THE CHANGING SCENE.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 47, 19 June 1917, Page 4

THE CHANGING SCENE.

(By M.C.K., in the Christchurch “Press.”) , There are far too many ways of winning the war to please me. It would be easier to feel that we were in the right • way of it if there were some sort of agreement that there was only one thing to do, and that the thing was to do it. But. when you hear that the right policy is to grant HOme Rule in order to prevent the intense loyalty of Ireland from destroying whatever is loft of Dublin—that the real key is in the Balkans—that only concentration on the Western Front will open the way to Berlin—that nothing matters but “ships, ships, and ,again ships”—that the fatal obstacle is the military salute —when you hear all these and other recommendations, and the war still goes on, you feel that the correct diagnosis has yet to be made. You are strengthened in your belief that Britain is hopeless, and you turn with relief and confidence to the thinkers of your own fresh and untrammelled democracy—-to the Philosophical Institute. And here again you are disappointed. They have not so many plans as the English thinkers, which is encouraging; such plans, too, as they have are obviously shrewd ones, which no doubt a suitable war will some day come along to justify; but still there is not the unanimity that is necessary. Dr. Farr proved with a piece of chalk that, what is wanted is the metric system, an idea that came fully koine to him, apparently, after a long and annoying argument with the coal dealer about the price of 3 ounces of coal. Another doctor showed that the metric system is worse than Mr Asquith, because it keeps ratepayers busy turning vulgar fractions into decimals instead of leaving them free to win the war. But then other speakers insisted that jto win the odd trick against Germany you must make brown coal briquettes night and day, the alternatives being to send old tin cans to China. For myself, I have always thought that the way to win is to hold a public meeting. This proposal was indeed made, by a Legislative Councillor, but it is now', alas! only one of several suggestions, and therefore, ono suspects, hopeless.