The Otago Witness. (WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1919.) THE WEEK

Otago Witness, Issue 3400, 14 May 1919, Page 39

The Otago Witness.

(WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1919.) THE WEEK

WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY.

"Nunquam ullud natura, allud sapientia dixit**" — Juvenal,. "Good nature and good sense must ever join."— * Pope.

Germany to-day is reaping in tears and bitterness what nearly five. Sowing and years ago she sowed so 1 Reaping. recklessly and so unscrupulously. No greater contrast in the history of any nation cart j possibly be conceived than between the .' Germany of May, 1914, and the Germany i of 1919. Five years ago the German Em- j. pire boastfully stood as the greatest m ; tary power in Europe, possessor of one of. the most powerful navies, with a people] organised to the last point which science ' and skill could contrive, and with a com-1 merce extending to the utmost ends of the j earth. That pride goes before a fall has never been more tragically illustrated than 1 in the case of Germany. Not content with ; the foremost position they had achieved. / the Kaiser and his counsellors dreamed dreams of a vaulting ambition, and set to work in military materialistic fashion to make-those dreams come true. There if j no need to recapitulate the sad and sor- ! rowful history of the intervening years of crime and slaughter and devastation; but once again it has been shown to the world that might is not right, and' the futility of military methods to achieve unrighteous ends has once more been dramatically, demonstrated. The time will come when the events of the past four and a-half years can be reviewed in their proper, perspective, and when the relation of effect . to cause and of cause to effect may be_ adequately estimated. At the present the most that can be correctly affirmed is that the world's affairs are guided by an overruling Providence, strong and wise enough to constitute a safeguard against the mistakes and mischief of men. The events of to-day provide eloquent illustration of the principle affirmed in Holy Writ, that - God is not to be mocked; that with a ! nation, as with an individual, the reaping will be exactly proportioned to the sowing. This in rough and ready fashion is i the real meaning of the terms of Peace, . an attempt on the part of the representatives of the Allied and associated nations to proportion the punishment to the offence, to fit the penalty to the crime. Germany placed reliance upon her military might, which in its turn rested upon a system of complete conscription; henceforth her army will be limited to dimensions to which the term "contemptible" may justly be applied, and the ban will be placed upon conscription. .In the past Germany aimed at being the foremost naval power, dominating the seas and sailing her ships at will across .the oceans; to-day her navy is no more and her merchantmen a fast disappearing quantity. In the days that are gone the Kaiser visioned a world-empire,- in comparison with which the dreams of a Ceesar or a Napoleon wei;e as nothing; under the terms of the Treaty of Peace Germany is despoiled of her colonies, compelled to make restitution of Alsace and Lorraine, besides other territorial concessions which will diminish the population by several millions. At the outset of the war Germany carried out a programme of destruction and devastation which laid waste large tracts' of the most fertile and prosperous districts of France and Belgium, besides perpetuating numberless outrages upon non-combatants both on land and sea; for all this reparation and restitution, so far as this is possible, is to be rigidly • exacted, a righteous penalty which must leave Germany and the German nation poor and hard-working for many years to come. Indeed, the future holds for Germany no prospect of power and little hope of expansion but a stretch of lean years during which the people will be heavily taxed to pay for the cost of the war.

Some indication of the spirit in which official Germany will receive What Will the terms of the severe senGermany Do? tence is seen in the reply made by Count Rantzau to the presentation by M. Clemenceau of the terms of Peace agreed upon by the Great Powers "unite! to figljt together in a war cruelly forced upon them." In such pre-; sentation it was plainly pointed out that, while the Allies could not admit discussion i as to their right to insist on the terms as ' drafted, at the. same time they were willing to consider all practical suggestions made by the German delegates. The attitude adopted by Count Rantzau in his reply was the reverse of conciliatory:' indeed, the defiant tone of his reported utterances would seem to point to a refusal to sign. It does not seem to be; quite clear whether the reported decision of the Germans to leave Versailles and to return to Weimar amounts to such refusal, or whether they will be permitted to consult their colleagues before finally deciding upon their attitude. It has, of course, to be remembered that the Government of which Herr Ebert is the head has not only to consider the Allied terms, but also the attitude of the German people. It is stated that the position of the present. German" Government is insecure, and it is, probable that a too ready acquiescence in terms of Peace, the severity of which have already sent Berlin into mourning, might mean an effort on the part of the reactionaries to regain the ascendancy. Already the prospect is being convassed of a period of anarchy, followed by a military coup d'etat aiming at the establishment of a monarchy, from which, however, the Hohenzollerns would be barred. History often repeats itself, and it is of interest to recall the march of events in France hi 1870-71. On. September 2, 1870 Napoleon,* 111, with an army of 83,000 men, surrendered to the force of German armSj

and immediately the Empire was overturned. A French Republic was proclaimed, and the .concessions of territory demanded by Germany were refused. The Germany army marched upon Paris, and, following a siege during which the inhabitants experienced all the horrors of famine, France was, in January, 1871, compelled to surrender upon practically the very terms originally proposed by Germany viz., the cession of Alsace and Lorraine. and the payment of a war indemnity of £200.000,000. Before the embodiment of these' terms in the treaty of Frankfort, signed on May 10 following, Paris from March 18 to May 21 was at the mercy of the Commune,' which destroyed the Tuileries, the Hotel de Ville, and the Palais Royal. Eventually the third French Republic was established, which continuesto the. present day, and under which the indemnity was cleared off within the space of three years, and the German occupation ceased. There can be. little doubt that, if Germany decides to play a manly part, and, accepting unreservedly the terms dictated by the Allies, she throws herself on the mercy of her former foes, she will receive,all the consideration possible under the circumstances. It is essential, beyond and before all else, that Europe be guaran- ' teed a lasting Peace. Unhappily, there is undoubted indication that the Germans are likely to live up to the character given them by* President Wilson, of always doing the wrong thing. Commenting upon Count Rantzau's speech, President Wilson said it proved "that the Germans were the most tactless people on the face of the earth ; they misunderstood human nature.

The comments passed upon the Peace

Treaty are as various < as they are enlightening, since they proceed invariably from differing points of view. To many Germans they spell the deathblow ox all national hopes and aspirations; according, for instance, to Herr Ebert, they are intended to destroy Germany, reduce her to slavery, and sow the seed of future enmities, spelling the doom of any league professing to secure a world peace.” From the point of view of Lord Northcliffe cind the Daily Mail school, the' terms imposed are not nearly drastic enough; they leave far too many loopholes for German resurrection. Thus a speech like Count Eantzau s is eagerly seized upon to inflame the antiGerman agitation, and is denounced as ‘‘the incarnation of the cunning, defiant, sanctimonious, truculent spirit of the Junker.” According to the Daily Mail, Count Eantzau’s reply “showed that Germany is wholly unrepentant and blatantly unconscious of the horror in which she is held among civilised peoples.’’ Another viewpoint is that of the British Labour Executive, which criticises the treaty as “defective from the standpoint of world peace,” and" which, “while imposing on Germany drastic disarmament, does not provide for the progressive limitation of armament for the other signatories. There is much to be said, amid the confusion and contradiction of these various opinions, for the view attributed to a “British authoritative statement,” which expresses great satisfaction with the treaty as “the sternest in modern history,” yet containing “nothing vindictive,” and as making for more than peace because constituting the first step towards world reconstruction. Admittedly the treaty represents a workable compromise between well nigh irreconcilable policies, and as such it Ts a triumph of ability on the part of those mainly responsible for drafting it in its present form. There is little likelihood of the terms being materially modified in response to German protestations j conscquentlv the developments of the next few days will be anxiously awaited. -The statement is circulated that the ratification of the Peace Treaty and its signing by the King is not likely to take place until August 1 next. All things considered, it would probably bo wise to defer all attempts at Peace celebration until that data, and make them extend over the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the war. y

Comments on the Peace Treaty.

"Gold mining is almost being put out of existence by the present conditions," said Mr R. Gilkison, who presided over the annual meeting of shareholders in the Rise and Shine Company on Monday. "Certainly no new people will go into- it. We ■were' taxed to the extent of £I2OO excess profits that never should have been taken from ivs. That money should have been left to our credit, in a reserve fund to help us through the bad times we are having now." There were over 40 applications for the 22 .sections of the Gladbrook Estate which are being opened up under the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act, and applications for which closed at 4 p.m. yesterday. Seven soldiers are already in occupation of sections on this estate, and are said to bo doing well. One of them is stated to have made enough off a 40-acre crop to pay his rent for the next five years. The temporary grazing right on the Gladbrook runs expires on June 30, and it is likely that the- board will decide to open these runs for soldiers as soon as possible—probably on the date of expiry of the open grazing right There will bo no reason for delaying the matter on account of the high price of stock. v So far no trace has been discovered of the young man named Mervyn Greene, who disappeared about a week ago, his overcoat being found on a cliff at St. Clair. At the timo of his disappearance the young man, who is just 21 years of age, was wearing a light grey suit. Any information as to his whereabouts will be gratefully received by his parents, " who reeide in Russell street, or it may be reported to the police. Dr Reakes (Direotorgeneral of the Department of Agriculture) rccompanied by Messrs Bruce, Snowball, and Wills (of the local branch of the Agricultural Department) visited- Oamaru on Monday in order to confer with those interested in obtaining an experimental farm in Norfh Otago.

Mr W. Begg (the Mayor) lias written to Sir James Allen, asking him to use his best endeavours to have the Tofua, which is due at Port Chalmers about the 27th inst. with a draft of returning soldiers, brought on to Dunedin.

Up to the xaresent time the shooting season, which opened on May 1, has resulted in very few big bags being obtained in the South Otago district. Grey ducks are very numerous, but with the exception of two or three days at the opening of the season the weather has been exceptionally bright, and consequently the birds when going to and from their feeding grounds have been flying too high to give sportsmen much opportunity to show their skill. The Juoks are in capital condition, probably owing to the late harvest enabling them to secure a plentiful supply of grain. On the Tuakitoto and Kaitangata Lakes swans are very numerous, and during the first few days of the season a large number were accounted for. Pukeko are fairly plentiful in the swamps, but the majority of sportsmen evidently realising that the "swampies" are gradually decreasing in numbers, appear content to leave them unmolested.

The Mayor (says the Press) intends to apply to the military authorities with the object of purchasing cheap supplies of surplus blankets for the benefit of the poor of Christchurch. He also intends to communicate with the Minister of Munitions to secure the retention in each of the coal yards in the city of a small reserve of coal on whi"h the recipients of coal orders may draw. This will ensure that the poorest people will never suffer from an absolute coal famine. It is also intended to lay in supplies of firewood, and. the Major has already received an anonymous donation of bluegum lengths.

A touching story of a horse's devotion to its master comes to a Daily Chronicle Bedfordshire correspondent. Soon after the war broke out a horse, of which the owner (a farmer) was very fond, was requisitioned by the military authorities, and was shipped to France. For two years it played its rart in the great war, but apparently it never forgot the master at home. . Eventually it was sent back to England, where it was reoffered for civilian purposes. Curiously enough, it was another Bedfordshire farmer who bought it. There some chord in the animal's memory seems to have been touched, and its thoughts turned toward its old muster. Anyhow, the original owner was disturbed one night ly a noise at the garden gate, -accompanied by the stamping of hoofs. Going cut, he saw a horse poking its head over the gate. He-tried to frighten it away, but the animal would not budge, and on going up to it he was amazed to find it was his old horse. All the horrors of war; coupled with two years' separation, had not killed the animal's love for its old master, and at the first opportunity it had made its way home.

"The great catchword of the present clay is ' efficiency,'" remarked Miss N. Jobson, M.A., principal of Queen Margaret Presbyterian College for Girls, Wellington, at the opening ceremony (says the New Zealand Times). "What is the present day conception of efficiency? It is_ evidently not efficiency that abolishes the liquor trade. It i 3 not efficiency that puts character first and money second. It is efficiency that enables us to compete in the world's markets. That seems to be the present meaning of the term. I consider that the great i roubles of the day—the great labour troubles —arise from two things: One is the inability of man to think independently, to think for himself, so that he is led by the nose by any demagogue who has a fluent tongue; and, also, the growing desire for pleasure of the wrong kind. Wo want to do nothing nowadays but that which will give us money to go to the pictures or the comic opera, enable us to wear fur coats and silk stockings, or do something that really is not a very high aim after all. Wo are in clanger of cultivating the very spirit that has ruined Germany, and wo must watch against it. We can only watch against it by training our children to aim at higher ideals. That is v hat I hope to do with them here." There is much discussion in Great Britain concerning super-stations—that is to say, concerning electric genr rating plants larger than anything yet installed and supplying current in unlimited quantities to electric supply undertakings, railways, steel works, textile mills, and other big users over a very wide area. Electric supply is, in fact, being treated on a national basis; and enterprise on that scale implies manufacturing firms capable of turning out steam turbines of 50,000 kilowatts each, and constructing transformers, cable 3, and switchgear for transmission of electric power at very high voltage. During the war the electrical manufacturers of Great Britain were fortunate in their freedom to develop towards this position So' enormous was the demand for electric poiver and electrical plant of every description that the war was a powerful stimulus to their productive work. Incidentally, they have been reorganising themselves into larger group*. each working along certain definite lines. In additioi to these large combinations there are many strong firms specialising in various types of electrical plant and apparatus. The British electrical manufacturing industry is, in fact, sltill better equipped *han it was before the war. to meet foreign competition at home and abroad, and also to carry out every form of electrical enterprise. The March issue of Nature contains an article on the scientific results of the Australian Antarctic Expedition. These results, it says, " are being published ■ with commendable promptitude. Of the five parts recently received the most generally interesting is the report on the Brachiopoda, by Dr J. Allan Thomson, of Wellington. A Hereford bull which was being unshipped from the Mararoa into a truck at Lyttelton on Friday (says the Times) broke loose and stampeded along the wharf into the railway yard, followed by a crowd endeavouring to get hold of a rope, which was attached to the animal's horns. From the

railway yard the bull ran to the reclamation ground, and when he reached Officers' Point ho took a neat plunge into the water and swam out towards Diamond Harbour. The Union Company despatched the steam launch Manuka, which overtook the bull half-way across the harbour. Later the motor launch Zepher came to the assistance of the Manuka and after some trouble a rope was tied around the animal's" horns and it was towed to the shore. After landing it was taken to the cattle yards without further incident. It may be safely stated that Mr Sidney Kidman,- the Cattle King of Australia, is a millionaire. He began life with nothing, and to-day lie probably does not know within some thousands what he is really worth. Mr Kidman will retire from his gigantic business interests next year. In round figures, the Cattle King at present has dominion over 48,000 square miles of outback Australia, or, in acres, 30,000,000, and ho owns more than 200,000 cattle and 20,000 horses. Mr Kidman struck out on his own account when he was 13, and his first job was as a cowboy at 10s a week on the Mount Gipps station, in the northeast country. He told Mr G. H. Knibbs, C:M.G., chairman of the Pastoral Taxation Commission, in Adelaide, that when he asked hi> boss for a rise he got the sack. Yet to-day Mr Kidman is paying his own drovers £1 a day. When he "got tho sack" he went bullock droving on the Darling, and at 21 got a family legacy of £4OO. With the money he bought a mob of horses, sold them at a profit, and purchased more. And so on, -with horses, bullocks, and cows, until he owned more, land than any other man in the British Empire, and became the largest stock dealer in Australia. Throughout his romantic and strenuous career Mr Kidman has had a lot of luck, but he had none the. clay he sold a fourteenth share in Broken Hill for £IOO. Six months later it realised £450,000! Still, seeing he got tho scrap of paper for 10 culls of a mob of cattle, worth then 82s, he made a fair profit. .