Notes and Comments.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 3300, 24 July 1917, Page 2

Notes and Comments.

The Reason Why. Objections to boy officers placed in command over mature men were voiced at the Second Division Conference in Wellington. A motion that Second Division soldiers should be in charge of officers of their own division or of single men of not less than DO venrs of aye was referred to the executive. It is not haphazard that young lieutenants are appointed. It is a military axiom that youth leads to dashing victory, whilst the older subaltern loses vim and go through over-cautiousness. That is why very young men are chosen »s aviators— they have the daredevil dash and take risks for pure love of the adventure that tlie man over 30 years of age would not take. Interned injNew Zealand. Very little information is published about the number of aliens and enemy subjects interned in the Dominion, hut the following facts are taken from reports of the American Consul last year laid on the table of the House this session: Somes' Island: 152 civilian and 94 military prisoners, viz., 215 Germans, 20 Austrians. 1 Hungarian, 1 Turk 2 Bulgarians. 1 American, and 6 naturalised subjects of other countries. Devonport Detention Barracks: One Swiss civilian and 11 German military and 1 civilian prisoner. Motuihi Island: 38 Germans, 2 AustroHungarians, and 2 naturalised Germans. The prisoners in the last-men-tioned place-complained that no sheets were simplied to them! Two German women interned had returned to Germany. How the Quidnuncs Fell In. When Lord Northcliffe crossed the Atlantic to represent Britain in America on the latter joining the Allies, there were the usual speculations by politicians and pressmen who look fur an ulterior motive when they might just as easily accept the obvioiis. Of course, they found the motive—several in fact. One was that Lord NorthcJiffe had gone over on Lloyd George's behalf to keep an eye upon Arthur Balfour, with whose conduct of the Foreign Office Britain's Premier is not altogether iji agreement. But the greater motive discovered and. exploited was that Lord Northcliffe had been practically banished in .order to allow of the return of Mr. Asquith to office in the Cabinet. For it was the persistent attack of the Northcliffe. press—the London Times, Express, etc.—upon Premier Asouith that led to the latter's downfall and the rise of Premier Lloyd George, whom Lord Northcliffe believes to be the hone of Britain. As a matter of fact, Lord Northcliffe is doing very valuable work for the Allies and for America, he being very popular with Americans : and the recent changes in the Lloyd George Cabinet do not indicate the return of Herbert Asquith. The head of the house of Harmsworth is too astute to he made the tool and fool of any politician—and certainly Lloyd George respects the. great Londoner too much to thus *ilay with him. How Britain Eats. Highly satisfying is the assurance from Premier Lloyd George to the effect that, thanks to close organisation, Britain cannot now be starved though the submarine even increases its i'erocitv. For Britain seems now to be self-sustaining. For the first two years of the war, mid until a lew months ago, there was little, curtailment of foodstuffs in the average English family. The English are heavy eaters. The climate calls for plenty of food. And the average English family hasn't really had a meagre diet even with wnr raging. An illustration of this is the fact that German prisoners 'n England have three liberal men Is a dnv and even then some of the British have insisted that their prisoners ought to be better fed. Like ourselves the English have been prodigal of their food, and haven't until lately the need of strictly conserving Mip supply. In addition to this disposition to wastefulness, thr> English have had to divert large supplies of foodstuffs to France and Italy, sis well is to help out Belgium. The French •»nd Italians live much more snoringlv •n normal times than tbp British. But the-" have been hamnoi'cd by thp enormous drafts of men for the army and eonsenue'it inferf'-rence with ngricnlhire. Still, if Britain is now s;ifp from stnrvat'on. if menns that her Al'ies will also be w-pII fed.