Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1918. IN THE THROES OE A REVOLUTION.

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 November 1918, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1918. IN THE THROES OE A REVOLUTION.

Early in the war the opinion was widely expressed that the first serious reverse to the German anus would be followed by a revolution. Critics who opposed this theory .maintained that the German people were so thoroughly disciplined that they would never break.the fetters that bound them, and that if the Kaiser so willed it, they would die to the last man rather than surrender. If we may judge the Germans by their actions throughout the war, we may say that there is nothing heroic in their nature. Men who have been guilty of such revolting crimes as have been proved against the Huns are not men such as heroes are made of. While Germany was on top and victory seemed secure, the. Ivaisey was looked upon as something in the nature of a deity mid Hindenburg was the idol of the people. The sudden collapse of the German arms on the Western front, followed quickly by the defection of Bulgaria, Turkey and AustriaHungary. brought about a marvellous change in public opinion in Germany. The crowds that formerly cheered the Kaiser’s

every Avoid began to demand bis abdication. • 'me streets rang AVitli cries of “’Hoavu ivitb me Ivuiscr. ' The flags d| tbe ilobenzolierns Avere.tqi;n down from public buildings and-tire statue ul uiinacnburg. Tlie ivaiser, witli a wisdom that xcav thought he possessed, read the signs of the coming storm, and decided to get out before he was put out. idle lias signed his abdication and cliauged liis place of residence to -belgaum, Avinch offers a splendid jumping-off point for a quick departure into Holland. It is stated that Wilhelm rvill in future reside in Sweden. The abdication of the Kaiser may or may not be an important event. All must admit mat the German people have acted wisely in getting rid of a monster who plunged the world into such a Avar, and who for years past has been a perfect menace to peace. Tbe all-important question that requires to be answered is Avhether tbe Germans, in ousting the Ivaiser, ha\ T e also swept away the mililaristic system that made acts suiTi as Wilhelm committed possible.' If tbe evil system has been abolished, then the Germans aave gone a long* way toAvards rehabilitating themselves in the esteem of other civilised nations. The people of Berlin have ever been great sycophants of the Junkers, and any unusually revolting crime perpetrated by the Huns during the Avar was always received with delirious joy by tbe people of Berlin. These people are .now enduring some of the horrors that they Avere so anxious that others should suffer. The cable news states that there was tAvo hours’ fighting in the streets and many were killed or wounded. There is an old saying: When Greek meets Greek then comes the tug o’ Avar; but what will be the case Avhen Hun meets Hun in the .congenial task of butchery? They will now be able to try on each other the poison gas and other abominations that they formerly used against the Allies. The Berlin garrison has thrown in its lot with the people, so that the success of the revolutionary movement seems assured. Some doubt seems to exist as to what has befallen the fleet. One report states that tile vessels have left Kiel flying the lied Flag, and that the intention of those in control was either to intern the vessels in Holland or to surrender them to the British Fleet. The fate of his niueh-A’aunted fleet is enough to cause the Kaiser to commit suicide from very chagrin. It is interesting to note the important part played by the British Fleet in bringing about tbe revolution at Kiel. Until the German Admiralty ordered the recall of all the U-boats preparatory to a great naval movement, tbe submarines’ crews were unaware of the terrible destruction of U-boats that : had taken place at the hands of the Allies. The real truth, so carefully concealed. by the auth- - critics, came as an amazing shock to the men of the German Navy. Their auger against those who : had so wilfully deceived them ; avus so intense that it culminated in a mutiny on several vessels and finally the seizure of the whole 1 fleet. The internal strife in the ’ Fatherland is having its due effect on the Western front, where ; the Gorman defence is crumbling ■ up rapidly. The whole line is re- i tiring as rapidly as possible, and < very little opposition is being of- i fered to the Allies’ advance. The 1 revolutionaries are also assisting < bv releasing all war prisoners, 1 Avho are now streaming into Hoi- « land and thence back to their own < countries. A week or so at most i should see an end of the struggle, i If the German authorities do not i accept the Allies’ terms, the revo- ! lutionaries Avill take the matter ; into-their own bands. By Christ- i mas, Hie first of our battle-scarred i heroes should be on their way 1 back to New Zealand. 1

THE QUARTZ MINERS’ AWARD. The men employed in the quartz mining- industry in the Reeftou district are to be congratulated most heartily for the success that has attended their

efforts to obtain better workingconditions and wages more in keeping- with the daug-er of their occupation. There is an old saying- that one-half of the world does not know how the other half lives, and the truth of the statement is borne out in the quartz mining- industry. We are quite confident that very few of our readers had any conception of the dang-ers that quartz miners have to undergo, and the people of New Zealand are much indebted to Mr Mark Fagan for his able presentment of the men’s cases. It told a plain, uuvaruised tale in a way that carried conviction from start to finish. The employers’ representative seemed to be deeply impressed with the; solid array of facts that Mr Fagan had gathered together, and his main plea was that although the changes in working conditions and the improvement in wages asked for by the men were quite reasonable, the granting of these demands would mean the ruin of the quartz mining companies, none of which were at present paying their way. The Arbitration Court, however, were fully convinced that Mr Fagan had made out a flawless case, and they showed their sympathy with the miners and their appreciation of Mr Fagan’s skill as an advocate by granting the principal demands, including- improved working conditions and better wages and a weekly half-holiday. Men who work all day long appreciate a half-day’s respite from labour each week. How much more must it be appreciated by those who work thousands of feet underground amidst an atmosphere that is a perfect menace to health even under the best working conditions. If the Government and private individuals want gold in the future they should be prepared ,

to pay more for it. The ptipC of gold has remained , unchanged amidst the general rise in all other commodities. Let the price pfgold he raised £2 per ounce' and let a good proportion of the increase go to the miners and the remainder be given to the companies to improve their forking* conditions by installing the latent •machinery. Such an award, as, that granted to the Reefton miners:, will do much to restore the Confidence of the workers in the Arbitration Court and show them that when they have so genuine a’case to present they have nothing Ip fear. The victory gained hy ..Mr Eagan is a splendid one. and In?: deserves every praise for the; work that he had done for tire qpartz miners. ‘ THE ARMISTICE. / Hail, Columbia! Happy Land! Hail, ye heroes! Heaven-born bana! ■,/ Who fought and bled in Freedom’s cause. Who fought and bled in Freedom’s caiisS ! And when the atornl of war was gone, ; Enjoyed the peace your valour won. - Let independence'be our boast, Ever mindful what it cost; Ever grateful for the prize, Let its altar reach *the skies!-. The terrible struggle that .hap cast a shadow upon every home,., and drenched the world ,/;wjth blood and tears is at length ended. The mighty German nation has been bumbled and forced to accept the Allies’ tends:/. To-day? the world rejoices that peace one© more reigns. In the nation’s hprir, of victory, however, our people! must not forget the terrible danger that they have so narrowly escaped. Let them be thankful’, bnb not boastful. There were-’time// indeed, when it seemed that: tlrd fortunes of war were going against the Allies. When we

look back over the past four and a-lialf years, and consider whs|t the Entente Powers bad to contend against, we r can . form no other opinion than that ' thfey bad the assistance of. the God .of Battles in the great struggle. If ever nations drew the sword-in a righteous cause did- so in the struggle against the- Cert; tral Powers, "in the history of the world, never since Christendom withstood the Moslem invasion "was there such a cause as that .in which Britain and her Allies* fought. Germany had for nearly forty years, and had taken every step that the greatest military leaders in the Fatherland considered necessary to make victory absolutely certain); But in spite of all Germany faiL ed, and the ruin, that she planned for others has fallen upon herselfYesterday the glorious news that Germany had accepted the Allies? terms was flashed over the wires; and Greymouth ,in company with the rest of the world, During the period of tlxe ,war Vo have endeavoured to give > ;oi||’ readers as accurate detail# of . tlif great struggle as it was possible to obtain. The shortage of and the difficulty in ' obtaining supplies of paper have made task of the West Coast papers much more strenuous than it is possible for a layman to imagineAt times we have been inclined to be rather optimistic when the circumstances did not perhaps warrant it, but-we can confidently say that never when the clouds appeared darkest did we despair of the ultimate victory. When the story of this war is told To opr children’s children—by war-wiise men and women whose suffering has ceased and whose anguish is over—-they will surely hear how liberty was saved and tyranny overthrown by the. silent working of the Law which is inexorable, inevitable and irresistible. Providence lias brought To nought the most carefully-laid schemes of the Kaiser. The guns are now silent, and the struggle has been transferred to the conference table, where Germany will us© all her arts to secure some portion of the victory that her armies, were unable to obtain. Until the final peace terms are signed our motto should be “Watch and pray.”