The Evening Star. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1919.

Evening Star, Issue 17155, 23 September 1919, Page 6

The Evening Star. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1919.

The cable message announcing, on the authority of the LcnMr Lloyd Ceorgs don 'Times,' that Mr and Ireland. Lloyd George proposes to take the Irish Question in hand, if confirmed,, as we assume it will be, is the best news we have received in this relation for some days. The British Prime Minister, in the judgment of those who know the man and his work, is admittedly the most competent living statesman to handle and, if it be humanly possible, to evolve a more or less satisfactory settlement of this many generations, if not centuries, old imperial interracial conflict. Mr George possesses in rich abundance the qualifications that are necessary for so onerous a task. He has not only that love both of England and Ireland which is essential to a clear apprehension of the problem, and without which neither he nor another could make headway, but his whole life's work has been devoted to the righting of wrongs and inspired by the determination to overthrow and to root up such wrongs, whether their source of authority be a palace or a slum. In addition, the British Prime Minister at this hour occupies, in the estimation of the leaders and representatives of the great democracies, an exceptional, probably an unprecedented, position. No British statesman hitherto has been so universally trusted; none has so plainly demonstrated his right to help to fashion the future policy of what are called "oppressed peoples " and " smaller nationalities " ; and not even Mr Wilson or M. Clemenceau can speak and act as the result of more deep and varied practical knowledge of those international problems of moment that ere clamoring for solution. Tfterefore, that Mr Lloyd George proposes to take the Irish Question in hand is distinctly good news. He knows, none better, that it must be taken in hand, and that it must be dealt with both firmly aud decisively; and he also knows, however temporarily necessary it is to employ military force to put down the terrorism of reckless and violent men, that the true way to the pacification and future content- ■ merit of Ireland is not by the way of the ..rifle, bayonet, and hand grenade. He knows, too, that the demands of the Ulster extremist, the Unionist who plants his feet, squares his jaw, and doggedly reiterates "We will not have Home Rule " lie knows that this attitude cannot help the half a dozen counties interested nor Ireland as a whole. Finally, he is aware that, while the Sinn Fein demands for separation and a republic are as wild and fantastic as are the demands of the Ulster die-hards, who will not yield an inch, he also knows that there is something infinitely more than crude obstinacy and vulgar hatred when Cardinal O'Connell, at Boston, before an immense audience of American citizens, appealed in the name of God and common justice to plain English people and English Labor to help Ireland. These things and this persistent atmosphere of mutual provocation cannot and must not last.

The Labor party's local electioneering campaign opened well in Labor's Dunedin last night. The First Rally, supporters of the Cause seemed to be fired with the same eagerness and something of the same spirit of grateful anticipation that dominates Bedouins at a well in the desert. 'That it was so was not all surprising. It has beeu a wide political desert we all have traversed since tho indecisive General Election of 1914, and many blighting winds (to finish the picture) have swept over "the arid places. And now the wells are again in sight, all filled and fed with the living: waters of the new political heaven and the new political earth. Let us all at least quench our thirst before tho water becomes muddied. It will presently be stirred. The chief interest in last night's meeting was the earnestness of the candidates in° their moderate plea for legislative remedies for the economic ills that afflict and annoy the people. It was not the superficial earnestness of the cunning Outs who marely want to be among the Ins, and who can Tevolvo a great promise in their mouths as a child turns a big "lolly" from jaw to jaw in noisy satisfaction ; it was real, deep, and honest. We desire to say that frankly and unequivocally, for long before the last shot in the campaign has been fired it may be necessary to say less pleasaut things just as frankly and honestly, though let us hope it may never come to the old game in polities : " Say, 'ere's a fool; let's "eave 'arf a brick at 'im!" The candidates spoke from conviction, and stated their arguments with appreciable and effective moderation.

There can be no opposition to their arguments as to the necessity for a new Parliament with courage and ability to grapple wisely with the serious problems now -confronting the Dominion as legacies from war and a feeble Administration. Many members of the present Parliament bave iori*eite<l the Tight to support, as they either deliberately missed the great tide of opportunity or merely went out to sea in a well-found patriotic lifeboat, but never passed beyond the first line of breakers. There can be nothing but support for Labor's determination to kill sordid profiteering. It is very pxibable that tnero will be much difference of opinion about the best methods for smothering wicked exploitation, but unanimity as to the necessity for some effective means is certain. As Mr John A. Brown put it last night, " New Zealand must safeguard her people against such groups as the Meat Trust of America, which were growing-up within onr midst." All the people may not agree that Mr Brown and his Labor friends are the men to provide the necessary safeguards, but all will agree as to the necessity for adequate protection. One of the cardinal rules of true democracy is that the individual must havo complete liberty in choosing his parliamentary representative. It is Dr "Wilson's principle of self-determination over again. Labor is 6till rather weak in that principle of liberty of choice. But we need not quarivl about It. It is of especial interest to note that Labor has to explain in detail 'how much the great Liberal party have stolen from the Labor party's programme. It is practically claimed that all the good things in Sir Joseph Ward's glowing manifesto—a sort of political Christmas tree with a gift for everybody on its spreading branches—have been the long-iejected remedies offered by the Labor party for some 15 years. That is really not a discovery. Is it not an accepted rule in warfare that the best in the policy of one's allies must become part of the main policy? The Liberals want and probably need Labor as their ally against the other side, and there's an end to it. Then it would seem that such an alliance is not altogether distasteful to several Labor candidates. Even last night one detected a tenderness for the leader of the Liberal brigade. The meeting was assured, however, that there was no likelihood, of an alliance between

the Liberal and Labor parties. Perhaps ] not, but both will apparently b* using j exactly the same ammunition. After all, ! the decision in the end will lie with the j people, and they are certainly eager to , secuTO the right kind of men to deal | courageously with all the Dominion's difn- j cutties. If the Labor party maintain their initial policy and temper they will undoubtedly gain a considerable measure of support from the people. But full success will never come as long as there ore associated with a good causa certain destructive elements and irresponsible agitators, j »ii . "."«' A special train is due at Dunedim at 8.30 to-night with the Otago men ex the troopships Tainui and Hororata. Lieutenants Moffat and Moynihan, with Ser-geant-major f raser ? axe in charge. The | draft from the Tainui comprises 67 men, 27 being for Dunedin City, 11 fo.r stations just north, and 29 for south. The draft from tho Hororata comprise* 269 men, 114 being for Dunedin, 31 for stations just i north, and 124 for south. The proclivities of the American Press for exaggerating reports from Australia are shown in the highly-colored account published in a Colorado newspaper of the attack on the public offices in July by re- j turned soldiers and others. Damage to the ; extent of £IOO was done to the fittings and windows of tho offices, and the Premier was struck on the head with an inkstand, necessitating a few stitches to his scalp. The Colorado nowspaper, in scare headlines, puts it this way: " Several Are Slain in Australia." "Riot of War Veterans." The account of the riot reads as follows:—"Several persons were killed in 3 clash of soldiers and sailors in Melbourne on Tuesday, SRys a despatch from that city Premier H. S. W. Lawson, of the State of Victoria, was struck on the heai with a stick of wood during the disoiders. The trouble began when a mrn--1 er of returned soldiers demanded the release of other soldiers who were arretted dur'nj> tho recent disturbances in Mel- > bet me." ! At tho Port Chalmers Court yesterday ■■ David Trantham was fined 10s for drunkenness and ordered to pay £5 5s for wilful damage to a motor car. Henry Thomas Bray was fined £2 for casting offensive matter, the cliargo having been reduced from one of obscene exposure. A first offending drunk was fined 10s. Messrs J. Watson and D. Mawson were the J.P.s. Touching on the Cost of Living problem in his address at the Grand Theatre last evening, Mr J. W. Munro, remarked that there was in reality no problem. It was a question of the man who owned and the man who did not own. Labor realised that laws mast be made in the interests of human life. Did thev want Massey back? (Voices: "No. What about Ward?") He had more faith in Sir Joseph Ward. He was satisfied that he would lead the LaKv partv willinrrlv, and so would Massey; but tbey had men in the Labor party more capable of leading them than either if these two gentlemen. He said, Le.ive Ward out of it. There were only two parties at present—Labor and Massey. Tho restricted train service seems to have caused loss and resentment in country districts as well as in the towns. At yesterday's meeting of the Waikouaiti County Council the matter of the maintenance of the Main North road came up for discussion. The road was declared to bo in bad order, but the wherewithal to restore it to a state of decency constituted a problem which exercised the councillors considerably. Getting down to bed-rock factors, the council agreed that the bad state of the road was mainly caused oy, if not wholly due to, the restricted train service. Owing to lack of trains ■ vehicular traffic had been resorted to in ■■ order to supply country requirements. ; The Main North Toad had suffered by the ; extra vehicular traffic. Therefore the ', council resolved to ask the Government for j a erant of £I,OOO to repair the road, j which had been so badly damaged through i the suspension of the railway traffic. It j is not unusual for the Government to sub- | sidise repairs to country roads, but in this I case it was decided to ask for a straightout grant, the money to be expended on I that portion of the road between Upper j Junction and Evansdale bridge. | By wav of emphasising the power of organisation, Mr John A. Brown told a ; storv at the Grand Theatre last evening. Sambo was the expert colored driver of a j mail coach, and entertained his_ passengers by dexterously plving his whip. On one occasion he nicked a fly from tho ear of a horse, then a bee from a flower, but he left unmolested a hornet's nest. " Wh\ didn't you flick the nest, Sam?" asked a passencer. " Oh, no, sah ; not me. Dem's organised, sah." The question of the separation of Bruce and Clutha Counties from the Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid "Board was discussed at last night's meeting of the Port Chalmers Council. The matter was brought ud by a letter from tha Hospital and Charitable Aid Board asking the council to resist the proposed separation. The Mayor said he was in Milton the other day, and he heard the Biuce County Council's side of the question. The result was that he was very'favorably impressed with it. He instructed the Town dork to wire their member to that effect, but owing to a misunderstanding a message to the opposite effect was transmitted. Several councillors supported the Mayor's attitude that human suffering should be reduced as far as possible, even if this cost them a little extra. The letter was referred to the Finance Committee to report thereon. Mr Edward Tregear, formerly Secretary of Labor, writes to the Wellington 'Times' :—"I notice in your report of a meeting of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association on September 9 that one of the speakers asserted that ' every class in the community except the soldiers, their families, and their dependents had benefited from the war. There had been shameless profiteerinsr by permission of the Government.' Personally, I <le*rv tlie first part o£ -tttat statement. X belong to a class, (a very small class) of men who, having given the best part of their lives to the service of this country, have been pensioned or superannuated. We have seen our small income grow less and less as the years of the war went by. We have received no bonus or gratuity; we have no goods to sell on which "wo can raise prices on the consumer ; we only know that day by day we get more aud more pinched and impoverished. The value of my income is now that of a casual laborer before the war, so that to include us poor old fellows among the profiteers is adding insult to injury." " The shipping laws are not administered as they should be. The Massey party are tho representatives of the commercial classes, and if they made the shipping companies pay more to protect the lives of the seamen these companies would not pay the dividends they do."— Mr J. W. Munro at the Grand Theatre last evening. The Otago and Southland men from the troopship Ayrshire reached Dunedin by the 9.2S train last night, and were given a warm welcome by a large crowd of relatives and friends. Lieutenant M'Kenzie and Sergeant-major Lawrence were in charge of the draft, which consisted of 70 men. Of these 29 were for Dunedin, and 35 for southern stations. Lieutenant M'Carthv met the men on behalf of the Defence "Department and arranged the billet ting of tho southern men at various hotels and boarding-houses. Tho local men were conveyed to their homes in cars provided by the Otago Motor Club. Representatives 'of the Women's Patriotic Association were on the platform and distributed chocolates and cigarettes among the men. ' I Trie Otago men on the troopship Cbrinthic, which arrived at Wellington yesterday afternoon, will reach Dunedin by the 9.25 train to-morrow night. The draft, which comprises'' 64 men for the Otago district, is under the charge of Lieutenant Chapman and Sergeant-maior Macan. There are 14 men for Dunedin City, 15 for stations just north, and 35 for south. At the meeting of the Eeturned Soldiers' Association last night it was decided to write to the Registrar of Electors with the object of finding out what facilities will he given for disabled soldiers in hospital to record their votes at the coming general election.

Fifteen bags o! United Kingdom mails ex the OoTKiltJuc, oones'sting of K*ve» bags from London, one from Plymouth, two from Glasgow, one from Ediuburgh, and four from Liverpool, and also ■eight bags of Englifoh parcel mail-*, will reach, Dunedin to-morrow night The correspondence will be delivered in tho City and. suburbs on Thursday morning. The Mokoda, which is dn;o at Dunedin to-morrow from Lyttekon, is bringing nbout 400 bags and hampers of Uniten Kingdom, Australian, and North liiland newspapers and parca'a. The Otago Motor Olub bo-v© made,.arrangements to meet -the returning soldiers '«d> thie railway station to-night, and convey them to their homes. The train is expected to arrive at Dunedin at 8.30 o'clock, and as there are a lairgo number of soldiers on hoard it is hoped that there will be a good nraater of motorists. % Two officers of the Public Works Department are to come to Otago this weok to survey and prepare a report as to the most suitable site for a hydro-electric power station. The sale of goods made by the wounded soldiers of the Hospital and Montecilro Homes, which took place in Edward Cameron's shop last week, resulted in £lO 10s being netted in cash, and another £4 in orders were taken. Some idea of the conditions under which country school teachers live was disclosed by Mr Moss in reading a letter from a teacher at a meeting of the Wellington Education Board. Tho head master was asking about a new residence, and ho added: " I understand that the residence in question has been shelved by the board for five years, while the present building has been condemned by the senior inspector, clerk of works, school committee, and residents, and, lastly, yourself (Mr Moss). In spite of this, my family have to live on in a leaky, dirty, smoky, worm-eaten, and rat-infested building, giving my wife constant and arduous work trying to keep it decently clean. I can assure you that if you actually realised the living conditions of my family you would strongly urge our Education Department, with its mountains of red tape, to move, and move swiftly, in the matter. Candidly, I will not live another winter in this house, as I unhesitatingly decline to submit my family to tho present disgraceful hygienic conditions," Many things are expected of the police which do not come within the scop© of their duties. Yesterday afternoon a message came to the Central Station that a horsa was bogged in the mud off the foreshore at the back of the grading sheds. Rescuing horses from the harbor is Jiot included in the duties of a policeman; but the officers endeavored to notify those who would perhaps bo able to do something in the matter. Failing to reach these people, Senior-sergeant Murray and Plain-clothes Constable M'Cullough proceeded to the spot to see what could be done for the unfortunate animal. They found it lying in the mud, evidently in a weak condition, and with the incoming tide steadily covering it. Enlisting the help of a lorrie. the police officers, with the driver and two other men (who had already been trying to get the animal out of danger), attached a rope and eventually hauled the "hnrso on to the bank, and got it to its feet. During all the proceedings the owner of the animal was not in evidence. This is the second occasion within a few months that a horse has wandered into the hog and been in danger of drowning, and it would seem to be an undesirable practice to allow animals to graze in the vicinity. One of the inconveniences arising from the war was the disorganisation of the postal services. Before 1914 letters were despatched and received with a celerity and accuracy that gave everyone a feeling of confidence. We have never got back to that happy state of things. This is due partly to tho strikes that followed the declaration of peace and tho consequent delays to shipping, particularly _ in Australia. Now, however, the position should be improved, but a complaint that wns brought under our notice to-day shows that there is still much to be desired. A Dunedin citizen to-day received from Sydney a letter that was posted to him on May 22 last, just four months ago. This is a serious matter. Expense, anxiety, and misunderstanding are caused by the non-recipt of letters that have been posted, and it is one of the first duties of a State to see that its postal service is thoroughly efficient. The rate of gratuity to soldiers was referred to last "night "by Dr T. Harrison (president Dunedin R.S.A.), who said thought it was a generous allowance. The gratuity was not a payment for services rendered, and, as it was a gratuity, he did not think any returned soldier could demand what he wished, but should take what was given him with a good grace. The Scottish societies of Dunedin in Mav last sent* a letter on behalf of New Zealand people thanking the ScottT?'c people- for their kindness' to our soldier bovs when on furlough in Scotland. By mail this morning Mr M'Ewau received several acknowledgments, including the subjoined from the Right Rev. Professor Paterson, D.D., Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Edinburgh :—•"Dear sir,—l thank you for your letter enclosing a communiea'tion from tho -presidents of five societies of New Zealand, in which gratitude was expressed for the hospitality ami kindness extended to Xew Zealand 6---1-diers when on furlough in Scotland. The letter has apucarcd in o;ir leading newspapers. 1 have asked the editor of ' Life and Work,' the monthly magazine of the Church <A Scotland, to cany to our minis- ! tors the message of tho letter, and tr ask them to hand it on to their people It was a great pleasure to us in .Edinburgh to show sixne hospitality in various ways to the men from the Dominion, with which Scotland has so close tics. I was specially interested in the considerable of New Zealanders who attended the University during the summer The University authorities gave & .--pecjal _ reception to oversea students, and I invited the New Zealand students to an 'at home' at mv house. We also arranged a special service in St. Giles, vrliiclx I Ixad tlie rvri-i-i- ---' lege oi conducting, before tho depattvvce | of the students, so that miUiht wor- | ship in our most famous national shrine. Please convey my thanks to the various presidents for their valued message." In the Supreme Court at Gisborne yesterday, before Mr Justice Chapman, Wililiam Leonard Butler sued Joseph Black 1 for £I,OOO damages for alleged slander. ! After a retirement of an hour and a-half the jury returned a verdict for the plain- : tiff for £-750. A circular relating to war medals has been received by the Dunedin Returned Soldiers' Association from General Richardson :—ln addition to the 1914 and 1914-15 Star which will be issued to soldiers who served in accordance with the qualifying conditions already published, every soldier who entered a theatre of war will bo entitled to receive two medals, viz.—(l) the British "General Service" Medal, (2) the Allied " Victory " Medal. It will be a considerable time before these medals are ready for issue, thoy are now being manufactured in England, and will require to be engraved in the Dominion before being made available for presentation. Supplies of the " General Service" riband have been ordered from • Home, and will shortly arrive. The presentation of war medals will be a big question, as there are at least 200,000 war medals to issue in the whole Dominion.' A P. A. message from Wellington states that it is reported that a settlement of the Golden Bay Cement employees' dispute has been effected. Grandma is not now running any, risk of having to cut out that second cup of tea which she likes. The s.s. Waitemata, on her way from Calcutta, was sent in to Sydney to pick up a lot of cargo that was in the stores awaiting a chance of shipment to New Zealand. This cargo includes a fair consignment of certain grades of tea of which we were very short in the Dominion, and as the steamer is now on the coast, and will arrive soon in Port Chalmers, the anxioty of the blenders is removed. There was always plenty of tea here, but other teas of the grade now on the way were required for mixing, and until the Waitemata came to the Tescue tho position was somewhat awkward for the trade. It is pleasing to note that- in regard to shipping facilities ■generally—not tea alone —the position is much improved of late. The sun is still shining,

1 Mr Paulin telephoned at 2 p.m. i Strong N.E. to N.W. winds; fine for 84 hours; barometer fall. At the Port Chalmers Court this morn- , ing David Trontham, a trimmer on tho «.s. Kmnara, pleaded guilty to assaulting tho chief ateward (Charles Henry Preston] by striking him on the face. He was fined £3 with 6s (witness's expenses). The City Hotel fe quite the foremost in tho Dominion. High-claw acepmtmodatiott, and the new bar is par exoatoent. Plenty of room, and the surroundings aire quite ar'tistic—[Advt.] Top of the list for quality, flavor, purity, and mellowness—Watson's No. 10 Whisky [Advt.] The Coast Defence Detachment and Band will parade ot the Art Gallery Hall at 9 p.m. to-moww, in order to give a reception to Maj/ir David White. Usa "iShynal," the perfect Preparation for cleaning Silver; no Acid, no Grrttineas, nor does it lodge in the Crevices. Made by Rue batoh and Co., Jewellers, 118 George street. --[Advt.] A special feature of the sale of work which is to be held in connection with tho St. Clair Presbyterian Church to-morrow (Wednesday) Is the unique cake stall, upou which a great deal of time has bojro expended, and which, apart from the 'use for which it has been ereoted, is well worth seeing. "No Rubbing" Laundry Help, like all other manufactures of craUrtandmg' iwcnfc, lias lota of imitators; coiwequently, it becomes necessary to warn housewives to be careful, when buying', to make sure of getI ting the otdginal and genuine "No Bub- | bhig." Bold at Is packet by ail grocers. Manufactured oalv by the " Household Necessity" Co., Ltd., Auckland—[Advt.]

Watson's No. 10 is a little dearer than most whiskies, but is worth the money.[Advt.] Ladies recommend Martin's Apiol and Steel Pills. Sold by all chemists and stores. See you get the genuine.—[Advt.]