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Evening Star, Issue 17954, 27 April 1922, Page 6

To extricate oneself gracefully from a false position is harder at Deserved all times than to fall into Grants, it. The Finance Committee of the City Council performed the rarer feat to perfection at last night’s meeting, when a singularly inept recommendation on the subject of a grant to tho University Museum was withdrawn by it, without fuss or discussion, leaving the way clear for tho council to agree happily on a grant of £2OO. The committee can laugh now, with tho public, at tho inconsequence of its first recommendation. Its dignity has been entirely re-established. No gaucherie was ever redeemed more gracefully, and tho council can be congratulated on a most proper grant. Tho council did well again Inst night in acceding to tho request for financial assistance of the Otago Expansion League, which was met by a vote of the same amount. No public body has shown more zeal in the community’s interest than this one, which has the material advancement of the province for its object, and it lias not owed much to tho munificence of local authorities in the past. The Christchurch City Council up till recently has found £SOO a year for tho Development League of its district, and every local body in North Canterbury assists it further to the extent of 6d per £I,OOO of capital value, giving it a revenue of over £I,OOO a year independent of members’ contributions. Tho Southland Expansion League receives £IOO a year from tho Invercargill Council and £2oo' from the Bluff Harbor Board, with contributions from other bodies which bring its income from such sources up to close on £6CO. From 1912 till 1915 tho Otago Expansion League received £IOO a year from the City Council. Since then tho funds at its command for carrying on its most important work have been practically confined to those which it receives from its own members, with tho exception of small grants which have been made to it by tho Harbor Board and tho Port Chalmers Council. Tho total income last year amounted to no more than £4OO, and tho wonder must be how so much has been clone by it with such cramped finances. The Expansion League deserves tho best assistance of every public body in Otago. Now that an example has been set by Jim City Council, we can hope that no fear will bo suffered to exist in future of its activities for tho whole community being hampered by lack of funds.

It is a desperate fight which Mr Lloyd George is making to wrest Difficulties success from his greatest at conference. Threats and Genoa. persuasions have alike been used by him to bring the assembled Towers to a common agreement that will conduce to Europe’s peace and financial stability. If ho succeeds it will bo a wonderful achievement, because the odds against him were never so great before. Trance, Germany, and Russia appear all to bo equally ready to break up the conference, and it is poor help that the British Prime Minister is receiving from political, opponents most intent on disparaging his efforts in his own country. If we recall now the hopes that were expressed for this gathering before its assembling wo can judge the sort of miracle that will bo needed for their accomplishment in the face, of all the differences and hostilities that arc being revealed.. The conference was full of promise for Sir Philip Gibbs when its possibilities were outlined by him a few weeks ago. In return for economic recognition, ho declared, the Great Powers could demand, and enforce, the demobilisation of the Russian Red Army, the abandonment of revolutionary propaganda, and the establishment of a less tyrannical system of government in Russia. By such a compact, under drastic conditions, Europe would bo relieved of a military menace which totally obstructed the progress of peace conditions. With the demobilisation of the Red Army Poland and other neighbors of Bolshevy would- have no excuse for the maintaining of their armies. That would ease the financial and military burdens of France, and make her less aggressive in regard to Gorman reparations. At the same "time the resurrection of Russia from her living death, by her neighbors’ assistance, would mean much for the world’s financial recovery. "Russia herself ” Sir Philip Gibbs believed, “ must submit to any conditions to obtain it, or dio out of civilisation.” Unfortunately the needs of the position have not been bo plain to Russia and- some other Powers concerned. The Bolsheviks are inclined to think that their economic troubles may be met sufficiently by an agreement with Germany, and- have shown small willingness to meet the conditions necessary for an agreement to bo made by them with all the Allies. The objects which Sir Philip Gibbs envisaged could only bo obtained by tho co-operation of Franco, and Britain at tho conference,

and it is peculiarly unfortunate that tho Prime Munster of Franco at this crisis should bo a.Lorrainor, sprung from tho provinces that have suffered most from Germany, and imbued with a fear and hatred of thjjt country, even in its impotence, which make him the worst sort of reactionary at the present time. When M. Poincare says that Franco will remain at Genoa only on condition that she is not called upon to make concessions either to Germany or to Soviet Russia, it is hard to see how that attitude can bo maintained by him without tho whole conference being doomed to futility. Concessions there must be on all sides if agreement is to bo tho outcome of tho conference, and tho policies of crushing Germany and extorting the fullest reparations from her in tho shortest time, which make tho French Government’s programme, never can bo reconciled with each other. Tho Bolshevik, M. Tchilcherin, hobnobbing in a. dress suit with the King of Italy and living like a gentleman for tho first tirao since Sovietism achieved its triumph, if not in his life, may well ho tho only happy member of this conference. For a fortnight he can forget the horrors of tho famine districts, and to worry about tho future has not been a habit of the Soviet rulers, so far as their administration would suggest. But the good time which its Foreign Minister is enjoying is not unlikely to be a cause of new concern and suspicion to the Soviet. Half its care, it has been said, in selecting delegates for Genoa was shown in the precautions taken by it to ensure that they would not bid an eternal good-bye to Russia, when tho delights of a happier country were once experienced by them, and we can imagine that some anxious telegrams arc passing now between his Government and M. Tchitcherin.