The Evening Star FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6.

Evening Star, Issue 16910, 6 December 1918, Page 4

The Evening Star FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6.

So for the Government have only provided elaborate m lehinovy Repatriation for the Repatriation of and Reward, the Dominion's army of ah .nit- 60.0C0 men; the power to drive it- has still to be found. It is rather uiifr.rtuua.te that the motive power is little more than tho very best of political intention after all the fuss and exaggerate:! secrecy about the construction cf the Repatriation scheme, Tho country, winch is at le-a=t sound in its demand for an adequate resettlement of its soldiers, has reason to be disappointed, if not altogether dismayed, at the cumbersome machinery that has been designed. The least slackening of tho voluntary effcrt of patriotic citizens, who .are to be called upon to put a highly theoretical scheme into practice, will throw all the machinery cut of gear. The outstanding defect in the crude scheme that has been formulated is the ridiculous provision cf a. Ministerial Repatriation Board of four members, selected entirely on the principle of maintaining at all hazards the basis of the administrative Coalition that has soured i-'no country against- politics. It is not an arrangement that will yield magnificent result?. The people may, with tine patience and even in goad humor, tolerate the most flagrant, bare laced compromise on questions affecting lho liquor traifie, also airv proposals to increase the- amount of compensation for nothincr by a round million pounds: but they will certainly denounce 1 political compromise, on the Repatriation j of their army. Whit wa-s the first result j of quadruple control of this Repatriation | scheme? It was the inevitable retirement of the board's first chairman (Sir James Allen). What precipitated his early withdrawal? Obviously nothing more or less than an immediate recognition of the futility cf attempting to galvanise four Ministers into that enihrsiastie action which alone will make tho Repatriation j schemo a success. I

The appointment of a. Ministerial Board h.13 bean tho first blunder, and the Government should linhedtojtin'zdy revert to the criminal intontion of placing the administration of the- P»er.atnation Department in tho hands of a strong, shrewd, warm-hearted man, whoso chief claim to this most, i-cspcnsi'de position should ho kr.owlediT; of how to deal with men and rot with machinery. If such a, man cannot he fctrnd the fatal 13 who constitute tli3 Coalition Government, let tho Dominion 1» searched for the rhdrt man for the post. if it were deemed necessary two years atro to appoint an Efficiency Board to advise the Government on tho Liquc? Problem and to crukle Ministers re horse racing and pichiro shows and so forth, why not seek similar guidance from capable business men. who <tro acknowledged to be absolutely free from the prejudices of crankdom on the. most important mtional need of tho day—the success: ful Repatriation of 60,CC0 soldiers, who will expect something better than pick and-shovel work?

It is eonsoiincr to know that the Government a>tv prepired to spend over a million sterling in grunting bonuses to our soldiers as a free gift from tho Stato in recognition cf their services on be-half of the-lr grateful but badly administer d country. Fa.v better to spend another million —or more, if absolutely nece^ary—in acknowledgment of tho debt to its army than to give it to wealthy brewers for the forced evacuation of "a Jong-threnter.ed petition. It is cevtainlv a. j n legitin;ate warfare to indeinniiy the vanqivishtxl. so l e fc u s rather reward handsomely our victorious soldiers.