"FAMILY-MAN" HAS A DIG AT THE "DRUMMERS."

NZ Truth, Issue 507, 6 March 1915, Page 8

"FAMILY-MAN" HAS A DIG AT THE "DRUMMERS."

f notice that the commercial travellers, at their recent conference m Dunedin, decided to renew the agitation for concessions on the railways. I should liko to know what the "commercials" have dope, or are going to do, m order to, justify their travelling better and cheaper^ than anyone else? The fact that they are the representatives on the road of the big proflt plnqhers," that they smoke fat cigars, " wear flash suits, put up at the best hotels, and generally consider themselves someb&dies, is not, m my opinion, a qualification for concessions on the railway. The expenses incurred by the travellers are/pnssed on eventually to ihe poor struggling consumer, the worker. Of course if there is a guarantee m writing that lessened travelling . expenses by the travellers will mean a correspondingly lessened cost In thb price of commodities, then there might be something m the request. To my mind tho commercials are very well catered for at present. Ono would think, sometimes, that some of them really owned the railway carriage when they are ln it. I used to admire the flno old picturesque traveller of some years ago, who took a genuino kindly interest m the places he visited, and the people. He was a different type to the majority ot the gentry of to-day. Of course thet-e are a few exceptions. ' Anyhow, 1 ho_>& thht the now Manager ot Railways and tbo Minister for Railways will not grant any concessions to tho r commercials unloss very sound reasons &ro forthcoming. "BULL-DOG" QUERIES THE BELGIAN FUND. Along with others I ask myself the question: In the event of New Zealand contributing, 6ay, £16,000 per month to the poor Belgians, how will they get It? 'Seeing that the Germans are m full possession' of that country and nothing can go m ordome out without their sanction,' also, considering that the Germans have declarod that if tho Allies persist, in', cutting off tholr food supplies, tho first to starve would be tho. prisoners taken during the war, and next the civilians m conquered territory, this would seem no easy problem. By reports from Germany at present the food supplies are becoming limited m quantity and prices are high, i How can wo expect them to let m commodities required to keep their enemies, while at the same time they are practically m want? Our attempts at supporting the Belgians would certainly be frustrated;! if not diverted to helping tho enemy,J Again, the cry is. more men, more men— why don't the Allies call on Japan and the two millions more offered by India to bo djlvo the Germans home again? There Is more behind this than some thlnsf. Lord Palmerston ils said to I have hailed the Crimean war as a Godsend, as the workers wero getting too numerous and tod troublesome Can tho same Idea havo actuated the Kaiser In declaring war? Anyway, let us bo cariScul lest we help the Germans. S" ■ [As to the query re employment of Japanese troops. In France there Is a great deal of talk about Japanese military aid m Europe, m order to shorten j the'war. It is a, difficult question, j Japan Is Britain's ally, and there is no | doubt ,thaV_J!,\Cftllea upon, would furnish as many troops as are required. But thero Is a political aspect to the - question. Japan's intervention has been confined to 'the Far East, and T^at they tackled" has been crowned with success. Intervention m Europe may glvo rise to .controversy, and the precodont thus created may have disconcerting results, which cannot be calculated now. At any rate, America couldn't, say anything, because such Intervention would be no assault on the Monroe Doetrlnp. From the ethical point of view, It would be infinitely better to pursue the war In Europe by means of "European troops," which designation of course must include troops like the Turcos and Indians, .'.who are Imperial Soldiers. Clemenceau In France,wants Japanese troops, but he 1b answered that such Intervention would make a "speolljcally French" victory impossible. In any case, there can be no .question of a "specifically French" victory, since Britain Is fighting side by sido with France. The whole question could be settled by a ft Conference of the Allies. Thero Is v proposal to hold a Conference ln London of the Allied Ministers of the Army and Navy, which can act as a : modlum for the interchange of Ideas > and policies. It has to bo remembered that tho battles on the two frontiers reaot on eaoh other, and that depres-

sion m one has its effect on the other. Field Marshal Sir John French made . that clear m a recent despatch. Russian strategy is not distinct from An-glo-French strategy, and vice-versa. — Ed. "Truth."] !