CASUAL COMMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1939, Page 6

CASUAL COMMENT

AND SOME OBSERVATIONS.

(By Observer.)

The tribute to Anzae Day went round the Empire last Tuesday. From dawn to far into the night, the commemoration went on. With the aid oi the wireless, proceedings in many places and in many lands were to be heard. Everywhere, there were vast assemblages. New Zealand had large parades and great concourses of people In Australia the ceremonial parades and the public gatherings were tar record numbers. Daventry paid a poetic tribute to the occcasion, blend-, ing in the story of the Anzac landing and the. noble feat performed. Stately verse depicted the spirit of. the fatten, and the recital was in every way memorable. Although far removed from the war period commemorated, there seemed to be a feeling that there was the approach of another conflict. So the hearts and minds of the people were stirred in deeper interest, to lend greater solemnity and regard to a commemoration which embodied all that was best in the annals of Australia and New Zealand.

Perhaps in the events to mark the day, the closing feature of our local celebrations should not be overlooked. The concert had just the right atmosphere, and the performers all did well, every' item being entertaining. The talent to be found on such occasions is a reminder that the town could do well with a musical society again. These organisations ebb and flow in the small town's as the enthusiasts appear on. the scene. Local musical talent as just demonstrated is quite up to theaverage, and with co-ordination of effort, could be made more of. The public enjoy the vocal and instrumental music, for, with wireless and pictures there is a surfeit of the canned variety. With the season of the year approaching when games are less enticing, music might again revive and the town be served with an organisation, which, as in former years, gave pleasure and delight to the public, and pleasaiit recreation to the. performers.

The summer period is past, and the holiday terms have been made the most of, excepting by fortunate scholars and teachers, who still have term holidays to look forward to. But it is well that the country should settle down to work seriously. The totalitarian countries show us.an example of rigorous work, for-under that benign form of government all must do their allotted, term of. labour to qualify as good citizens! The democracies take things eqsier. but are finding it necessary to put more pep into work. France has realised her drift, and is trying hurriedly to recover the, lost ground. Russia, by the way, is said to he dropping a great deal of its-labour .... jaJrLwc*'.. iw< orgaiusafion m the way of national work. The. ideals on that respect are less rigorous, and perhaps .more sane. New Zealanders are being urged by Mr Savage, as did Mr Massey in other days, to produce more. We need it for our financial welfare to create asset,s in goods which can be sent abroad, and make more funds available to buy essential imports. Yet there isJfiuch discussion about, imports on all sides. But these are governed by the funds with which to buy. The Government is using up much of the money to buy abroad machinery and supplies for internal development. Apparently the State' is the chief importer at this juncture, and some trading countries with the Dominion are complaining their exports are shut out of New Zealand. France* for instance, threatens to stop buying our wool, because we prohibit the' import of cosmetics, spirits, ere. Other countries are rather alarmed at the prohibition, but the Minister sticks to his guns as an important part of the. fiscal policy. One result is the increasing number of manufacturing industries growing up in the main centres. Goods hitherto imported are now made in New Zealand, and excellent qyality is being turned out. Not much is said ahout cost, but with the labour restrictions prevalent, the goods will be higher-priced in many instances than the imported article, but that is not a reason to condemn local manufacture outright.

The disturbing factor at present is the continuous complaints of the man on the land. He is an important member of the community, and many and serious are his present demands. Mr Nash appears to have reached the limit in butter guarantee for the pres r ent, due to the loss being borne by the State. Other commodities are also guaranteed, and the Government manage to go a fair distance in satisfying growers and producers. The sheepmen are the chief complainants now, not only in regard to a staple price for wool, but for help for the back country settler who is sheep-farming on land which is going back. This is a very large problem, and some relief lias been promised though not on the lines demanded by those engaged in wool production. A very active cane, paiirn is being carried on. and the position cannot be ignored. It adds to the difficulties of the Government which is at a delicate stag© with its social service problems which do not make a Minister’s life' at all a happy one. Nevertheless, Ministers express confidence in tliei work and the final triumph to come in a year or so when matters will have had time to fruitify.The ayerafre reader of hooks will b<> familiar with “Taffrail,” the naval writer of sea stories. He was present at the late launching of H.M.S. King George V, the first battleship to be launched by Britain after a lapse of 15 years. The George

is very modern and cost about eight ajid a half millions, and there are four more to be launched this year. “Taflfrail” says:' “Battleships still dorm the core of modern fighting fleets, for all the wiseacres may say about bombs from air.craft having made them obsolete. Here I am tempted to ask why a bomb from an aeroplane, limited as to its weight, and descending with its own velocity, should be any morje dangerous to a battleship than th,e long-range gunfire, against which she is ; protected P And what about the difficulty of . hitting a small target 'from the height at. which an aeroplane may normally be kept by anti-aircraft gunfire ? There is always -far more wafer than ship,, as every artillerist knows. Moreover, the ship is moving, and may not be keeping a steady course and'speed. The fact'is ; Thai every weapon has its antidote. When mines and torpedoes were introduced, people were not lacking who..saidrfclii«{j battleships were as dead as the dodo. They did not lie, for they believed what they said.. They were merely.-, false prophets.”

“Taffrail” says further :■ “Our naval needs are more or less absolute. We require more capital ships in such and such a strength according to fethe strength of our potential and the areas in which we-may have ,to* protect our vital interests as a maritime Commonwealth of free nations linked together by the sea. Air-craft carriers are required in certain proportion of service with the main fleets,•• and cruisers, for the same purpose,, ais well as for the protection: of- ouivesr sential maritime trade in the broaefc oceans. Destroyers are needed c/’to work with the Elect, and escort.,- .vessels in sufficient, .numbers to . counter a. submarine war of even**,(greater* potency than-.that;.pin ERA-liS-H—Jivis idle to say, that the excellence of our acoustic;deyipes-.for vlocating submarines has renderedThemuharmless. Acoustic devices can only . be,,..used from •ships, and ships in quantity. It is equally futile to think that any peacetime enactments of the ‘humanisation’ of submarine warfare will prevent submarines from preying upon-merchant ships when and how they please, or are ordered. If it comes to that, our merchant Navy in war is just as .much a Defence Service as the Royal Navy which'protects it, a fact which is insufficiently recognised.” .