thunderstorm swept over the Ohakuno district on Tuesday afternoon, and i.s a result slips occurred on i-he Main Trunk railway lino. The express trains wcro delayed as a result, hut the way is now clear. One result of the record rainfall in Victoria this spring bus, says the 'Age.' been a record plague of mosquitoes. Every unoccupied piece of flat surface about the suburbs of Melbourne has had its pool of water, and these pools have formed ideal breeding-places for the mosquitoes, which have multiplied by the thousands and tens of thousand's unchecked. Curiosity has been aroused by the appearance of two unusual species—one sea green in color, the other with dark spots on wings, lighter in shade than the ordinary variety. The bites of this speckled mosquito are unusually poisonous, causing severe swellings and an irritation that ordinary antidotes fail to relieve, and remaining painful for several days. At the "Zoo" animals and visitors alike were suffering from a myriad mosquitoes, when Mr Le Souef, the director, ordered the gardeners to pour small quantities of kerosene on every pool that bad no wildfowl living on it." The mortality among mosquitoes was as great as it was along the bed of the Panama Canal when it was discovered how simply that region of death could be turned into an ideal working zofio. Watson's No. 10 is a little dearer than most whiskies, but is worth the money.— OM.I "Housewives think it's simply delightful" to let "No-rubbing" Laundry Help do the hard work of -the washing, "and with such spolle-ssly clean results, too! J. Peterson nncl Co., Walker street and George street.— [Advt.l A notice issued by the Otago Centre of the New Zealand Athletic and Cycling Union appears in our advertising columns. Speight's ale and stout aro acknowledged by tho Dominion ptiblio to be tho best oa ttie ror.rket.—[Advt.l Be firm. Insist on getting Watson's No. 10, the best of wlr'skies.—[Advt.] Ladies iccoinmend Martin's Apiol and Steel pills. Sold by ;ill chemists and stores. See you get the genuine.—[Advt.l