PUBLIC OPINION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10683, 1 February 1913, Page 8

PUBLIC OPINION.

FROM YESTERDAY'S NEWSPAPERS. (By Telegraph.) THE PUBLIC SACRIFICED. Amid the Tory rejoicings at Hastings on Wednesday evening, Mr Massey made reference to the scano.alous land transactions in .Southland which have so aroused public anxiety,. 'The; Prime Minister glossed over the subject m a very few words, almost, we might say, with levity. Certainly he displayed no evidence that he appreciates tliß seriousness of the position. Mr Mas-' sev is, indeed, in a fix. In so fiir as' he is politically conscientious in till? matter, ne is entitled to some pitv, but the Prime Minister and his friends were fully warned against precisJytho situation which has arisen They chose to turn a deaf ear to the warnin p, to disregard every instinct of caution and to bind themselves hand and foot with the strong cords of statute law. The self-styled Reformers are hoist with their own petard.—" New Zealand Times." TRAINING MILITARY OFFICERS, i We notice that two of the officers who were due to return last Octobor have obtained an extension of their training in England. No doubt tlie Department has some reason for granting these extensions, but we lo not I think that a refresher course .should ' extend over a year. It is time now that our Territorial force had the benefit of the training which these officers have been receiving. In the case_ of the staff college students the position, of course, is altogether different. In future the practice of sending ftcers Home should be strictly limited to those who qualify by examination for the staff college course. With ociiei officers, for whom refresher courses are deemed desirable, schools of •lytruction conducted by our own headquarter' s staff ought to suffice.- ' Domii nion."