THE CABINET.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18028, 17 January 1923, Page 8

THE CABINET.

By Telegraph—Tress Association. WELLINGTON, January 16. Tho Hon. E. P. Leo’s resignation is gazetted. Sir Francis Dillon Bell takes the portfolio ol" Justice,

WARLIKE MUTTERINGS. The position is -undoubtedly serious in Central Europe; and if the virtual ultimatum issued by Russia is correctly reported, a crisis—a most serious crisis—has arisen. Truly, Europe is in an unhappy state. Franco has invaded Germany over Reparations and has drawn first blood at Bochum, one of the last cities to he occupied; while the German Government —although reported in another column to be decided on appealing to the Entente in toto for clemency, and for a plan of getting over the present difficulty—considers Germany in a state of war with France. “Military force is being met by economic manoeuvring. ‘‘There is open war in East Prussia between the bombastic and unconstitutional Lithuanians and French troops. The cables report that the French troops have surrendered, as they were only 200 strong as compared with several thousand Lithuanians; Russia is growing restive again oir her borders, evidently having the same designs on Poland as had <the old Tsars whose “despotism” was to have been exterminated by Lenin Lianov and by Trotsky. Ronmania and Hungary—are ever Transylvania and the Balkans at rest while there are yet uniforms to delight the fair?—are snarling and clawing at their frontiers, and down east, in Thrace, Eemal’s regulars are drilling some sort of shape into young Bulgars who want some fighting, Macedonians and Mussulmen wherever he can obtain them. What is wrong with Europe? The perspective New Zealanders can obtain of the whole situation is without doubt an excellent penscopic view from a distance. “Looking over the parapet,”, in cold blood, from the comfortable easy chair of personal security, we see England and America at work; Germany working for her* self but not for France; and the Four Horsemen of the Beast rici ing across the rest of Europe, stirring up enmity, causing to be reborn rivalries dead since the Carnage of 1914, arousing racial hatreds that should have been sunk in the great .. need for work and reconstruction. Where a week ago we had rumours, now, unfortunately, we have facts; facts, be they ever so inadequately reported, or ever so awful and far-reaching’, that make another page to be written in the history of poor old Mother Earth, at present having a trying time with youngsters who will- not stop teething, and producing bayonets instead of ploughshares m their jaws.