WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

Observer, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 4, 29 September 1917, Page 3

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

WE do not want the New Zealand Parliament to stultify itself within the threatening grip of different sections of the community, and we fail to see how sane legislation can be passed if a certain calmness is not maintained. —Dannevirke " News."

Some people seem to believe that to blame the Government is the only thing they need do to help win the war, whereas it is the surest way to lose it. If the critics have up their sleeves some satisfactory method of utilising C 2 men for the good of the country they should produce it; to most people it seems that all the Government can do is to stand by and give every encouragement to individuals to undertake the necessary reorganisation of industry for themselves.—New Plymouth " Herald."

The forces that 6eek to throw obstacles in the way of any movement for peace that is likely to have effect have been candidly described by the Countess of Warwick in a recent article. The article is entitled " The Past, Present and Future." She says of the men who have put" up new plants "in England. •' They will not be a force for peace; but for war; they will intrigue to that end. If the purchase leaves a margin of profit, they will buy war." She goes on to point out that the armaments ring has increased and multiplied since the outbreak of the war, and, that " the armament firms will be the richest trading companies in the world, and they deal in Death." She adds Quite frankly the men who have laid out large sums for plant and power tell of their hopes that no country dare disarm when peace is signed, that one and all will need munitions on a scale never before known, and that, in consequence, dividends and prices and businesses will be as flourishing as it is to-day. Not lightly will the pursuers of profit lighten the load of a world, they will claim to have saved. —London " Fortnightly Review."

Lord Curzon has a long vision for an English peer. He says that it is important that the harbours of the Empire should be improved to accommodate big ships after the war, and talks of an Imperial loan for the purpose. Australia will never get into the ruck of commerce until it has 40,000-ton leviathan steamers calling regularly. At present there is not a harbour they could enter without bumping on the bottom or scraping the sides. There is need for an engineer knowing local conditions to go home and propose a scheme of dredging and blasting to open our ports. — Melbourne " Table Talk."

It is incontrovertible that millions of people in Germany realise that there is no hope of democratic government save in the support of Social Democracy, and that once the crying need of democratic government is met, the German nation will dispute with all other democratic countries, the right to be viewed as the greatest progressive nation in Europe.— Oamaru " Times."

Amongst local men drawn in the ballot is one who enlisted, was two months in Camp and then discharged as unfit. His name, like that of someof the others, should not have been left on the list, but there does not seem to have been found all through the ballots any system for getting a clean sheet.—Carterton " News."

There should be no difficulty about finance ; a country which in three weeks can subscribe £16,000,000 for carrying on the war can surely find another million or two to inaugurate peace with the putting in hand of large public worksNew Plymouth " Herald."

No military unit is efficient under dual control —control from the top and bottom also!— Wellington '• Post."

No man can say how long Germany may fight before making a peace move acceptable to the Allies, and therefore the time to organise for the next War Loan is not when the prospectus is issued but now. We must prepare to meet the next financial call just as the men drawn in the last ballot are prepared by rigid training to take their places in the trenches in France. — Dannevirke "News."

The men of the Second Division expect the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence to honour their promises that every eligible man of the Kirst Division will be sent on active service before the Second Division is called on, and that the suggested schemes of pensions and allowances adopted by the Second Division conference as the irreducible minimum will be fully considered by the House of Representatives before married men are called up.—Oamaru " Times."

When he thought the Contemptibles had been flattened out, the enemy loosed his masses, which rushed on in great waves of grey green. The "Contemptibles." standing up, gave them "fifteen rapid." Wave after wave of them came rushing with shouts of victory, and every time the " Contemptibles " cut swatches out of them with the deadly " fifteen rapid." And so, after many days and the overwhelming of several units of the greygreen flood was the wonderful battle of Ypres won, the greatest of all the glories of the British Army. To-day what a difference ! The great new British Army, well protected endures the bombardment, and when the grey-green masses get the word they disappear in the welter of the barrage.—Wellington " Times."

The strike is a clumsy weapon at any time, inflicting injury indiscriminately and always hitting hardest those least able to bear the blows. The bigger the strike and the wider its effects, the larger the proportion of innocent and unoffending of all classes who are made to suffer. The loss and suffering occasioned by the great strike in New South Wales may perhaps have a sobering effect on those who follow so blindly the guidance of the wild extremists who have exercised so powerful an influence in Labour circles in that State. It will have been, however, a costly lesson. —Wellington •• Dominion."

From Washington to Paris, from the Quirinal to Downing Street, the eyes of all are upon the Bussian phantasmagoria. If it be said that it is waste of time to discuss this welter of doubt and distrust and possible massacre, the only reply is that mankind is so constituted that it will waste time—if it bea waste of time— in earnestly considering doubtful things the upshot of which is problematical, if for no other reason than that, as in this case, what is problematical is usually vital. —Napier " Telegraph."

The pacificist, and the weakling, and the pessimist are in a league which gives no- value to the surety of to-morrow. But the surety of to-morrow is impossible if the colours of God's righteousness are not nailed to the mast. And nothing will nail them but the winning of the war. —Wellington " Times."

A Food Controller has to deal not only with British subjects but also with cosmopolitan and soul less organisation capable of meeting an attack in London with a counter-offensive on the other side of the world. It is difficult to see how the problem can be solved by anything short of control of supply, the fixing of prices and the compulsory rationing of the consumers. —Gisborn* " Herald."

Appase.niily the Chief of Staff, Colone* Gibbon, is'*n control of the whole cen" sorship arrangements, and instead of de" voting his undivided attention to the military matters with which he must have his hands over-full, is expected to supervise also the circulation and distribution of doubtful literature and to authorise the censorship ofr letter-boxes and other suspected means of communication. —Wellington " Domiidon."