NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19148, 14 October 1925, Page 10

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

MUTUAL COM PR EH EN STON. -Most international conflicts in modem times have their origin in imsunderstanc - ings between the peoples. It each nation possessed a deeper knowledge and understanding of the designs and needs oi either nations, it would be unnecessary to resort to brute force for the settlement of their conflicting interests and aspirations." says M. Paul Painleve, the Prime Minister of France, in the first Eng is i edition of L'Europe Nouvelle. "The words misunderstanding, misconstruction and disagreement, are almost, synonymous, and vet they express a gradation which ranges from'mere lack of comprehension to actual distrust between nations—the sort of distrust that results in preventive warfare, when one nation sets upon another because it fears it is itself in danger. Not only does it cause war between nations which have long been divided by hat.red, but it. also prevents other countries (between which there is no real cause for jealousy or dislike) from uniting their power to crush the evils which threaten to destroy our civilisation, lhe elite of every nation must not merely remain content, to fan the noble flame of patriotism which lies dormant in citizens, it must not be content with endeavouring to show in their true light the aspirations, fears and needs of its own country. It must also do its utmost to teach its fellow-citizens to understand and respect the aspirations, fears and needs of other countries. Mutual comprehension is indispensable to the peace of the world. TIIE POLITICIAN'S TASK. The duties that fall upon politicians were discussed in a recent address by Mr. 11. A. L. Fisher, formerly Minister for Education in Britain. ''The great ideas which move the world and exalt the character rarely come from the politicians. They come from the poets and thinkers and religious teachers ana artists," said Mr. Fisher. "They are conceived in meditation and in solitude and imply a self-sufficiency and freedom of mind to which the politician, exposed to the stresses and strains of active life, can never hope to attain. What the politician can do, is something different. It is not his business to be original, to give a new mould to society or to human nature, or to make voyages of discovery into the unknown, but, finding a great conflict of interests in society, it is his mission to attempt to harmonise those interests under the idea of justice. it is here that the justification for the existence of a political class is to be found. The politician s mission is to make intelligible the claims of different classes and individuals in the State and to obtain lor them such measure of satisfaction as is consistent with the common weal, 'lhe stuff of which politics is made is in reality vcrv simple. Bread, coal, clothing, meat.., houses and land. J.o help improve the common lot —this is the ambition which makes ami will continue to | make, the biggest and most generous men in any society desire to take up politics. GERM A N TRADE OFFENSI VE. Germany appears to be. using the commercial freedom that has been accorded her to such effect that she seriously threatens to strangle the commerce of other nations, by methods that are not Generally recognised as strictly legitimate I competition, says the Statist. As is well known, the Deutsche Werfi, that captured the ['"uniess-Withy motor-ship contract as well as the German locomotive companies that so conspicuously undci- | bid British and other tenders, wore unI aide to pay a dividend. The Deutsche Werfi. in fact, shows a deficit in its accounts of 1,205,824 marks. Not a single, locomotive firm in Germany has been able, to pay a dividend during the past year. Wo have had the. statement made by a leading industrialist that everything that Germany to-day exports is at a dead loss. Especially precarious is the position of the leading ma-chinemaking concerns in Germany. The Statist < pml.es an account given in the organ of the German heavy industries describing the campaign to capture the South American markets, mentioning large deliveries of iron arid steel products and machinery, and concluding with the statement that "the Germans send machinery in consignment and with specially advantageous terms, six months' credit after delivery. The sharpest competition is in railroad plant, locomotives and waggons,, rails, signal j apparatus and other equipment. The [ British claim to make superior material, | but at the existing prices they are in no J position to compete. Thus, both in the | railroad plant, and textile products, they are bound to retrogression." The Statist I remarks that if the Germans dump great | quantities of cheap railroad and textile J materials on the South American markets, irrespective of whether there be any profits, and add thereto credit terms that no other country can afford to grantit is evident that- German goods will outsell all others. But the questions stand forth: How are the Germans able to trade thus, in face of their declarations that their I country is denuded of floating capital, and | that all exports are mailt; at a loss? How j long can Germany pursue such a suicidal | commercial policy.,.