CURRENT TOPICS.

Mataura Ensign, 3 May 1919, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

No'tragedy in. history, is more terrible than the tragedy of civil war. In Germany to-day tho chickens have come home to roost. Tile militaristic spirit engendered in the heart of the nation from infancy finds itself in a turmoil of strife and bloodshed, when son is oitimes pitted against father ami opponents train .the same families fall face to face in battle. Tho most important scene of active lighting is now Munich, where the opposing forces ar • gathering for a sanguinary battle. Jfrqm present.judications the Hun bids fair to outdo his Bussian brothers in his orgies of blood and murder. Neither the Government troops nor the forces of the- Spar tad sis arc amenable to reason; both appear to bo bent on bestowing their brotherly attentions upon each other. When the. Spartacist leaders see fit to relieve a Government administrator of his earthly labor* by deputing some of the lesser lights to carry out the deed, the Government immediately retaliates by executing some of the Spartacist fraternity. 'the Big Stick : s supreme' in Germany’ to-day. ; From what we have .learned of the German during the war wo cannot expect anything else i'tom the nation in defeat. Coming on top of the reports of internal strife, tho'announcement that the Hans will' not sign peace unless admitted In full membership in the League of Nations'- strikes' us as another piew of misdirected Teuton humor. The Huns will have to 'work oxn their own salvation ere they are again fit, to associate with the. civilised nations of the world.

Tho well-known. Now York journal, ‘Life,’ referring to America rothurus: “There is no more subtle poison at work in this country to-day than the words, so frequent m ediioiial comment and news despatches/ America saved humanity. It is the poison that infects us with conceit. The oars of visiting Allies cannot but bo jarred by the ear-splitting shout from the vaudeville -stage that when Sammy grabbed his gun, then ilVe Hun began to run. The accounts of the marvels of American efficiency in France would cenie belter from' other lips than ours, that the Allies would have been whipped Jong ago had ii. not been for Sammy and his gnp can be no truer .than that the. same Sammy, together with all his family and wealth, would, have boon gobbled up by a greedy despotism had it not been lor these same Allies. We Americans should dwell on the latter thought, ami let the Allio.s dwell on the former. To .do the opposite is to ride to a. fall;”

The poll on the liquor issue in Now Zealand and the statement of the Premier of South Austral.a that ho was opposed vo the caking of a similar referendum in that State has caused speculation in political circles (says the bydney ‘Daily Telegraph’) asi to the lines the New South Wales Govern-* incut's. proposed.licensing reform legislation will take. Un account of pressure of Ministerial work arising out of the iidluen/.a pandemic, Cabinet, of course, lias not yet had an-opportunity to consider the. -question. The general assumption, however, is that cognisance will be taken of the division on a motion, before last session, affirming the principle of a bare majority, with provision for compensation, on the question of prohibition .Ur Ashford, Minister for Lands, would seem to share this view', Loo, as m a recent speech in the Hunter River district he urged tlio desirableness of separating: the manufacture and sale of wine from the liquor trade generally.' In urging the adoption of this course the Minister has no lack of Mipporters on either side of tiie House, and ir- may be taken for granted that in any contemplated legislation the' Government will he urged to make provision for saving viticullural Interests, more especially as wine-growing is regarded as a piqfitahlir avenue for the absorption of returned !• cithers. The Fanners’ and Settlers’ Association will deal with this pha.se of the question at u.s forthcoming annual conference, and it is anticipated that overwhelming .support, will be lor.heommg for Mr Ashford’s policy. In view of tlio possibility- of the Government declining to submit legislation providing for a baie majority on the prohibition. issue, a summary of the results of the. local option'polls taken In New South Wajes in 1907, 1010, and 1918 is interesting. In each instance the votes for continuance exceeded those for no-license,- and if the votes- for reduction are also taken into account :•. againsc no-license the margin is substantially greater. In 1907 there were 745,900 ' electors on the roll, and 401,002, or 02.2 per cent., voted: in 1910 there were 807,-005 electors on; the roll, and 570,718, or 00.4 per cent.., voted; and in 1918 there were 1,087,849 electors on the roll, and 070,802, or til.o per cent., voted, fn 1907 04 electorates carried reduction, resulting in 292 hotels being closed; in 1910. 14 electorates carried reduction, resulting in 28 hotels being closed; and in 1918 15 electorates carried reduction', resulting in 28 hotels being closed. The referendum- on the closing hour of hotels which, however, on account of the fa-d. that it. was taken under war conditions, has no special significance, resulted as follows; For 6 o’clock closing, 847,494; for 9 o’clock, 178,842: majority for 0 o’clock, 1(19,f>52.