The Otago Witney. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, MAY 15, 1923.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3609, 15 May 1923, Page 39

The Otago Witney. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, MAY 15, 1923.) THE WEEK.

••Nunqulm allud natura, allud saplentia dixit." —Juvenal,. “Good nature and good sense mast ever join.”— for*.

The vagaries of the weather, with the extremes of drought and Floods in the flood, constitute a perenSouth Island, nial subject of conversa tion. New South Wales has only just emerged from a- prolonged drouapit, which has proved disastrous to the flocks and herds of that State. The South Island of the Dominion has, on the contrary, been treated to a severe flood visitation, and the extent of the damage done, in the shape of bridges swept away, roadways destroyed, and houses and furniture deteriorated, lias vet to be esti mate, but it will run into many thousands of pounds. From the fact of its configuration New Zealand must always be in danger of floods when the rainfall is heavy, the height of the mountains and the shallowness of the river-beds combine to the gathering of volumes of water which speedily overrun the surrounding country, to the detriment alike of man, beast,‘ and dwelling. This was apparent when three weeks ago the low-lying area of the city of Dunedin was the scene of a flood which in severity and extent equalled, if it did not surpass, all pre vious examples of its kind. Not only so , the Taieri Plain was subject to a similar disaster. ! .art week the flood waters made their appearance in the north ot the South Island, Kaiapni, Rangiora. and the Cheviot in particular suffering severely, whilst Blenheim, which has an unenviable reputation for floods, was for several days almost hopelessly submerged. On Sunday last the scene of the flood again, shifted, and Dunedin was again treated to a flood, which, if less extensive than that of three weeks ago. was at least alarming, whilst the condition of the Taieri Plain is said to be as bad as ever. In addition to the actual material damage caused by the flood waters, the loss occasioned by the dislocation of busi ness on account of the stoppage of traffic

by road and by rail has to be considered. And of even greater menace is the loss of health and physical fitness which exposure to flood conditions and the flooding of dwellings almost always occasions. It is difficult to declare to what extent the danger of floods is increased by the denudation of the mountains and hills of their natural bush coverings; it is at least certain that, as in the case of the Water of Leith, in Dunedin, the deviation in the channel of the stream for purely commercial considerations has had the effect of precipitating flood conditions which otherwise might not have occurred. This frequently happens when man, in his little wisdom, pits himself against the greater wisdom of Mother Nature, the moral being, cf course, that once the interference has begun, it must be persisted in to the bitter end. The lesson of the recent floods is that the weak spots have been revealed, and it a for the local authorities everywhere to take steps to strengthen these w'eak spots and thus render as remote as possible the recurrence of such disasters.

Socialism and Finance,

Another tribute to the soundness of the finances cf the Dominion -s

afforded by the favourable flotation in the London market of a loan . of

£4,000,000, which in large part is to bo applied to the redemption of maturing debentures. Seeing that during the current year loans amounting to nearly £10,000,000 will mature, and their re newal or redemption must be provided for, and, that within the next five years a sum approximating to fifty millions will have to be similarly dealt with, the importance of New Zealand’s reputation in London financial circles need scarcely be stressed. It is safe to say that one of the props which sustain this financial soundness, and which has exalted New Zealand above some of the States of Australia, is the disinclination of the majority of the people of New Zealand to dabble in the extreme Socialistic experiments which are so fashionable in certain circles to day. In which connection may be con sidered the fact that whereas ten years ago Labour was in power in the Commonwea th and in five of the six States, to-day Queensland is the only Australian State which has retained a Labour Government. It is true that as a result of the general election last week the Labour Government in Queensland, under Mr Theodore, has been returned to power. In the last Queensland Parliament there were 37 Labour members and an Opposition of 35, 24 representing the Conn try Party and 11 Nationalists. The latest anticipation of last, week’s polling is that the Labour Government will control 42 votes and the Opposition 50. While in no wise ignoring the fact that this represents a Labour victory, there is pertinence in the comments made oy Mr W. M. Hughes in a special articie contributed to the Sydney Daily Telegraph recently. After pointing out that over a period of twenty years the Labour vote steadily increased at every election until it was the rising star in the firmament, Mr Hughes inquires, “Where is it to-day. Why are its glories bedimmed - ' Why* has it been pushed from that pride of place which it seemed destined to retain for years, and now holds office m only one State?” The reply made to these queries is that the leadership of the party has been usurped by the extremists ' until it has ceased to be national in its character. The Labour movement has lost its old idealism and has become greedy with the lust for political power. There are not we: ting signs that this lesson has been impressed upon the minds of the men who are guiding the Labour machine in the Dominion. During the last general election in the Dominion there was manifested fewer extreme expressions of opinion, and a greater desire to capture the sympathy and sway the judgment of the more moderate section of the workers. At the same time an organised effort is being nut forth to educate the people on the lines of an appealing Socialism. It may, and probably is, inevitable that in the loner run a Labour Government will control" the destinies of this Dominion, and that under its retime a measure of Socialism will be introduced exceeding anything attempted before. It must be remembered, however, that the Reform Government has, on occasion, initiated Socialistic experiments which y nld have caused tho‘ hair of an old-fashioned Conservative to stiffen and stand on his head thirty or forty vears ago. There is proceeding a gradual approximation between Capitalism and Socialism which cannot but be fraught with good to the community, and it may yet be the of New Zealand to demonstrate that the two apparently opposing systems may yet work shoulder to shoulder and hand m hand.

Russia and England. France and Germany.

It is such a consideration -which renders the respective positions be-

tween Russia and England and Frhnce and Germany to-dav so interesting and illuminating to the thought

ful observer : the conflict between Russia and England is primarily an economic one, the conflict between r r' 1 pee and Germany is essentially a racial one. It is unthinkable that either conflict be pushed to the extent of actual war, and yet it is only by calm analysis of the primary issues involved that the danger of an outbreak of hostilities can be avoided. Capitalist Britain is alarmed at the spread of the doctrines of. the Soviet ■ consequently it is not to he won dered at that the trend of events in Russia is represented in the most unfavourable light, and that every untoward occurrence —of which, unfortunately, there are only too many—is correspondingly magnified. Soviet Russia, on its part,'is nervous and jumpy because r* ri p undisguised antipathy of Capitalist Britain, and consequently allows itself in foolish words and unwise actions. The British Labour Partv, which, while sympathising with the Soviet, refrains from

endorsing its system so far as England is concerned, adopts the role of mediator, and “in a most friendly spirit, begs the Soviet to refrain from any action which will precipitate a resort to force or an outbreak of war until further negotiations have taken place, in the British ultimatum to Russia.” There is evidence that both Britain and Russia are fearful of the consequences of an actual rupture , as a matter of fact, Russian trade is as essential to the well-being of Great Britain to-day as British supplies are essential to the well-being of Russia, and any trade dislocation at the present juncture would be little short of suicidal 'c both. All things considered, there ; s reason to hope that wise counsels will prevail and a way out be found of the impending impasse. Unhappily, it is not easy to take so optimistic a view of the strained relations between France and Germany. The profound impression created by the decisions in the cases heard at the Ivrupp court-martial is see in the spectacle of Essen as a worldess, silent city, in consequence of the proclamation of a five hours’ strike as a protest against the severe sentences pronounced by the French court. Even workman went home, the shops were shuttered, the restaurants closed, and traffic ceased. Moreover, the inhabitants obey r ed' the union’s request to stay indoors. The streets were Uesertea. I his is only a reflection of the passive resistance adopted by the Germans on the Ruhr as a protest against the i* rench occupation, and a situation has been created which only the intervention of the League of Nations can possibly solve.