The Otago Witness. (WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1919.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3382, 8 January 1919, Page 36

The Otago Witness.

(WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1919.) THE WEEK.

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Jhe sweeping victory gained by the Coalitionists in the United Britain Kingdom, a victory almost and Bolshevism, embarrassing in its magnitude, has set the scribes to work to explain the causes which have contributed to the result. The English papers to hand by the last mail go to show that for some time prior to the elections it was anticipated, at least in labour circles, that the programme persisted in by Mr Lloyd George would mean a personal triumph for the British Prime Minister. The capture by the Coalitionists of 500 seats in a House of 700 members spells the disappearance of the old Liberal party and the complete breaking-down of the party lines which for so many years have marked the progress: of British politics. The failure of the Labour pa% to make good is doubtless largely duo to the dread of Bolshevism in any shape or form, and with' which a few of the more prominent Labour leaders were popularly supposed to be infected. This suspicion, lias proved quite sufficient to arouse all the latent conservatism in the British character, and this, together with the enthusiasm of patriotism evoked by Germany's surrender, culminated in a victory for the Coalitionist Government well nigh unprecedented in the history of. British politics., Such a victory brings with it a tremendous increase of responsibility, and of this fact Mr Lloyd George is only .too keenly aware. Speaking at Carnarvon-., in his. native Welsh tongue, he is- reported to have said that they could rely on one thing ; he was still one of the people, and would- continue to fight for them. This assertion was evidently intended as a reply to the charge levelled against him during the election campaign, that in order to achieve a political victory he had allied himself to. the capitalists and conserva-' tives, and in so doing had forsaken and betrayed the cause of democracy. To this Mr Lloyd George made an emphatic re-. joinder: "Unless the Government did its best to" fulfil Its promises," he declared, "he would not remain head of the Administration,, but would appeal to the country for a vote of confidence." The composition of the new Government, which will be announced: this week, is, exciting the keenest curiosity. Mr Lloyd George has requested all the Ministers to resign, and it is rumoured that he proposes to follow his previous policy of appointing business men to the head of the important departments," regardless of whether they sit in Parliament or,no. The political position at Home is rendered still more complicated by the action of the Irish electors, who, with but few exceptions, have chosen avowed Sinn Feiners as'their representatives; and it remains to be'seen if the Irish members will attend at Westminster, or whether they will attempt to set up a mock Parliament of. their own in Dublin, which latter, according to a report from New York, will be their course of action. Altogether, the reassembling of Imperial _ Parliament, which is now postponed until February 4, will be awaited with more than the usual degree of interest.

'A late London cable would appear to

indicate that a serious • Demobilisation situation in regard to the and Reform, demobilisation of a section

of the British army has only been averted by the restraint shown by the authorities and the good sense displayed by the men. That the disturbance so happily averted was the outcome of a fear on the part of the men al/ the front lest fair treatment might not be given them when the time came for their discharge is evident from'the wording of the cablegram. "It is insisted," so runs the message, "that the dominions are short of men; also that there is heaps of work at home. The men add: 'We are only waiting our time in France'; and they emphasise the fact that trouble would not have arisen if the war was still on." The added statement that " 'leave' boats are now running as usual" would seem to suggest that at one time the situation was so serious that all leave was temporarily rstopped by the military authorities. The difficulties, of ..carrying out any scheme of demobilisation without creating a measure of discontent and dissatisfaction on the part of those most closely concerned will be at once apparent. Demobilisation must of a necessity' be a gradual process, in which the finest of the fighting men are left to the last and the non-combatants and camp followers receive early discharge. It becomes easy, therefore, for those who have borne the brunt of the fighting, and who have endured the greatest hardships and made the biggest sacrifices to imagine that they will miss their chances in the after-war settlement and finally find themselves left out in the cold. It therefore becomes essential that, all such fears should be immediately allayed, and this is the first important task confronting not only the new Government at Home, but also all the Governments in all parts of the British Empire. Mr Lloyd George has made large promises in this respect, and he has now pledged himself that if those promises are not fulfilled, he will resign from the leadership of the Administration. The scope and extent of those promises are contained in the manifesto issued in the names of Mr Lloyd George and Mr Sonar Law immediately after the dissolution of Parliament, and they embody a most extensive and comprehensive schema pi social reconstruction, having for its aim

a material improvement in the conditions of life for the "great mass of the people who live by manual toil." Already an earnest of the fulfilment of those promises is seen in the announcement that the Government has begun the construction of half a million houses, thus providing not only work for the discharged soldier, but also a decent house in which he will be able to live with some pretension to comfort after his strenuous time at the front.

It is perhaps unfortunate that the League of Nations proposal should The League anew be associated with Of Nations. me n of the character and / calibre of Messrs Arthur Henderson, Bernard Shaw, and Ramsay Macdonald—all of whom are rejected candidates at the general election—since the association tends to prejudice the minds of a considerable section of society against what should and must be a principal plank in the peace settlement if peace is to be permanent and war is to cease. President Wilson, in the course of his peregrinations over Europe, has not ceased to proclaim the virtues of the idea of which -he has constituted himself the chief propagandist. "Throughout the countries I have visited," declares the head of the great American Republic, "I have found a most cordial spirit towards the League of Nations; the balance of power theory has been found wanting." It was the advocacy of the balance of power theory which" at one time threatened to bring M. Clemenceau into sharp collision with President Wilson, but all danger of a clash between France and .'America appears to have passed. It was incredible, indeed, after America coming -to the aid of the French people in their hour of stress and trial, that there should be any difference of opinion between the heads of the two nations at the Peace Conference table. One, most useful effect of President Wilson's tour seems to have been the removal of misunderstandings and the harmonising of ideas between the Allied Powers before the actual - Conference begins and the enthusiasm which President Wilson's presence has evoked in London, in Paris, and in Rome is in itself an augury of the happiest sort. There can be "little doubt that President Wilson's power to convert and to convince lies no less in the idealism permeating all his thoughts than in his ability to lift all discussions on to the highest possible plane, far above the national prejudices and local jealousies which too often distort facts and caricature situations. Speaking at Rome, President Wilson voiced a most "important truth when he said that it was impossible to conquer the world by arms; the only thing that would conquer the world was the service rendered by one nation towards all. He also touched upon another vital truth when, replying to a deputation from the evangelical churches in London, he stressed the need of a reliance on Providence at the present juncture. "The sanctum of religion," he added, "afforded a clue to the maze of perplexity in the world. Unless there wss some Supreme Evidence, one would be inclined to despair of human counsels." It is becoming more and more plain that President Wilson's presence at the Peace Conference will help greatly towards the righteousness of the decisions reached and the justice of the plan of "action decided upon for the future.

It will be a matter for general satisfaction that the previous The French arrangements have been so Mission. far modified as to permit

General Pau and the other members of the French Mission to visit Dunedin, and possibly Invercargill, when the great enthusiasm generated in the north will be repeated, if, indeed, not improved upon, in the south. From all accounts General Pau wins the hearts of his hearers no less by his personality than by reason of the nation he i*epresents, and his generous reference to the efforts made by New Zealand to come to the aid of France are both vreVi phrased and timely. There can be little doubt that one very practical result of the coming of the French Mission to these shores will be to draw New Zealand closer to France, socially, nationally, ' and commercially, rnd that the interchange of products and the mingling of the people which will result will be mutually helpful. In the future New Zealand may look for a greater influx of French tourists, just as France may expect larger numbers of New Zealand visitors to her fair land. And French manufacturers should make their way in greater bulk than ever before, whilst New Zealand meat and dairy produce will have a greater vogue, even in Paris itself. Thus comrades in war will become co-operators in peace, and with great mutual benefit and advantage.

The Hon. D. H. Guthrie (Minister of Lands) will visit the Otago district towards the end of the month. A Press Association message from Wellington states that three swimmers had a very narrow escape from drowning at Titaki Bay on Sunday. They were out bathing and were making for the shore when a particularly strong under-current caught them. The bathers were being swept steadily out to sea when Air J. Nixon, a taxi-driver, launched a rowing boat, without rowlocks and with one oar, After a smart piece of manoeuvring Nixon reached the swimmers and brought them safely to the shore. An eye witness highly praises Nixon's work. During the recent epidemic a Wellington resident had a narrow escape from being buried alive. It appears that the son of a well-known Government official was pronounced dead. The father, -who had been assisting in connection with the epidemic, together with the undertaker, was standing alongside tho coffin containing the body of the son, when the father heard a sound coming from the inside of the casket. Investigation was made, and' it was discovered that the "corpse" was very much alive. Tho son is now fully recovered, and con-

siders that he has had a marvellous escape from being buried alive. Th© forthcoming harvest in the Ashburton County appears to be attracting the attention of a large number of men from various parts of the dominion (states the Guardian). At the present time several early arrivals, are waiting in Ashburton for employment. The labour agencies are also inundated with telegrams and letters from various quarters all anxious to know when operations will bo in full swing. Although there appears to be plenty of harvest labour offering, the reverse is the case with shearers, and many farmers have been obliged to struggle through as best than could with half the usual complement of shearers. The shortage is no doubt due to the lateness of shearing in the North Island, the men not being available, as in former years, to take up the running in the south when the North Island sheds are clear. The ranks of shearers have also been depleted through the recent epidemic. Some few months ago, with the object of having investigations made concerning the idea of a bomb that would travel any distance from one mile or less up to 103 miles or more, Mr Wm. Alloo, of the mechanical staff of the Taranaki 'Daily News, communicated with Sir James Allen, requesting information as to whether a bomb such as the inventor had been testing (in model form) had ever been in use or received the consideration of the Defence Sir James Allen very kindly referred the matter to Major Smyth, of the Defence Department. "Whilst the latter officer gave consideration to details of tho. invention, he stated that he was not prepared to give a final decision as to its practicability, and instructed Mr Alloo to submit bis plans, etc., to the Military ventions Board, London. This the New Plymouth mechanic did,, and he has now received advice from th© secretary of the board of Research and Invention that his communications have been referred to the chairman of th© Air Inventions Committee, where it will receive every consideration. Mr Alloo claims that his invention requires no aid to propulsion; that it can be directed to any particular spot; and that it will travel at ten times the speed, of the fastest aeroplane.