HERE AND THERE.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 12804, 30 May 1914, Page 5

HERE AND THERE.

'Here comes one with a paper. God give him grace to groan."—Shakespeare. Those chicken-hearted people who whine about military training can surely have no conception of the dangers to which these lands are exposed by reason of the existence near by of a racet alien to us, and whose land is overcrowded, "while ours is inviting occupation. Here and in Australia are vast spaces capable of maintaining millions in plenty, while there they are forced even to terrace their hillsides and carry up earth from the valleys on which to grow the means of subsistence. Nor do these cowardly grumblers seem to have any knowledge of the lessons of history. i

Some of these were referred to by Sir lan Hamilton at Masterton, and the Wairarapa Daily Times was prompted to publish some illustrations of liow efficient citizen armies were created in tlie past. Its reference to these though somewhat lengthy is worth reading. It said: —"In the early days when Hamilcar and Hannibal fought against the Romans, the value of trained troops was exemplified. The former had placed under his control the Carthaginian civic mij litia; but though this militia had fought well in the Libyan war Hamilcar knew that it was ofle thing to lead the merchants and manufacturers of a f ity which is in the extremity of peril for once in battle, and another to form them into soldiers. Hamilcar had the task set him to form an army out of Libyan conscripts and mercenaries, and by a proper system of training he produced a capable army out of a mere rabble, And such success followed this system of military training that when Hamilcar fell by the hand of an assassin, and his son Hannibal was elected to fill his place, the latter continued the system. History tells of the wonderful results achieved by Hannibal's great trained citizen army. In 216 B.C. was fought the famous battle of Cannae. The Romans put 86,000 men in the field, while Hannibal had only 46,000 men; but the latter were thoroughly trained men, while a large number —more than half —of the Romans were raw volunteers, and pressed men who had had no training. The inevitable followed. Hannibal, despite his smaller army, won a great victory. He lost barely 6000 men, while the Romans' | dead totalled 70,000, among who were the great Lucius Paullus and the proconsul Gnaeus Servilius. At Trasimene the Roman army was practically annihilated by the trained Carthaginians—losing 15,000 men, while their enemies had less than 1500 killed. At Trebia, too. the Romans were utterly defeated with heavy loss. It was only by adopting a proper military system that the Romans were able to stay Hannibal's onward march. So well did the Romans train their men that fourteen years after the battle of Cannae the Romans routed Hannibal's soldiers at Zama, and Hannibal himself fled a fugitive to Hadrumetum. As General Hamilton said, we have much to learn from old Roman history.' ;

Mr Hughes, a politician who has found the Labour ladder useful in enabling him. to climb to office, is heading a movement the aim of which is to consolidate labour as a fighting force. The idea of organising labour to increase its efficiency or to enable it to give full or better value for services rendered is, of course, foreign, to this scheme. The aim is to create or strengthen a Labour Trust, so that it may demand what it pleases for the article it has for sale. In his speech Mr Hughes alleged that "modern industrial warfare is as much u matter of scientific application as warfare between nations.'' The allusion is unfortunate, because warfare implies spoliation and destruction. Why should there be any industrial warfare? Is it not possible for capital and labour to work together, and is not this the only method by which the best results can be obtained? Possibly if it were not for those politicians who are using labour for their own ends we might progress towards industrial peace. These people are continually striving to provoke war. lake ordinary camp-followers they hope to share in the plunder, and in the mean- , time they are being maintained in j comfort by the people they are deI luding.

That interrupter of Mr Massey s meeting at Auckland has been made to pay dearly for his successful playing of the part of a nuisance. He was not only fined, but according to the statement of his lawyer he was ko mauled at the meeting that he was unable to attend the Court. The lesson that the public when they attend meetings desire to have order maintained has been impressed upon him both by battery and by depleting hie pocket. The law has thus tried to 'teach him a useful lesson, but he may perhaps be inclined to quote from the old poem-" Perhaps it was right to dissemble your love; did you kick me downstairs?'' J " JEFF QUOKN.