The Otago Witness. (WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15. 1919.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3383, 15 January 1919, Page 36

The Otago Witness.

(WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15. 1919.) THE WEEK.

WITH WHICH It IKOOBPOHATHD IKS toimuuur MSBOumi.

—JT7TBJTAX. ' "Qoo* ■»tBTB *ad good HUM MM* «V«T ftU.**— twnh.

The successive postponements of the essential preliminaries to the Peace Conference Peace Conference, and the Postponements, consequent delay in the ;"-.«■. assembling of the Conference itself would seem to suggest that ;; strenuous efforts are being made to ensure a certain amount of harmony at the Con-

ference table between the representatives of the nations, most intimately concerned in remaking the map of Europe and incidentally of the whole world. That there has arisen a serious divergence of opinion, not only in details but on matters of principle, among the spokesmen of the Allied nations cannot be doubted by all who have made a close study of the cabled news. Happily, there is also evidence that these differences are in course of being harmonised, and that a disposition is being shown to give and take with a view > to promoting a satisfactory and a lasting . settlement. The rapid sweep which is imparting so tremendous an impetus to the forces of chaos should serve as an emphatic warning of the danger of delay in reaching a settlement. It would be nothing short of a calamtiy were the deliberations) of the Peace Conference to reveal unbridgable gulfs 'between the several Powers, since any serious split or absence of amity would lend to the forces of Bolshevism exactly the incentive they are looking for. Every day the fact stands out more clearly that the establishment on sure and lasting foundations of a League of Nations- is an essential part of the Peace Cnoference programme, and that failure in this important respect actually spells failure to the qptire proceedings. Just because of this fact the pamphlet just issued by General Smuts, dealing with the position and constitution of the League \of Nations, possesses vital interest at the present moment. During the progress of the war General Smuts lent valuable aid to the Allies, and by his well-considered judgments did much to hasten and to achieve tiie ultimate victory. He now brings his matured wisdom to the consideration of the problems of the Peace Conference. His proposal that the Peace Conference shall constitute itself the first meeting ot the League of Nations should commend itself to the general judgment; the suggestion gets over much preliminary difficulty, and—what is of equal importance —it makes a start in the right direction. The details of the scheme are conceived on a broad and statesmanlike spirit, and the whole proposal is based upon the idea that the League of Nations must be as practical and as effective-as a system of world, government, which in reality it aims to be. In General Smut's mind, conscription is the taproot of militarism, which must be cut out, otherwise all endeavours after a lasting peace must prove fruitless. It may be assumed that this important pamphlet, issued at such a juncture, is to some extent officially inspired, and it will be interesting to watch how closely the Peace Conference follows the lines therein laid down.

The most instructive feature in connection with the announcement of Mr Lloyd *' ie personnel of Mr Lloyd George's George's new Ministry is New Ministry, unfavourable criticisms oi the Northcliffe "ress. The Times—the head and front of Lord Northcliff e's offending—states bluntly that the new Cabinet is "merely a reshuffle of the many palpable misfits." The same journal proceeds to point out that the pervading air is one of staleness,. and ..that the Ministry is. probably intended as a stopgap during the Peace Conference and

pending the launching of a reconstruction policy; and The Times significantly declares that "Mr Lloyd George has gravely shaken the confidence in his powers of choosing and placing men." Which may be taken to mean that Mr Lloyd-George has not chosen and placed the men whom Lord Northcliffe would have called to power. Still more significant is 'the comment of the Daily Mail, perhaps the most powerful of all the Northcliffe organs, which says: "The old influence is too strong for Mr Lloyd George; manjr of the appointments are purely political. ' It is interesting, in this connection, to recall the words uttered a week or two since by Mr Lloyd George at Carnarvon, when, speaking in the Welsh tongue and reiterating that he was still of the people and would fight for them, he said: "Unless the Government did.its best to fulfil its promises, he would not remain head of the Administration, but would-.appeal ip the country for a vote of confidence." Reading between the lines, it is safe to assume that the new Ministry will have a short reign, but exactly what are the relations between Mr Lloyd George and Lord Northcliffe it is not easy to discover. It is Lord •Northcliffe's boast that he is able to make and unmake men and to make and unmake Ministries, but whether his present policy as enunciated in his newspapers is one oi actual antagonism to Mr Lloyd George or whether he is merely paving the way ..for a new appeal to the country is a little difficult- to determine. Lord Northcliffe has publicly expressed his contempt for the League of Nations idea, and part of his scheme may be to work Mr Lloyd George round to his. way of thinking. If ever there was a time in the history of the British Empire when a strong Government was needed, it is to-day. It is a thousand pities that the exigencies of politics should result in anything of the stop-gap order, since the consequences of weakness at the head of affairs may be tragic—if not, indeed, absolutely fatal.

The signs of the times are too ominous for political jealousies and Demobilisation petty prejudices to be and Repatriation, allowed to exert any sway. . . The terrible trend of events in Russia and Germany carry their own moral; in both countries party is divided against party, and so keen has become the spirit of the strife that bloodshed is openly resorted to, mnd the only power that has sway is the power of might. As demobilisation proceeds a similar danger threatens well nigh every land in Europe; millions of men held under iron discipline by the necessity of war are feeling the relaxations that accompany peace, and a desire for liberty is taking possession of their minds. Failing the exercise of proper precautions, this desire for liberty speedily degenerates into license, when the step to the excesses of Bolshevism is but a brief one. . And unless care is taken for proper repatriation the trouble .quickly spreads and general disorder ehpiies. In .the Homeland itself sporadic instances have occurred of discontented soldiers getting out of hand and demanding demobilisation on . their own terms, and serious disturbances have only been averted by the good sense of all concerned. As demobilisation • increases in pace, such scenes are likely. to be more frequent, unless every effort is made to avoid giving the returning soldiers real grounds for dissatisfaction, and this especially applies to our own Dominion. The circumstances surrounding the return of the men by the troopship Tahiti, which arrived in Port Chalmers on Sunday last, furnishes a case in point. Owing plainly to lack of co-ordination between the authorities concerned, a number of the men got out of hand, and much discontent and dissatisfaction was consequently generated. Something like 12,000 men are and will be on the water between the Homeland and New Zealand during the next few weeks, and unless better arrangements are made for their landing, greater discontent is certain to result. This discontent is likely to be fanned into something more serious unless the Repatriation Board awakes out of its present apathy and rises to the occasion. This apathy is largely due to the. control of the Board being vested in four. Ministers, instead of placing it under one responsible head; and this absurd and unworkable plan is the outcome of political jealousy. The worst feature of the whole business is that the welfare of the men returning from the war," after having given of their best for King and-country, has been entirely subordinated to political pettiness and suspicion. This sort of thing needs only to be repeated once too often to create the conditions in our own Dominion under which Bolshevism is generated, and of which the steamer troubles between here and Australia are but a type.