The Otago Witness. (WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1917.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3291, 11 April 1917, Page 35

The Otago Witness.

(WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1917.) THE WEEK.

WITH WHICH 18 INCORPORATED THB SOUTHERN MERCURY.

"Nunquam allud natura, allud sapientia filiifc." —Juvenal. "Good nature and good sense must ever join.'— Pops. The entrance of America into the war arena.marks a new jdiase in America in the titanic struggle of the the Arena. nations. Whilst the action of the President of the 1 United. States enlarges the area of the fighting there is a sense in which it narrows ofown the issue. The ancient feuds between Italy and Austria, France and - Germany, Turkey and the Balkan States, may be said to provide side-issues for the conflict; but America's determination to stand side by side with Great Britain symbolises the real issues of the great war. Mr Asquith has put this supreme issue into felicitous phrase Avhen addressing the American people he said that "the whole English-speaking people are to fight as comrades side by side in the most momentous struggle in history." And* Mr Lloyd Geo>:ge, also addressing American people, has in words destined to become historic, described the cause for which a united English-speaking people are fighting as "an unselfish struggle for the overthrow of a sinister conspiracy against human liberty and human right." Sir W. Robertson Nicoll, in a fine outburst in the British Weekly, headed '■Hail Columbia," exclaims in words which, penned a couple of months ago, have special application to-day: "Together we stand henceforward under, the banner of truth and freedom. The world had a new revelation when Count Bernstorff was handed his passports. Neither wealth, nor ease, nor oM associations,' nor gratitude for the scientific services of Germany; neither the dread of convulsion at home, nor the consciousness of military unpreparedncss has availed to fetter the proud spirit of. the American democracy. The souls of Washington and Lincoln have raised a-mighty people to the defence of its honour. America has had a vision of universal peace, the line of light upon the land, the lane of beams athwart the sea.- The path toward that desired haven-may lie through darkness and storm, but the end of the voyage is sure." Already America is showing herself in earnest in entering the conflict. Hardly had President Wilson affixed his signature to the Congress War Resolution than QO German shins of a total tonnage of 630.000 tons were seized by the American authorities : these ships are beine repaired and will doubtless shortly be" utilised for necessary transport services. The American navy has been ordered to mobilise, and provision is being made for the raising of an army of a million men during the second year of war between America and Germany. The American Minister of War deem?; that conscription will be necessary in order to recruit this army and to supply the enormous orders for munitions rcq\ j.site to equip that force. The American W 7 ar Administration is asking Congress fc 1 authority to raise five billion dollars, ol which three billion dollars will be used ta

purchaso Entente 3| per cerit. r war bondYf the balance of the loan is to'be used fo» war purposes. There seems to be a -pro- ' bability that America will dispatch an. expeditionary force to France to take par| in the fighting; indeed, the idea thas American intervention will not materially affect the progress of the war should nofi - be seriously entertained. "We know and; ', Germany knows," declares one authority) - "that America could throw a mighty, ' sword into the scale. She is one of the 'intangibles' against which militarism fights in vain. One of our greatest " soldiers in the early days of the war rebuked a friend who remarked lightly that the United States might be regarded as _ negligible. 'Make no mistake on that - point, he said; 'America is far stronger, even from a military and naval point of - view, than most people suppose. Hex intervention would be the surest means of shortening the war.' "

General Sir W. Robertson, Chief of the ■ Imperial General Staff, has Supremacy in stated that Germany is not the Air. yet beaten, but she is re-" tiring in order to become Z stronger. Numerically Germany is stronger - to day than ever; she has more divisions in the field than in 1916, and half a mill r lion more soldiers. Such a statementfrom so authoritative a source must not he, ignored ; yet it comes with something at ~*Z~ a shock after having been led to believe - that Germany had reached her maximum ' in man-power, and that she could only - make up her deficiency by an increase in' - machine power. There is, however, one comforting thought in the situation, that despite her numerical increase, Germany > is retreating because, again to quote Sb? W. Robertson, "she dare not stand up to *■ further punishment in her old positions." .- The feature of the recent fighting has been "- the contest for supremacy in the air, and' which exercises so potent an influence ' upon the ultimate decision. During last 1 year's campaign the Allies secured so un~ - doubted a supremacy in the air as W virtually blind the enemy by plucking out ** their eyes of observation. During tha "r winter, however, Germany' has not been - idle, and has evolved an improved aero- *T plane with which she threatened to dis- ~* pute the Allies' supremacy. British skill J. and enterprise, however, have also got to > work, with the result that the Allies are ~ now armed with a machine that travels - at a breathless speed, and is still able to drop from the clouds plummet-like for " 16,000 ft to drop bombs on a train, fird a balloon, or riddle troops with machinegun fire. The outcome of these new Z machines on both sides has been an hv " tense engagement between large squadrons - of flying machines of a sort which even - the imagination of Mr H. G. Wells failed to compass. Twenty-eight British machines " are missing, of which many are known to" 7 have _ been shot down; while 15 hostile machines were actually seen to crash, and 31. others were driven down damaged.- ■... The Germans claim that the Allies lost on ■ all fronts during March 161 aeroplanes . >and 19 balloons, of which aerial attacks '- destroyed 143 aeroplanes and 19 .balloons respectively. The Germans admit the loss " of 45 aeroplanes. The British aviators, - however, are confident that when the weather becomes more settled they will be able to punish the Germans so severely as to command the air as completely as they did during the fighting on the Somme. _ All this aerial activity is the prelude to ~ more serious fighting, when the Allies, with all their forces and resources, will - challenge Germany to fight for a decision on the West. It remains to be seen what response Germany will make to the challenge, and whether, as is to be feared, slie will decide to retire to her fortresses behind the Rhine. • *

The suggested restriction in the railway services, if carried into Railway effect, will bring home to i ReSt an C d ionS the people of the dominion Coal Shortage, what being at war actually means. It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that a considerable section of the people of NewZealand resent anything which interferes with their comfort or disturbs the ordinary tenor of their lives. And the Government is to blame because '. it has hesitated overmuch in imposing restrictions which are really necessary if Great Britain is to win the war. Mr Herri'es has been at trouble to explain that the restrictions in the railway services, if they are to set free men for the front, must go further than the cutting out of race trains and excursion. trains; they must extend to the suburban ser- • vices. He holds, and with a good deal of force, that if people are taken to their ~" work in the morning and brought home at night, suburban dwellers should be content to stay at home in the evenings, and put up with the consequent inconvenience. ' The same argument applies to the objec- • lion urged by the men in camp against the proposed 'cutting out of the week-end! » services between Wellington and Feather- * ston and Trent-ham. If this Avar continues, and more especially if the men of the second division are to be called up, 1 the non-combatant portion of the popula- " tion must be prepared to deny themselves of many of their pleasures and submit to much inconvenience. And this should be done cheerfully and without grudging considering the sacrifices made and the discomforts endured by the men who are fio-hting bravely at the front. Another - factor "which renders railway restriction - necessary is the threatened coal shortage - which promises to be serious if the miners . on the West Coast decline to resume work.- g According; to latest advice the West Coast ' miners desire it to be distinctly understood that they have no grievance against their employers., their action- being a pro- \ test against the operations of the Mili- " tary Service Act. and the voting among the several unions reveals a practical unanimity on the part of the co.il miners. - Tf the Strike is not promptly abandoned \ it will be necessary for the Government to

take drastic action unless they desire the Epirit of revolt to -spread all over the dominion.

A Press Association telegram from Christchurch states that many soldiers returning to Wellington from their Easier leave in the south were hold up at Lyttclton on the 9th owing to the Mararoa being a full ship. A good number had their berths booked, but all the soldiers arriving by the second express were refused admission to (ho ferry steamer, about 200 intending passengers being left on the wharf. The blockage was caused by only ono vessel being available for the return of the passengers who came south by the Maori on Wednesday and the Mararoa and To A nan on Thursday. Considerable difficulty was experienced by the disappointed soldiers and civilian passengers in obtaining accommodation in Christchurch.

Cargo pilfering has assumed serious proportions at main ports, and scarcely a week passes but some Oamaru merchant is so robbed, usually in such a cunning manner that the Railway Department and the carriers are completely deceived by the appearance of the rifled case. The manager of the United Friendly Societies' dispensary (Mr Bain), on opening a case of saccharine tablets, last week, found a box valued at £1 missing, and Messrs Caldcr Bros, are endeavouring to obtain satisfaction for a theft of boots which runs well over £2O in value. The latter firm assured a Mail reporter that hardly a consignment reached them intact. Nearly orery tradesman in Oamaru (the paper continues) has at some time been the victim of pilferers, and as the cases are usually deftly repaired so as to conceal traces of the broaching, they generally are accepted in good faith and 'a clear receipt given for them.

Speaking at Westport recently, Mr J. A. Frostick (National Efficiency Board Commissioner) said that there was a splendid opening for the paper-making industry on the West Coast. News paper had risen 300 per cent, since the war, and there were millions of cords of timber going to waste. He was speaking with a knowledge of the. subject, and ho would say that if the papermaking industry were established there, newspaper proprietors would be able to buy all the paper thsy required at prices comparable to thoso obtaining under the more favourable conditions existing before the war. There would bo good wages for the employees, and a good profit to those who put their money into the industry. In New Zealand 50 tons of newspaper were used per clay. The Chairman of the Waimca County Council (Cr H. Everett), in advocating that the council should donate £lO towards the cost of the representation of Nelson at the National Apple Show, remarked, incidentally (says the Nelson Evening Mail), that the Cawthron trustees recognised tho importance of tho ..fruit industry to Nelson, as the great bulk of the Cawthron 'bequest would be devoted to research work in connection with fruit. Cost of living statistics for February of this year record a decrease for the throe food groups of 13 points (or about 1 per cent.) as compared with January (says the Wellington Post). As compared with February, 1916, however, the index number ;"ias advanced by 103 points, or about 8 per cent. The downward movement in. comparison with January is accounted for by a large decrease of 65 points in grocery prices, mainly brought about by a fall in the price of onions and potatoes. Gisborne and Alexandra are the only towns to show an ady,anco in this group, while Wanganui remains at its former level. In dairy produce prices continue to advance, the averago increase for the month being 23 points or 2 per cent. All towns, with tho exception of Nelson, show a marked increase in the prico of eggs, while cheese and bacon also contribute to a considerable extent. The dominion average for meat is 27 points above the figure for January. Tho most noticeable increases are in Whangarei (150 points), Nelson (98), Auckland (68), and Greymouth (64), all being due to un ailround increase in beef and mutton. To it lessor extent, Dunedin, Wanganui, Timaru, and Wellington have also increased. When all three food groups are considered, Gisborne is still the dearest town in the dominion, while Timaru displaces Nelson as the cheapest. Colour-Sergeant Samuel Atkins, of Wellington, who died last Tuesday, saw some stirring sights in India at the time that country was aflame with mutiny, and no white man's life-was safe. In addition to tho inevitable horrors of war, in those times duo to the primitive character of the services attached to tho army, cholera in all its hidoousness had ro be fought inside the walls of the cities, whilst the maddened myriads of Sepoys had to bo kept at bay without with cannon ball and rifle bullet. Sergeant Atkins said that on one occasion it was reported that a soldier named Joe Wilson had died of cholera. Tho man was wrapped in a sheet and put into the deadhouse. During the night the sentry posted near was badly frightened by a figure peering out of tho window, and saying: "What time is it, mate?" Thinking that it must surely bo tho ghost of Joe Wilson, tho sentry, instead of telling the time, fled to the barracks, to relate his experience. Joe, it appears, Mas a long way from dead, and soon made it clear that ho_was not his own ghost, but a very material person. It has been learned (says the Melbourne Argu's) that-Captain von Midler, of the Emdcn, was born in Queensland, whero his father owned a selection between Brisbane and Sanclgato. Ho was educated at tho State (School at Sandgato—a fact which probably accounts for his command of the English language, which has been freely remarked upon.