MANAWATU DAILY TIMES. MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1916. AUSTRALIA HAS QUITTED.

Manawatu Times, Volume XL, Issue 13537, 30 October 1916, Page 4

MANAWATU DAILY TIMES. MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1916. AUSTRALIA HAS QUITTED.

Discussing the conscription issue on the eve of the poll the "Bulletin" placed the issues before its readers in this downright fashion:— The "Bulletin" is under n 0 delusion about what the war is going to mean to Australia. Some l of the results have been terrible enough in one way already. Nor has this paper any admiration for war as a "refining influence" or of conscription as a thing to be worshipped for its own sake. But it has a powerful conviction that war can only be met by war, and that in a fight for life a bayonet is more useful than a mouthful of wind. The GeTman armies and the armies of our Allies know nothing about Australian politicians, or what somebody remarked at Ballarat or Bingalong. They know Australian soldiers though! It is not the war that Australians have to say i something about next week, and the quostion for them is not j the one figuring on the voting | paper. The real question is this: SHALL WE BE THE FIRST QUITTERS? . . . Tiiat there are no shells shrieking through the Australian air and bursting in our shops and offices is all to the good. To break the enemy at the greatest distance from home is the thing that will best serve our national safety. These ; views epitomised succinctly the opinions which wore expressed by all the leading newspapers in Australia. Newspaper opinion was in fact almost unanimous. The exceptions were the official Labour Press and a few heterodox organs. Yet the declaration of the voting as far as it is ascertainable shows that Australia has by a

.substantial majority "decided to be the first to quit." Trie news comes as a staggering blow to those in this country who pinned their faith on the Australian democracy, quite confident in the belief that the Commonwealth would vote by a large majority to see tho thing through "to the last man and the last shilling." Obviously the results are 1 incomplete, but quite as obviously there is nothing to hope for from their completion. The votes cast so far number 1,513,025 —715,037 for and 797,i>brt against conscription. The numbers on the rolls in the various States are, approximately, 2,577,321 in the following detail:— Victoria 776,(300 New South Wales 1,002,810 South Australia . 237,845 Queensland (say) 340,000 Tasmania (say) .. 100,000 W. Australia (say) 160,000 New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland have, it appears, a majority of "antis," while- Victoria, Tasmania, and Westorn Australia have majorities for conscription.

The elements which contributed to ; the disaster were several. 1 Unf ortun- ! ately politics played a leading part. For some reason antipathy to Mr Hughes was a conspicuous factor. That statesman's Imperialistic forensics aroused a spirit of suspicion and antagonism which it is difficult for the all-red New Zealander to understand. Underlying a thin strata of Imperialism in our neighbours is a superstructure of nationalism. This was evidenced in the catch cries incidental to the campaign. "Australia first" was a leading card with the "antis" which no amount of argument could dissipate. Organised Labour both pacifist and extremist is opposed to conscription "except for home defence." -A potent factor in defeating the Government's proposal was the attitude of many returned soldiers who have complained bitterly and insistently of disasters which have followed errors of judgment or organisation. Largely contributing to the adverse vote was the amazing asininity of the censorship which by organising a reign of terror amongst the Austraian newspapers during the whole of the earlier stages of the war, suppressfree speech, held back vital information, and created a false spirit of optimism. The natural reaction was a poison-gas atmosphere of scepticism and distrust which had the effect of retarding recruiting and alienating public sympathy from the conscription idea. This atmosphere of distrust was heightened by local scandals of administration resulting in grave breaches of discipline and riots which were deftly turned to account by the agitators as indicating the "evils of militarism." A dispute as to the manner of enrolling married and single recruits and of making exemption also caused misunderstandings and unrest.

The propaganda of the I.W.W. and the pro-German element has been stressed in the cablegrams which have reached this country, but our readers will be wise to regard these as merely contributory and not crucial elements in the struggle which has been proceeding ever since Mr Hughes announced his intention of submitting the conscription problem to a popular test. Eepugnant as the circumstance must be to every lover of the Empire it must be admitted that in face of the organised opposition of the workers, it would not, even if the referendum had boen carried have been possible to enforce the law in Australia. There are large bodies of determined men in the Commonwealth who would go to any lengths to resist conscription. Theoretically they "believe in voluntaryism but they do not volunteer. They oppose conscription because they believe it contains the in.sidious elements of the worst features of militarism. In view of the glorious achievements of the Commonwealth soldiers, and with a realisation of the fact that in the great straggle which is going forward still greater contributions of men and money will be needed if the Allies are to come out on top, the decision of tho Commonwealth is lamentable. Australia is plainly weary of well-doing. She is "the first to quit." She has decided to make hef country a safe refuge for the shirker and the slacker, and to leave her voluntary fighting men without aid and support. "I am glad I am " not an Australian" said a local resident who rang up this office last night.. The remark will find unanimous echo in the hearts of the great majority of the people of this country.

WILL THE GERMANS SHORTEN THEIR FRONTS? This is the question which is asked by a writer in "Stead's Review." He joints out that to effect any really great reduction in. the French front the Germans would have to withdraw to the Meuse, Brussels, and Antwerp, ffhat would perhaps,, give a front to defend a hundred and twenty miles shorter than the one they -ire new holding. A still shorter line would be that from Verdun to Liege along the Meusc, and the Sambre through Mezieres and Namur, but it is extremely unlikely that, even in tno direst peril, this line would be broken Up. If it were, then the Germans %vould be relying entirely upon Holland's continued neutrality to guard them in. the north, and with a great (Anglo-French army available in Belgium, ready at a moment's notice to crbss Limberg and Maastricht, should Holland give permission, the risk would be far too great to run. If Jhere is any retirement at all we may be quite certain that the northern end of the line will be anchored either to the North Sea or to tho Dutch frontier south of the Scheldt. Whilst we may expect a withdrawal (at some time, it is unlikely that such a withdrawal, will take place before the winter, or at least.' until the JJalkan situation will have been feettled one way or the other.

PEACE TALK. The same writer, discussing the contention that "we are to go on fighting until wo win declare our own. terms to a foe prostrate and bled white as veaJ," says: "Overwhelming and crashing victory, a march to Berlin, may be the oidy way to. secure a lasting peace. Alas! that *«re such a victory can be ours posterity will be saddled with a load of debt tho brain tccls even to think of. The pity of it is that future generations will inevitably be composed of men and women less fit to bear the burden

than are we. In that contemplation I lies the greatest tragedy of all. One of the most common illustrations of the effect of war on the stamina and virility of a race is the great Napoleonic struggles. To his vaulting hmbition Napoleon sacrificed the finest men in France. The unfit, thy weak- ' lings, were left to father following generations. The result was noticeable in a general lowering of the standard of physique in the whole race, a loss which it has taken a fcentury to make good. There are those who are confident that somo time, if not next year, then n 1918, if not in that year, then in .1.9.19 or 1920, we shall have so smashed up the Germans that they will be prepared to accept any terms we care to impose upon them." The writer goes on to say that histoxy teaches us the hopelessness of trying to crush 'a great and virile race, and he goes on to suggest that "before slamming aud bolting the door on peace altogether we should first learn what Germany is prepared to sacrifice." This is all very well as far as it goes, but Mr Stead seems to have overlooked the fact that the peace kites which Germany has floated have been so far up in the clouds that nobody has had any clear indication as to what they really mean. More than that it must be borne ;n mind that every suggestion of peace emanating indirectly from German sources has always been followed by some particularly drastic course of action or form of reprisals. All the nations involved are losing the cream of their manhood in this ghastly war-New Zealand is feeling this keenly every hour —and every consideration of humanity and reason makes the closing of this hideous drama a desideratum. Unhappily these considerations were swept aside from the momeut that tt.e conflict entered upon its in tensest phases, and there seems no alternative but to acquiese in the conclusion that the war must go on. In the graphic language of Lloyd George: "This ghastliness - must never be re-enacted on this earth and one method at least of assuring that end is the infliction of such punishment on the perpetrators of this outrage against humanity, that the temptation to emulate Vtheir exploits will be eliminated from |he most evil-minded amongst the rulers of men! "

THE FARMERS AND SHIPPING. Commenting on the fact that Sir James G. Wilson has pointed out in a letter to the Taranaki Farmers' Union executive that a saving of Id per lb on wool and cucese would represent £1,000,000, and that in two years the farmers could from this saving have 1 a fleet of second-to-none, up-to-date cargo steamers, trie "News'' says: There is no doubt that the shipping companies are improving the shining hour to an extent undreamed of," and still they are not satisfied, were it not for the fact that another company, a small one unfortunately, outside the combine, was prepared to carry the wool at 2%d per lb, the* monopolists would have imposed a rate of 3d, thus bleeding the' sheepowners of an extra £375,000. It is interesting to note how the rates have jumped since the war. Wool has risen from %d to 2%d (scoured wool to 2%d); hemp and tow from 85s to 2GOs, tallow from 40s to 120s, pelts from- 45s to 130s, hides from 40s to 130s, kauri gum from 42s 6d to 105s. Meat and dairy produce are carried under different conditions —the Board of Trade having requisitioned the insulated space, controls it and fixes the rates. Butter is carried at 3s 9d a box, as compared with 2s 6d before the war; cheese at %d, as against Yjjd per lb. Inward cargo charges show corresponding increases. It is no exaggeration to say that since the war the shipping companies have taken, from the Dominion an extra five millions to six millions a year. It is an outrageous increase, and the wonder is that the producers have not before this made stronger objection and taken definite action with a view to controlling shipping when normal times arrive.