EDITORIAL NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10764, 11 May 1911, Page 1

EDITORIAL NOTES AND COMMENTS.

In the North the chief interest seems to have been Tiic Army Regulations, excited by the fear that the kilt is about to be numbered with the lost. The kilt is undoubtedly, the centre of a venerable and touching tradition, and the feeling' 6f-,sentiment it inspires is overpowering, to «ay the least of it, even as is the strength of the mountain dew. But sentiment is not confined to the kilt in our army. There is the naval uniform of the naval brigades, which tliey have "worn :for forty years with unblemished honor and some approach to the ' tradition of highest efficiency in the service. But nobody seems to have grieved over the bluejacket dress which sits so well on: ■the brawny men whose privilege it" is to wear it". In their case,- however, it may be said that they were hot "sailors in any sense, and'never intended to be. The mere fact of their, working on the wharves of the great ports did not approximate them in any way to the . maritime profession. In the Navy they might even have been looked on as masqueraders. That line of reasoning,' however, does not help the kilt, because | tlio majority of the men in our service privileged till now to wear the garb of. the Gael, never wear it except on parade, and in their private capacity have never worn it by any chance. On the whole the chances of lha ''mas-' querade" argument are "about even. The main reason why both the kilt and the bluejacket gear must go is that the Army may ne dressed in the one- uniform. It is a great thing to be trained to feel proud of the national uniform, a greater thing than meets the eye—one of the greatest aids to the warmth of patriotism. Moreover, ridicule kills more than bullets: and.nothing is quite so ridiculous as a battalion with piebald uniforms. Considering all things, it will bo better if the forces to which the defence of the country is to bo committed were to cultivate a strong pride in their own uniform, for which tliev can make their own tradition, without feeling tempted to annex the traditous of cither people. It would be better to assemble meetings in this cause than fur the purpose of denouncing the authorities, who, with great regret, have decided, for good reasons, U> cultivate uniformity of dress. We observe that there is a doubt whether there will be any "full dress" for the Army at all, whether our defenders will not be forced by a judicious economy, which prefers essentials to appearances. i to be content with its ordinary work- ! ing dress. Tf this is-a real turning of the back against, dear furbelows and .expensive feathers it is great news. ''Spend the money." 'the average man, we feel sure, will counsel, "on arms an! accoutrements." For example, the reservists are not to retain their arms, and tin- rifle clubs, who get 150 rounds of free ammunition, are not to have rifles, even to the extent of having them cheapened, from the public stores. But the cost of "full dress" would supply rifles to both classes of our defenders, and then we should be sure of a rifle for every man able to carry one — a thing we are not sure of now, and the want of assurance, we may say in passing, is disquieting, more than we like to mention in public. For the present there is only one thing more vc should like to see altered in the regulations. It is the regulation giving the supreme command and responsi l bility in matters of finance to the commanding officers of districts. The theory is good enough—that this will make the CO. independent of all but his immediate chief. But the cost in practice will be to degrade the CO. into a clerk. Instead of instructing and leading his men, the warriors at the bead of the districts will be engaged in a perpetual campaign against the junior clerks of the Audit Department. With one eye on their figures and one on their correspondence, the only columns they are likely to manoeuvre are columns of figures. It will be a loss to their own men, and a gain to the enemy when he comes. Wo trust tin- authorities will reverse their engine in this matter before that enemy comes.

The new system lias only been in operation a few weeks ?ost Auc'it. and the air nevertheless is already filled with songs of thanksgiving from the throats of those who have moneys to receive from the Treasury. The pre-audit system kept a creditor who wanted his money ever .so badly on the tenter hooks of suspense so much that often word went forth from th,e mouths of creditors of the State that there was abundant reason to declare the State to be on the verge of bankruptcy. What else was n man to think when be 7iad to move heaven and earth in order to fail to get fourteen pounds ten out of the Treasury? The bankruptcy guess was not so far out after all, for these delays were always caused by the squabbles of the inferior clerks of the many Departments through whose hands the vouchers had to go, and it was not till one side was bankrupt of fighting ideas that any settlement was arrived at. Now the experience is that, within three days at the outside., a creditor gets his money without trouble, delay, or doubting. We take off a respectful hat to the spirit of improvement which has, after many years of urging, taken its courage in both hands and advanced forward into the heart of red tape.

'Ox a former occasion we referred to ' the Invalidity and tinThe Fulcrum of employment AssnrArehimedes. ajice Bill as the fulcrum of Archimedes, and indicated the lever the Liberals have manufactured, for the constant use of that heneficient point of purchase. Since then Mr Asquith has added to the outline and the shadings of the picture with a fine - speech at Manchester.. It r.iav ho taken for granted,-therefore, that all who failed to see for themselves tlie picture as we constructed it- have now been taken to the right standpoint of vision hy the Prime Minister. The voluble hesitators, we are sorry to se?, are still in evidence. There is our venerable friend, the Spectator, with heavily tremulous fears lest the new scheme should be entirely con-st-rated to malingering illnesses and manufactured, unemployments. - It reminds of a careful gentlenian who did ! not like to throw a rope to a 'drowning I man for- fear of .breaking•'the rope. ! However, with the attitude, of "our old I friend \rc are not surprised. . We can i oiilv sav the same of Mr Showden, the j L:«h!)r member, .who has, in the moment" • t'.'i victory, joined the' 1 party of-voluble hesitation- by counselling the postponement of the unemployment clauses. Tr i< amazing that'he should fail to see that the important thing, the thing bevond value, that crucially makes the difference Between modern achievement and ancient chatter, is.the fact that the Bill makes a practical attempt to grapple with the great .'.question of unemployment, an -attempt which, whatever it does, or .fails to .do, must furnish a basis .for the next step forward towards the practical solution of

the gravest of modern. questions. Some critics we observe chiefly, we should say, for want of thought—have fulminated against the charge on the employers under the insurance scheme against' unemployment. The firm of Hailand and Wolff compute their annual liability in thousands sterling, and think they have set up a poser. But it is a question of principle, not of so many dollars. The employers are charged under the principle that they -want a supply of labor at given times, and must ensure for it to be ready at those times. On the; same principle our squatters and far-, mors give food and shelter to the swag-: ger. The trading system of Britain has ' got' away from such a salutary reasonable practice far into the depths of the: most hideously selfish thing known to human history. It is time.they Were brought .back to the dry land of the good sense which pays cheerfully for all its requirements.