Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10th, 1920. DOMESTIC PROBLEMS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 August 1920, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10th, 1920. DOMESTIC PROBLEMS.

The great victory that the Allies : gained in the recent war did not 1 remove the troubles besetting the 1 British Empire. She has had to | race domestic problems which, in their size and complexity, are almost equal to the German menace, j Naturally, the most serious is the Irish question. This ever- J

recurring' drmcnlty has increased 'hiring the past few years, and has now reached the grave aspect of a civil war. For centuries the British Government has shown a ronsnicnous inability to handle ■lie Irish problem in a statesmanlike manner. Time and again an opportunity has been given to effect a settlement in an amicable manner, but such a chance has been allowed to pass by because a noisy minority has been allowed to brow-beat the Government and force its will on the Irish people. V few years ago it would have been quite easy to get Ge Irish people to accept joyfully and thankfully terms much less comprehensive than those which the Government is now, offering hut which the Irish people refuse to accept. The Irish, people have been so often sadly fooled that they have become soured, and they are endeavouring to secure their rights by extreme methods. The whole country is in a state of chaos; but even in the darkest hour there is a flicker of light. Tire Church has thrown its powerful influence in favour of a peaceful settlement, and there are indications that the Irish leaders will accept terms that include the government of the country on the principle of Dominion Home Rule. A great deal has always been made of the. Ulster problem ; but we believe that, this aspect of the Irish difficulty has systematically been greatly distorted. With the eyes of the whole world upon

it tlie uew XHsfi GovermigqpT is pq,t likely to attempt any oppression pi its i’rote,stunt fellow-country-men. The trouble seems to be that the Irish people, Orange and Green, dwell too much on the old wicked past. They believe that ■whichever side gains the ascend-, aney in' the present struggle will take full advantage of its power to crush the other. Intelligent Irishmen who have followed the course of events in recent years do not credit any such statement. One must not take present happenings as any criterion. Men’s passions have been aroused, and they are committing deeds which, when they comp back to normal, they will deeply regret. How that there-are some slight prospects of a settlement nothing should he done to embarrass those who are working towards such a desirable end. Hew Zealand, where there are so many of Irish birth and of Irish descent, is greatly interested in the progress fd events in the Green Isle, and many an earnest prayer has been offered np that an early settlement that will give permanent satisfaction will be' arrived at.' ' Every effort must he made to prevent the quarrels that are now agitating Ireland from spreading here. Irishmen of all shades of political opinion have lived amicably together in Hew Zealand, and it would h,e a, great pity if that good feeling was in any way disturbed. We consider that the House of Representatives did ouite right in rejecting Mr 11. E. Holland’s attorn pt to raise the question. The M.P. for Buller is always endeavouring to derive cheap notoriety by embarrassing those who have the interests of the British Empire at heart. Wherever the slightest indication of a flaw appears in the magnificent bulwark of the Empire, Mr Holland and other agitator’s are fo be found using their puny efforts in an effort to enlarge it. Their efforts are vain, but the work goes on just the same. Why is this? Because Mr Holland knows that his appearance in the House of Representatives is due to the fact that he is the recognised leader of those who are, to put it mildly, lukewarm supporters of the Empire. Mr Holland knows perfectly well that if lie were depending on the loyalist portion of the Hew Zealanders for his presence in Parliament he would stand absolutely no chance. He has therefore to cater for his supporters. This accounts for the nature of the subjects that lie chooses for his Sunday lectures. So long as he makes his hill of fare hot and strong his audience is quite satisfied. Ho great damage is usually done, but at times unbalanced young people, attracted by the lights, find their way into the lecture room, and take all Mr Holland’s assertions as true. In this way the mischief spreads. Unfortunately. Mr Massey does not treat Mr Holland’s utterances i i the spirit in which they are intended. The people of Hew Zealand, however, have a sturdy champion in Mr L. M. Isiit, who keeps a close watch on the member for Buller, and both inside the House and out, calls attention to tlto h wild statements that Mr Holland makes. The Leader of the Extremists does not appreciate these and he shows this by the vindictive personal attacks that he has made on Mr Isiit.