The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1923.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3610, 22 May 1923, Page 39

The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1923.) THE WEEK.

••Nuniiiiam allud natura, allud eapientta dixit.* -■Juvenal. “Good nature and good sense must ever Join."-* ftrx The most cursory survey of world affairs at the present time sugTliz Call fer r ests that the great need Leadership. is tor leaders with vision and possessed of the ability and energy to make that vision vital.” A circumstance lending additional emphasis to the call tor capable leadership is the regrettable fact of the lllhealth of Mr Bonar Law, who is reported to be in such a condition as to render his resignation imperative. The Prime Minister cannot be regarded as a great leader, but his advent to office was hailed with a certain satisfaction as heralding a safe and cautious policy for Great Britain, especially in so far as international intricacies were concerned. The result of the last general election n the Homeland was popularly accepted as evidence that the average British voter had tired of the dramatic fireworks :o which Mr Lloyd George was accustomed to treat them, and that a relief from explosions ! of eloquence which sounded well, but which in the end led nowhere, was universally sought. Unfortunately, Mr Bonar Law’s health, which for years has been far from satisfactory, has proved unequal to the strain of the responsibilities of office, which, in view of the farreaching nature of these responsibilities, is not to be wondered at. Already the name of his probable successor is being mentioned, amongst them , being Lord Curzon, Lord Derby, the Duke of Devonshire, Mr Stanley Baldwin, and the Earl of Balfour, and "of these, in the opinion of the Observer—Mr J. L. Garvine’s paper—-"the best selection would be to

bring Lord Balfour back as the head of a broad bottomed administration. No one ■would hesitate to serve under him.” On the other hand, the Sunday Times designates Lord C'urzon as Mr Bonar Law 5 obvious successor. Seldom perhaps in the history of the British Empire and of the world* at large has so much depended upon the right choice of a leader as at the present time ; it may be declared without exaggeration that the issues of Peace and War virtually hang in the balance. Despite all that can be argue a to the contrary, the influence of Britain is still paramount in Europe, and she is rightly regarded as the world s great safeguard against war; she has given practical proof of her desires in this direction by giving effect to great naval reductions in accordance with the terms of the Washington Treaty. “Britain, so states a recent cable message, “'is the only Power that has scrapped all the ships promised under the Washington Treaty. Since the _ war she has scrapped 44 battleships and battlecruisers, 86 cruisers, 286 torpedo boats, and over 100 submarines.'’ And this in face of the fact that France has not yet ratified her pledges undsr the Treaty of Washington, and that the United States and Japan are making France’s dilatoriness an excuse for holding back also* At the same t-inie such dispositions towards preserving the peace of the world have increased the moral influence wielded by Japan to an enormous extent, and this makes it essential that the statesman selected to guide the home and foreign counsels of Great Britain should be a man of peace rather than a man of war. To use Mr Lloyd George's simile, the world to-dav is not a place m whicn it is safe to *go about drooping matches, even though they are deemed to oe safety-matches, since safety-matches wil catch fire if struck on the right box. The existent relations between \Russia and Britain call for careful and masterly handling if the peace of Europe is to be preserved; and the same ma\ be said of Branco-German relations. Besides these two main causes of international trouble there are scores of smaller things, each and all prolific of disaster if rashly treated. For these and a multitude of other reasons the selection of a. successor to Mr Bonar Law will be awaited with ill-disguised anxiety. Mr Massey is entitled to a meed of sym-

Mr Massey's Predicament.

pathy in the political predicament in which he finds himself involved. The invitation extended to him to

be present at the Imperial Conference in London is couched in such terms that to decline would be discourteous; moreover, the importance of the matters to be discussed to the Dominion as a whole may be said to render his presence essential. At the same time the political situation in the Dominion is, to say the least, so precarious that Mr Massey’s absence while Parliament is in session may be fraught with disaster. Not only is Mr Massev’s majority an exceedingly slender one, but it is dependent upon the support of members who are not enrolled in the ranks of the Reform Party; and the departure of Mr Massey for London means the still further weakening of the slender thread that keeps the Reform Government in office. The defeat of Mr Lee at Oamaru renders it imperative that before the meeting of Parliament in three weeks’ time the vacancy in the Cabinet shall be filled, a process which must inevitably give rise to heartburning on the part of disappointed candidates. The respective merits of the South Island and North Island men will doubtless be canvassed, but the most serious consideration should he bestowed upon the selection for the Cabinet vacancy of a man who w-ill reallv be an access of strength to a Ministry not overweighted with natural ability. It s doubly unfortunate that Mr Guthrie, to whom on one occasion Mr Massey, during his absence from New Zealand, entrusted the leadership of the Lower House, should be laid aside by illness, and this adds considerably to the difficulties of the position. By calling Par liament to aether earlier than was anticipated Mr Massey will doubtless be able to size up the position more accurately and to discover exactly where *ie stands. It is manifestly impossible for Parliament to transact all the necessary business prior to the date when Mr Massev will have to leave for London , whether he will decide to leave Parliament in session or seek to adjourn until after his return remains to be seen. To a large extent the decision will depend upon the ability of the Government to carry the day ; a Prime Minister with so small a majority will be forced to humour the House, abandoning any hectoring tactics which were possible in the last Parliament, with its overwhelming Ministerial majority. Under the exceptional circumstances of the virtual command to attend the Imperial Conference, Mr Massey would he entitled to some consideration, at least at the hands of the Liberal Opposition ; unfortunately, the nature of the electioneering at the Tauranga and Oamaru by-elections was not such as to pave the way for a.nv political compromise between Mr ?.lassev and Mr Wilford. The strength of Mr Massey s position, of course, lies in the fact that if he is defeated there is no one to take his place, the alternative being another general election, which the country and the members alike regard with disfavour At the same time Mr Massey’s predicament is peculiar, and it remains to he seen how bis unfailing optimism will help him out. There still remain in our midst a con-

The Exhibition Project.

siderable number of citizens who remember —-even if their memories be somewhat youthful—the New Zealand

and South Seas Exhibition of thirty-three years ago; a project which, carefully planned and enthusiastically carried out, registered a brilliant success. With a gratifying renaissance of the ancient

spirit of enterprise which characterise.! endeavour in the earlier days, the citizens of Dunedin have set their hands to an even more ambitious project—nothing less than the holding of an International Exhibition in 1925. It was at first proposed that the Exhibition should be limited in scope to the products and manufactures of the British Empire ; but wiser counsels have prevailed, and the educational and commercial facilities provided will now embrace the whole world. With so great a project, as is but natural, certain initial difficulties remain to be overcome, the most important being the selection of a suitable site. The area greatly recommended is on the reclaimed ground known as Lake Logan, and if the necessary reclamation work can be completed in time for the safe erection of the necessary buildings, there is much that can be said in its favour. In all such schemes there is nothing like taking time by the forelock, and one great lack which Dunedin suffers at the present time is the lack of accommodation for visitors. It is declared on good authority that while the population >1 Dunedin is much larger than it was thirty-three years ago, there was better hotel accommodation in 1889, when the last Exhibition was held, than there is to-day. This is a matter which calls for prompt remedy, and upon which the Breweries Amalgamation, with its pro posa.l for the abolition of “tied houses, may throw an amount of light. The Ex hibition project is one which makes appeal to the imagination, not only of Dunedin and Otago, but of the, whole Dominion, and its quickening impulse should be of benefit to the entire com munity.

It may he feared that the sympathy felt and expressed for the un-

The Taieri Floods.

fortunate sufferers by the recent floods in Dunedin has scarcely been extended

to embrace the farmers of the Taieri Plain. At least the floods in city have subsided, whilst out on the Taieri they still remain, a large area of the plains resembling a huge lake. The condition of the farming community, their stock bereft of pasture, and their winter supplies of fodder greatly depleted, if not entirely destroyed, is pitiable in the extreme, and calls for prompt and generous relief. The lot of the farmer of late has, under the most favourable conditions, been an uphill fight. Ihe Taieri farmers, ravaged by the flood waters, see in manv cases ruin staring them in the face. A strong case can be made out for Government intervention, and it mav he hoped that the necessary representations will be made without delay.