The Otago Witness WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1928.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3865, 10 April 1928, Page 47

The Otago Witness WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1928.) THE WEEK.

Mutiny and Court Martial.

"Kunqnam allud natura, allud saplentla dixti,* “JuvkkaU _ ‘‘Sood nature and good sense tanet ever Join."— Mutiny in a sailor is the one unpardon-

able sin, says Mr John Masefield in his book on “ Sea Life in Nelson's Time.” In this connee-

. a xh uus vuiiiiec’ tion should be read the comment of the Daily Express on tbj Royal Oak incident : “ The whole incident is discredit - able to the naval authorities, and the mismanagement that permittted the impression that mutiny was created out of a vulgar jazz band squabble deserves the strongest possible censure.” When the rumour of a mutiny in the Navy first gained currency, at once memory went back to themutiny of the Bounty and the mutinies at the Note and at Spithead. There were reasons for those mutinies, which, however indefensible, were entered upon with a view of obtaining redress or at. least some compensation for admitted grievances. “ In Nelson’s time,” writes Mr Masefield, “it was hardlj possible for human beings to live contentedly under the iron regulations of a man-of-war. One has but to read the books left to us by the sailors to realise the peculiar horror of the life between decks. Cooped up in there like sardines in a tin, were several hundred men, gathered by force, and kept together by brutai'ty. A lower deck was the home cf every , vice, every baseness, and every misery. The life lived there was something like fie life of a negro slave- who happened to be housed in a gaol. It is not strange that the men sometimes revolted and broke out in open mutiny in order to obtain redress.” In absurd and degrading contrast the Royal Oak incident is but a petty squabble on the upper deck, out of which all the officers concerned emerge covered with contumely. The public s not concerned with the finding of the court martial, which necessarily limited and bound by cast-iron regulation; the public takes a wider and more embracing view, under which the Admiralty and the admiral, commander, and captain alike have laid themselves open to the severest censure.

The British Budget.

The balancing of a Budget is at all times a delicate operation,' call-

ing for the utmost care and foresight on the part of the Chancellor of the Ex-

chequer for the time being."* - Mr Winston Churchill has many qualities which secure him success in his role of Chancellor, not the least of these being a meed of courage in his proposals for ensuring an increased revenue and ingenuity in devising new imposts. His task to-day is much easier than it was two years ago when faced with a deficit of £14,000,000 on the operations for-the annual period, a position which a year ago had become considerably worse, when the deficit had grown to nearly £37,000,000. Mr Churchill’s reward has been fully earned, the past year’s financial operations having resulted in a surplus' of about four millions and a-quarter, instead of the modest estimate of a mililon and a-half. As the Observer points out, the statement of accounts is a satisfactory indication of the elasticity of the revenue and of some progress in the attainment of economies in the public service. _ The most satisfactory feature of the financial position in Great Britain is - that it has been reached not by any evasion of the huge responsibilities resulting from thp Great War, but in the face of a systematic and gradual effort to honorably discharge the obligations. Due insistence is still being placed upon a strict adherence' to the British programme of debt reduction. According to the Budget figures published, the excess profits and duties ex•tinguished the floating debt outstanding of £688,790,000, as compared with £715,776,000 last year. The Chancellor’s speech when presenting his Budget, together with his proposals for the future, will be awaited with interest.

Britain and Egypt.

An improvement in the political atmosnlim'A nc mnnrtn/1 ns: il

pliere is reported as a result of a statement by the new Egyptian Prime . Minister, Nahas Pasha.

to the effect that the Egyptian Note, which the Cabinet unanimously approved, represented the Government’s policy of safeguarding Egypt’s interests while maintaining Anglo-Egyptian friendliness on a programme best suited to strengthen Anglo-Egyptian ties.” It is difficult, however, to reconcile such a statement with the rejection of the draft treaty prepared so carefully after protracted negotiation by Sir Austen Chamberlain and Sarwat Pasha. That treaty embodied- proposals of so favourable a nature, so far as Egypt was concerned, as to incur the criticism that its endorsement would be a misfortune to the British Empire; but jt was not sufficiently drastic to suit the ideas of the extreme Nationalists, who demanded the complete independence of Egypt, with the right to defend the Suez Canal with her own army. This demand was aeeom-

panied by the convenient proviso that, should an emergency arise, the Egyptian Army will be glad to have the British Army to fall back upon. Not only are the Nationalists’ demands beyond the bounds of reason and possibility, but the rejection of the treaty throws the Egyptians right back upon the British Declaration of February, 1922, under which Egypt was recognised as a sovereign State and the British protectorate was abolished, with the following reservations, viz., the safety of Imperial communications, the defence of Egypt against foreign aggression, the protection of foreign interests..in Egypt and of minorities, and guarantees for British interests in the Sudan. These reservations, however, are not regarded favourably “by the Nationalists, and while the incident of the draft treaty is now declared closed, the situation is far from satisfactory.

America's Bid for Wonderland.

The news that the manuscript of “ Alice - in Wonderland.” tnp-othor

in wonderland, together with a copy of the first edition of this famous English classic, have been

■*-* II f-> IX oAX UUOdIL, JI Cl VC UCVJI secured by an American bookseller at fabulous prices, has naturally raised a storm of protest against the continual capture by wealthy Americans of British national art and literary treasures. The manuscript in question, which was knocked down to Dr Roscnbach for £15,400, possessed special features, in eluding the original per and ink sketches made by Lewis Carroll on which Sir John Tenniel founded his 'amous illustrations. “ Alice in Wonderland ” was a great favourite with Queen Victoria, and one of the first presentation copies was sent to Princess Beatrice. A unique interest attaches to the first edition of this bool? in that the whole 2000 copies were recalled from circulation owing to the indifferent printing of the illustrations. It is this circumstance which renders first edition copies so greatly prized. It is more than 60 years since this classic was first published, and its popularity-to-day is as great as ever. The fact that its author was by vocation a staid and sober mathematician lends more than a spice of variety to the humour of the story.