The Otago Witness. (WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1919.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3384, 22 January 1919, Page 39

The Otago Witness.

(WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1919.) THE WEEK.

with . which is iirooßroaxrsD rex tOUTHEB* MKiOUai.

"frunqoam allud natura, allud lapiMtia tf!xlt* —-Jutskal. "Qoo4 mature and food hom must «r«r Ui*.**— feri. *^

When the President of the French

The Peace Conference.

Republic (M. Poincare) opened the Peace Conference proceedings in. Paris, the delegates of the several

nations represented "listened standing while a sense of the awful responsibility seemed to descend and cause a thrill of earnestness." It is absolute fact to affirm that the statesmen seated around the horseshoe-shaped table in the famous clockroom of the Foreign Office at Versailles hold in their hands the destinies of the world and the future ojf civilisation in a sense never before given to any assembly of men in the history of the world. The Paris Conference represents a supreme effort for the ending of war and for the perpetuation of peace, and this great and glorious goal can only be achieved in so far as all minor aims are allowed to sink into insignificance and tha one tremendous 'purpose is allowed to dominate every mind. For, should tha Conference merely succeed in. imposing terms upon the defeated Central Empires and in adjusting the conflicting claims of the smaller nationalities, it will have missed • the great opportunity and go doAvn to posterity as a disastrous failure. It is useless to attempt to disguise the fact that within the delegation to the Peace Conference itself there are all the elements of half a dozen fresh wars, each one more terrible and barbarous than the great war just ended. And onco minor differences and petty jealousies are allowed to have sway, the greater issues are likely to be forgotten or remain uiv. heard amid the inevitable clash of tongues. Already points of difference are apparent, the harmonising of which call for botli. tact and skill. It was the happiest of all , auguries that M. Clemenceau, the distinguished Prime Minister of France, should have been nominated for the Presidency of the Conference on the motion of President Wilson, seconded by Mr Lloyd George, since the nomination indicates a harmony of idea and action on the part of the three great nations, America, France, and Great Britain, gratifying in the extreme as guarantee for what should follow. So long as France, America, and Great Britain are agreed upon the main , principles which are to govern the decisions of the Conference, no serious. doubts need be entertained as to the ultimate results. A good deal has been made in : some quarters of the representation of the several nations at the Conference, illustrated in the fact that Brazil has a greater number of delegates than Belgium, and that, while North and South America have between them 16 members and nine votes, Europe with 29 members has only 10 votes. It is possible, of course,, that this analysis may be inaccurate, while the e precise value of a vote is not explicitly stated. The main point on wnich assurance is most needed, however, is that tha three great Powers, upon whom has fallen the lion's share of defending the liberties of Europe against the German aggressor, should work together as one; any difference between them on a basic matter of principle would be dangerous, if not fatal, to the cause of peace. It may be taken for granted that the preliminary conferences which have preceded the Peace Conference proper will have disposed of a number of outstanding differences and solved some of the difficulties, and thu* made plain the path for a- unanimity which will bring to the world a lasting and' righteous peace. .

President Wilson, in moving that M,

The League of Rations.

Clemenceau be appointed permanent President 01 the; Peace Conference, said thai

it must be regarded as .the supreme crowning of diplomatic history."Never before had so many nations beea represented with a view to settling problems." M. Clemenceau, in reply? emphasised the ambition of all assembled in conference, which was to prevent a repetition ~-of the world catastrophe occasioned by the war. And he stressed the need of absolute unity if the League of was to come into being. As showing that' the question 'of the establishment of such a league is a fundamental part of the Conference programme, M. Clemenceau declared that, following the initial question of the penal responsibility of the Kaiser for the war and the responsibility of the enemy's crimes in war time, the-question of a League of Nations vtsb to head the agenda paper. While there already exists a certain unanimity of opinion in regard to the League of Nations idea, the advocates of the scheme are at present divided into two camps. The point at difference between the two parties is the difference! between a universal League to include all nations, or of a League confined to a. select number of nations, who take to fhemselves the function of world domina* tion and who will exercise the power of admitting or excluding any other nations. Even among the advocates of a universal League there are those who suggest compulsory inclusion in order to make the. League universal. The outstanding difficulties which at once occur may be illustrated by asking two simple questions. I« Germany to be admitted to the League, and upon what terms? Is Japan to be. admitted to the League, and upon .vhafc conditions? Many other similar questions, readily rise to the lips, but the two ar«» sufficient to show the dilemma in whicK all who advocate the idea find themselves in right at the outset. The many wise, heads at work both upon principles and

details may, however, be trusted to evoke a workable scheme from -which compulsion ■will be largely or entirely absent. For compulsion has in it the elements of strife, and consequently, sooner or later, spells war. The probable procedure will be the formation of a League by such of the nations as are willing to band themselves together by a primary pledge to abstain from war among themselves and to submit all matters in dispute to arbitration. It should not be difficult, afterwards, to render membership in the League so advantageous from the financial, economic, industrial, and social points of view that gradually the whole world will be absorbed and international animosities become a thing of the past.

The dislocation in shipping connections both between Australia and

The Public Point of View.

New Zealand and between the two islands of this Dominion, although tempo-

rarily ended, suggests some inevitable thoughts. The inconvenience to the travelling public and the serious delays m the transport of goods and mails represent a public loss for which there is no remeay or redress. The cause of the dislocation was a dispute between the several shipping companies—in this particular instance the" Union Steam Ship Company and certain of the men on the boats, in this instance the firemen, demands considered by the company exorbitant. The company accordingly lays up its ships, the men refuse to go on board, and the public suffers all, the time. The company takes the stand that already the men are overpaid and that every fresh concession only provokes a new demand. The men, on their part, regard the company as a wealthy corporation, paying handsome dividends, and they frankly state that they, being essential to the sailin g of the ships, intend to have a "cut in P ' at the profits. Although the present dispute has been patched up, there is plenty of evidence that this is only the beginning of trouble, not only in shipping circles, but which may embrace all manner of industries, and it is high time that the Government took a hand in the interest of the public. There are certain services essential to the welfare of the public, and to the Government belongs She responsibility of seeing that these services are maintained. If further legisla--Jion is needed to accomplish this object, St should be placed upon the Statute Book at the earliest opportunity. In all cases where deadlocks occur between employer and employee which threaten the stoppage or dislocation of a public utility, the Government should possess the power to step in and- maintain that utility until such time as the dispute is settled.

It is expected that about 10,000 soldiers will arrive in the dominion before February 10.

General Pau left Dunedin on Monday morning for the north, accompanied by Commandant D'Andre, M. Bader, and Captain Bryan (New Zealand representative travelling with the mission). Tho General and his friends were accompanied to the platform .by Mr S. Neill (French Consul), Mr G. L. Denniston (Belgian Consul), and Cr J. S. Douglas (representing the Dunedin City Council). As the train moved off a lusty cheer was raised for the departing visitors. On Sunday General Pau paid a short visit to the residence of Mr P. C. Neill to thank him for his long services as i'rench Consul.

An Invercargill Press Association message states: "The Mayor of Invercargill has cabled to Sir Joseph Ward, in London, asking him to endeavour to arrange for a transport to make the Bluff its 'first port of call, and thus permit the Southland people to meet the troops under conditions vpjal to those in other parts of the dominion."

High appreciation of the services rendered fay tho medical profession throughout New Zealand in the influenza epidemic was expressed by the Hon. W. G. Russell (Minister of Public Health) in a letter received by the Newmarket Borough Council last week. The council recently praised tho work of Dr Talbot in the Newmarket Borough in a letter to the Minister, who in reply stated that though the ranks of ■Ol6 profession had been sorely depleted by the war, noble work had been accomplished.

At present the entries already received for the forthcoming show of the Otago A. and P. Society, to be hold on the 29th and iyOt'n inst., ire about equal to those of the 1917 show, and with the late entries now coming to hand good competition is assured in the sections for sheep, cattle, and horses. The names of several new exhibitors, who will try conclusions with Otago breeders for the first time, appear in the list, and should add interest to several of the sections. The hunting and steeplechase competitions should also provide more than usual interest this year, as some of the best jumpers from Canterbury will be pitted against the well-known Otago performers.

The annual inter-university tournament, ■which was suspended during the period of the war, is to be revived this year at Easter, when Duncdin will, by rotation, be the location of it. Thoro will bo competitions in athletics, tennis, shooting, and debating. Tho cup presented by the late Mr Athol Hudson, New Zealand Rhodes scholar in 1916, who fell in the war, will be a trophy awarded to the winner of the three-mile flat race in tho athletic competitions. In connection with the employment of soldiers, an Aehburton soldier, who is a married man, informed a Guardian reporter that as far as his experience went in finding suitable employment he had not landed On a bed of roses. He had been employed by one of the large mercantile firms in tho dominion, being taken on the permanent 6taff six months before he entered camp. He did not leave New Zealand on jaocount of demobilisation taking place. After leaving oamp he communicated with the firm with a view to being taken back into its employ. The lame excuse made

was that the firm had 200 men at the front who would be returning, and it would probably have to find berths for them, and as he was not a member of the permanent staff no hope could be held out that he would receive employment in the near future. The soldier naturally expresses disgust at the attitude of such a large mei-cantile concern, more especially as his credentials show that it is not a matter of inefficiency. He contends that the firm was very glad to avail itself of his services when a shortage of men prevailed, and then to shuffle him off after he had gone into camp and done his bit and was prepared to leave the country like a man if the war had continued, seemed hardly fair. Tho repatriation of some of the German prisoners now in the New Zealand internment camps has been postponed (says the Post). About a hundred of these meD were to have left for their native land by the Ulimaroa last week, but instructions received from the Imperial Government have made this impossible. The ship is to pick up troops on her way to England, and will not have room for the Germans. Probably other arrangements will be made shortly for the repatriation of these men.

In the District Court in Brisbane last month, Judge Jameson announced his decision in a case in which S. R. Howard, a returned wounded soldier, claimed from the City Mutual Insurance Company £IOO in respect of an accident policy. The accident was alleged to have occurred in France through the premature explosion of * a British shell whilst Howard was advancing on the German lines. The defence set up was that the plaintiff was injured in the ordinary course of warfare. His Honor found that Howard was injured by accident within the meaning of the policy, and gave judgment against the City Mutual for £IOO, with costs. He added that as the matter was such an important one he would give a written judgment in January. "I like to see the spirit you have of sticking to the national system," said Mr W. D. Bayley, a Canadian educationist, to the Educational Institute in Wellington. They had the same serious problem in Canada, he said, because the country belonged originally to another race _ and another regilion which was not" a majority religion in the British Empire, and a long time ago they gave certain privileges to a certain Church and a certain race in certain provinces. The race and Church referred to had wanted to extend their privileges all over the dominion, and they had had a serious fight. In religious matters they were divided; practically everything they did divided them into cliques and classes, and if the schools were not to be a unifying force he did not know where they were to obtain it. If they were to have a common citizenship, they must teach the children in the schools that they had a common national life apart from questions of oreed and life. A correspondent, writing to us, observes that the native shrubs in the gorges on the Otago Central line are in full bloom at the present time, and that in some places the hillsides are almost one mass of rich lovely blossom, which provides a very pleasing sight for travellers.

An unusual case of strangulation was brought under the notice of the Sydney Chief Coroner recently, when an inquiry was held into the death of Myrtle Gunn, aged two, who lived with her mother in Leichhardt. Evidence given was that on December 21 the child was playing in the backyard, in her mother's absence, -when she caught her head in a loop ■of an old blouse that was hanging low from the clothes-line. She was found in this position soon after, and a doctor was called in. His efforts could not revive her, however, and she died the same day. A verdict of accidental death was returned.

In inflicting a heavy fine upon two men who were charged in the City Police Court on the 17th with procuring liquor for a prohibited person, Mr .J. R. Bartholomew remarked that the only way to make prohibition orders effective was to impose severe penalties upon individuals who- procured liquor for prohibited persons or encouraged them to drink in any way. In the case under notice each defendant was fined £5.

English papers have been making appeals for the recognition of women aviators, of whom there are many at Home. As regards women who fly already, and there are a bevy of them, much might be written. Of Englishwomen, there is, first, Mrs Maurice Hewlett, wife of the well-known novelist. Mrs Hewlett took up flying, and qualified for pilot's certificate, in 1911, and she had also been running an aviation school at Brooklands before the war. Among her pupils was her own son, who has done so well during the war. Mrs Stocks also had some success a few years ago, but unfortunately met with an accident. Mrs Cecily Wilkinson learned at Hendon, and has flown quite a lot. She is now serving the country by driving an ambulance in France. Mrs Palmer, Miss Edith Meeze, and Miss Spencer Kavanagh are other Englishwomen who have flown. In Canada, Miss Katherin Stinson, the famous flier, is doing aerial mail work, and her prowess is highly thought of. The annual report of tho executive of the New Zealand Educational Institute states: —For four years in succession the institute has held its annual meeting under the shadow of war. Now that tho shadow is passing away, it is fitting that we count tho scars the war has given us. The list is a long and grievous one —and, let it bo added, glorious. When the war commenced in 1914 tho roll of the male teaching staff of New Zealand, from university professors down to pupil teachers and probationers, and including Native school teachers and inspectors, contained less than 2200 names. From that staff, with its additions in the Interim, the enlistments up to December 31, 1917—a year ago—numbered 902, exolusivo of those rojected on medical grounds. These fellow-teachers of ours have received wounds too numerous to bo recked of, honours not a few, and not less than 150 of them havo, as they would have'said, "gone West." It mcy be taken as an axiom that the character of the teacher is reflected

in the quality of the product of his school, and it is not too much to claim that a great factor in tho building up of the splendid reputation of New Zealand's soldiers has been the kind of teaching they have received in the schools. Wo, who have not been called upon for service, will in a little -while have the privilege of welcoming our fellow-workers back to their homes and to their schools. The welcome to our "returning bravo" will be cordial and hearty, but it should not cause us to forget the sympathy' due to the relatives and friends of those others of our fellows who will return no more.

A German family lived in an old farmhouse in Berkshire until a year or so ago (says an exchange). When they left an English family took the house and found that the ivy had been allowed to grow to such an extent that it darkened the rooms. It was stripped off, and then there was revealed to view, halfway up the house, a brass plate with a German eagle engraved on it, and the word "Protection" written on it in German.

There never was a soldier more deserving of honour than the American Commander-in-Chief. He is not only a great military leader; he is a great man. Brave, devoted, wise, modest, unselfish, firm, he is the soul of honour —a fine, clean American gentleman. Like Lincoln, he is sprang from the plain people, having been born on a humble Missouri farm. In Indian warfare, in the Philippines, and on the Mexican border, he has proved his mettle. " I knew him simply as a quiet, studious young man," says one of his old-time friends. " I never heard of any petty tricks done by John Pershing. The impression he made here was that John Pershing would make his mark in the world as a .professional or business man. His mother and father were strict church people—he grew up a Methodist. He had a new home, just finished, at Port Bliss, all ready for his family. He had planned to go up to California after them the very next week—when the terrible news came that his wife and three little girls were burned to death at the- Presidio. That was in 1915."

A number of inquiries are being' made as to whether men who were in camp in New Zealand on November 12, the date when demobilisation was commenced, are entitled to the King's Silver Badge. This in the past has been awarded to men discharged after six months' service, whether in their own country or abroad. Enquiries made by a Wellington Post reporter elicited the information that men demobilised who had completed six months' service in camp were entitled to the Silver Badge. The" method to secure it was to apply to the Director of Recruiting, Wellington, who, in reply, would advise whether the applicant was entitled to the badge, and if so, would at the same time notify Base Records, who -would issue it. Being a practical farmer, Lance-corporal John Baxter, of Seaward Downs, who quite recently returned to his wife and family after two years' absence at tho front, kept his eyes open to matters agricultural while on leave (states the Wyndham Farmer). In Scotland, his inquiries into the matter of rabbits showed him that they were not regarded in the light of a nuisance at all; and the evidence conclusively showed him that this was wholly due to a more intensive cultivation of much smaller farms than is the case in New Zealand; hence there was no room for Brer Rabbit. Neither were the small birds such a pest in the Land o' Cakes as here; and our friend was led to believe by an experienced Soot that this would probably be due to the fact that many of the trees in the woods there are the habitat for innumerable grubs, for which means of sustenance the birds have a strong predilection. But (continued the lance-corporal), after all, Scotland was "not in it" with France for intensive cultivation. Fences were practically non est on tilled Gallic soil, all the sheep and cattle being tethered and herded while feeding in the fields. Neither were the railway lines fenced on either side as they ran through farming country; and it was a fact that in some parts of the gently undulating country one could rido horseback a distance of, say, from Edendale to' Dunedin without having to alight once during the journey in order to open a gate. In conclusion, Lance-corporal Baxter declared his conviction that much closer settlement in New Zealand would do away with the rabbit nuisance, and bo a good thing for the country in every way.