The Star. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1916. EDITORIAL NOTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11828, 13 October 1916, Page 4

The Star. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1916. EDITORIAL NOTE.

,THE ALLIES AND GREECE. , t The Entente Powers have taken tho only sano and prudent course open to thorn in their relations with the Greek - Government. Tho ultimatum which has resulted in tho surrender of tho ■Greek fleet and tho seizure of tho chief strategic railway and tho arsenal was rendered necessary by the uncertainty and alarm created by tho political complications at Athens and the pro-Ger-man desires of King Constantino and his new Ministers. The only cause for regret is that tho Allies did not act ■with such vigour and firmness several weeks ago. Had tho Central Powers been in a position to force Greece's hand they would undoubtedly havo done so Jong ago, and they would have taken even sterner measures than those now adopted by Britain and her Allies. Tho position now is that Greece is prevented from concentrating troops iri positions menacing the Allies, that some of tho torpedo flotilla and other small craft of tho navy are beting incorporated for tho period of the ; "wax - in the Allies' fleets in tho Mediterranean, while some are placed at the disposal of M. Yenezelos and his Provisional Government at Crete, and that tho larger ships are rendered temporarily incapable of action. One of tho most valuable ships of tho navy, tho armoured cruiser Georgios Averoff, was lately taken over to the Allies' side by her officers, and ouo or two destroyers also joined tho Allies' fleet at Salonika. Of tho remaining ships, now in possession of (Air people at the Pineus, tho most important are the "battleships Kilkis and Leinnos, of 13,(XX) tons each, launched in 1905 and purchased from tho United States Government) in 1914. There are also thxeo small battleships, of about 4800 tons, built over twenty-five years ago. The most serviceable of tho craft are about a score oi modern destroyers and torpedo boats, besides two submarines. This flotilla includes six destroyers purchased just ; before tho outbreak of the Balkan war four years ago. The headquarters «f the fleet and the arsenal are at the classic island of Salamis, where there are a dockyard with naval stores, a floating dock and a torpedo school,

It is peculiarly interesting "to recall to-day a close parallel in our naval history to the stroke of strategy just delivered in Greece. It was an episode of over a hundred years ago, and Denmark wa3 the scene of action. Several years after tho Battle of the Baltic, of ISOI, the vain endeavour of Denmark to preserve neutrality led to a second breach. Napoleon had determined that if Great Britain refused to necept Russia's mediation, Denmark, Sweden and Portugal were to bo forced to closo their harbours to her ships nnd daeluro war against her. The Danish Government, caught between two perils, endeavoured to stand aloof from Napoleon on the one side and Britain on tho other, though it is recorded that on the whole if, preferred ita allianeo with Britain to a leaguo with Napoleon. The Danish army had been assembled in Hoistein, and the Grown Prince Regent was with it, presumably ready to resist invasion by the Continental forces. But the British Government did nob consider Denmark strong enough to resist France; it had, .indeed, private trustworthy information, regarding Napoleon's plana which rendered swift action necessary. Accordingly, in 1807, a British fleet, with 30,000 men, was sent to tho Sound to compel Densnark, by way of security for future conduct, to unit© her fleet with Britain's. Denmark was offered an alliance, the complete restitution of her fleet xiftor the war, compensation for all expenses, besides territorial advantages. Foolishly tho Crown Prince refused to negotiate, and made resistance, A thrco days' bombardment ended with the capitulation of Copenhagen and the surrender of the fleet intact. The result was that Denmark went over to Napoleon, and in consequence was punished by tho loss of Norway, Which by the Treaty of Kiel she was : compelled to surrender to Sweden. In the case of Greece, Britain and her Allies havo oven greater excuse for exercising the right of the strong hand, an intervention which is not only to prevent the Central Powers from making use of the Greek forces and war material, but to rescue the country from the ruinou l * policy of its rulers. 'Hie people of Greece, now humiliated by tho application of force to save them from themselves, will be remarkably patient if they suffer much "longer the sovereignty of the notoriously pro-Teuton King who has led fcfcam to this paw,

SOLDIERS' PAY, A correspondent in a Wanganui newspaper draws pointed attention to

classes of the* community by tho Governmental Departments, contrast inn; the hardships ol' tho bush settlor with the gilded path of tho upper t.'ivil servant with his liberal war bonus. Ilia letter contains so mo statements which aro worth more than passing notice.

frequently discussions have taken placo in tho newspapers concerning tho dilatory methods of tho Defence Department in making payments to returned soldiers and their dependents, and although usually an official denial is supplied in duo course, it is generally conceded by all outside those immediately responsible that there is in tho management of tho Department's affairs considerable room for improvement. Many returned soldiers complain bitterly of the exasperating dilatoriness of tho Department in paying long overdue wages, ami cases have been brought under our notice where soldiers to whom considerable arrears were owing wore long unahlo to secure even a portion of whalv they were entitled to, and who would havo been in sore financial straits but. for tho assistance received from friends. Tho position is not now as acute as it was some timo ago, material improvements having been effected, but perfection lias not yet been reached by auy means, and complaints havo not entirely disppearcd.

'Hie writer in tho northern journal I to whoso letter reference has been J made, says:— u Somo years ago one of our bush-farming pioneers was killed by ; a falling tree while in the act of carving] out a homo in tho Avilderness. His! widow, with three boys and two girls, j mado a 'do ' of it, shifting for them- \ selves, although only two of tho boys were then earning a trifle, the others, being at school. When tho war broke | out tho strongest lad promptly enlist-; od, and being strong, although under age, was permitted to go to the front, where tho poor fellow was killed. His death took place a year ago last April. Since then the widow's other two sons havo both joined the forces, while she is! still educating her two girls. Now, tho' point is this, that since April, 1915, 1 this mother has been kept waiting for tho money duo to her, and has not got it to this day. She has been asked to , prove that both her husband and her- j self were not born of parents of enemy origin, and tho same powers have notified her that sho cannot receivo a pen- | sion on account of her dead son, be- j cause he did nob contribute to her sup- | port during tho twelve months prior : to his enlistment. He was working away from homo and earning about enougli to pay for his board and cloth-1 ing, but did send his mother a little j now and again, I believe, while she, as a dressmaker, worked hard to keep tho! heme together." The circumstances surrounding tho non-payment of tho money due are anything but creditable j to tho Department, and seeing that, the young man laid down his life in defence of the country which gave him birth, it is littlo less than a disgrace that his pay—for which he paid tho supremo price—should be withheld from his widowed mother, one of thoso brave souls who in her youth was prepared to go into tho "Never, Never" land of tho backblocks to assist to carve out a home for herself and family. Is the country's requital in this case a fair ono? Clearly it is net, and if there are many such case 3, iis thero any wonder that thero aro those who ask whether the race of statesmen who laid tho foundations of the Dominion Ims, liko tho moa, entirely disappeared from the land? Judging by the buoyancy of our finances, of tho light-hearted manner in which our legislators speak of millions, there is no valid reason why payments to returned soldiers should not be made promptly. The Department, unfortunately, liko all Government Departments, is, however, so emcshed in red tapo that it 3 movements are clogged in an almost pitiable manner, ami methods aro still followed which would not bo t-olerated in a private business firm for a single hour.

INCONSISTENCY. Addressing a recruiting meeting at Dunedin on Saturday evening, Mr J. W. Munro, who has on more than one occasion sought to enter the political arena in the Labour interests, made several statements for which ho has been taken to task by a section of tho Pt ■ess. Some of his assertions werq altogether too sweeping, and some of ( his deductions were not only illogical, but were diametrically contrary to : fact. It was too sweeping to assert — for his remarks can bear no other interpretation—that tho farming classes I contained practically the whole of the Dominion's shirking families. That there are shirkers amorrgst tho sons of farmers, especially among the well-to-do farmer?, we have without hesitation declared in tho past; we seo no reason to retract or. modify our assertion in the slightest degree, but to brand farmers' sona collectively a3 " shirkers " is a quite unpardonable exaggeration. We cannot believe that Mr Munro would havo cast such a stigma upon a deserving class of tho community unless ho was satisfied that ho wa3 making a correct statement, and the only charitable view we can take is that he has unwittingly allowed himself to bo misled. Hut a man aspiring to a public position should unquestionably have been more careful; hj should not havo traduced an important section of his fellow colonists because of tho actions of a relatively small number, and above all ho should havo been fair and not havo made unwarranted deductions from isolated cases. In the course of his remarks, Mr Munro said:—"l want to say that the farmers aro not doing their duty in this country to-day, and I believe that this is one of tho reasons why the Massoy Party has been so hostile to conscription. I know of farmers who havo one, two, three, four, five, six and seven tons, and not one of them has gone to tho war, or offered lifs services. I say that the Government wants to got out with I ho Conscription j Act. into the country, because if there is any class which is making money out of the lives laid down and sacrificed, I f>ay it is the nnin? community of this country." This is truly a. conglomeration of contradictions and inconsistencies that would bo hard to beat ) and Mr Munro, when he calmly considers the statements to which ho gave expression must verily pray that hi.? hearer-, may be smitten with forgetfulness, and that he may not on future occasion. h-> conj fronted with his own U!..vi*Ktaat»ai .statements. As v.e h-\vc -aid pr--I' i Hi i l'f'M ■ ■ tr> - i 1' «■» * »■ v >

yet made tho response to tho call of duty which tho country had every ririht t j expect j there aro unquestionably "shirkers" amnmrst them, but tho farmers at ;• not the- only poo pin who have up to llio present failed to rise to a great occasion. It is not on tho farms onlv {hat this undesirable genera

aro to bo found ; they aro amongst all j sections of tho community. Whilst Mr Munro claims in all his political actions to by guided by democratic principles, he appears to favour tho conscription j of one da',!,—-farmers' sous. This is j inconsistent; he should, as a good de- J mocrab, demand that tho same prin- J ciplcs should bo applied to all, rich and j poor, proud and lowly; ho should in-i sist that all should make equal sacrifices for tho common welfare. Mr| Munro spnko somewhat sneerinojy of j tho hostility of tho Mar.sey Party to j conscription, apparently qui to oh- j livious of tho fact that tho members of ! tho party stood solidly in support of tho j measure, as did also tho members of i the Liberal Party. Jlow can a party | V; hostilo to a measure and yet sup- j port it without a single dissentient | voice? That i; a problem which will j probably tax the ingenuity of Mr j Munro to solve. It would not bo too | much to say that theoretically tho j great majority of the people, not only of New Zealand but of tho world, are, under normal conditions, opposed to conscription, but tho present occasion is not a normal one; tho freedom of tho world is at stake, and voluntaryism having shewn signs of being unequal to the strain, there was no option but recourse to conscription. The awful peril threatening impelled us to put our peacc-timo theories aside, and adopt tho only sane cotirso under existing conditions—conscription.

OUR MUNITIONS. Tho war, Mr Asquith told tho Houso of Commons this week, cost the British nation £5,000,000 daily. This colossal bill is chiefly for munitions, tho expenditure on which is likely to be on an ascending scale as the Germans are pushed back towards the Rhine. Mr Asquith did not enter into detais of tho ever-increasing torrent of ammunition for tho firing linos, but a lccent speech in Parliament- by Mr Montagu, who not long since succeeded Mr Lloyd George as Minister of Munitions, gave a vivid idea of the tremendous heapingnp of war material which has been accomplished by the Ministry under the stimulus of the late Chief of tho Department. Mr Montagu's speech, according to reports received by this week's mail, wa-s like a-n expanded multiplication table, with its reiteration of manifold increases in every department. These were some of the items ho gave in his business-like summary or Britain's vast munitions work: — A year's output before war of tho following classes of ammunition could now bo turued out in tho following time 18-pounder ammunition . 3 weeks. Field-gun . . . 2 weeks. Medium-sized shell - ■ H days. Heavy shell . • • 4 days. Wo now turn out in a month twice as many big guns as we had for our whole land service before the war. Our equipment of light 18-pounder gnn3 is nearly complete. Tho total stock of machine guns existing when tho Ministry of Munitions was formed could be replaced now in three or four weeks. "We shall shortly have satisfied all tho requirements of the British Army." Nearly three times as many rifles of homo manufacture had been delivered by tho Ministry as wore provided previously. The equipping of our whole armies now over-seas with machine guns and with rifles has been accomplished entirely from home resources. Tho weekly consumption of high-explo-sive ammunition is between 11,000 and 12,000 times the amount required for j land sendee ammunition at tho beginning of the war.

Britain was now sending to France, continued Mr Montagu, one-third of the whole British production of shell steel. The value of tho metals supplied monthly to our Allies was six and a half millions sterling. Our unprcparedness for -war has had at least one compensation—our new guns outrange tho Germans' guns. We havo ninety-five national munitions factories as compared with three at the beginning of the war. With the help of the Canadian output ho hoped that goon we should be able to do without American shells altogether. The Ministry started with 1,635,000 men; now there wero 2,500,000 ineu and 450,000 women. Our expenditure of heavy ammunition during tho last month was more than double the amount which eight months ago was thought to he adequate in France. The preliminary bombardment consumed more than double the ammunition manufactured in tho first eleven months of tho war, while the total of heavy ammunition produced during this period would not havo kept tho bombardment going for a single day. The output of ammunition week by week covered tho expenditure.

For this hugely successful grappling with tho most vital problem of all, the whole credit belonged to Mr Lloyd George. That Mr Montagu freely acknowledged. It was an open secret, that Mr Lloyd George at tho very hint ordered moro guns than the WarOiiiec thought necessary. But even what has been dono now, a feat unprecedented in hum a n history, is not enough. The Allies are at the vei\ crisis or tho war; the next few mo-nthb will decide the fa to of Europe and the world. It is satisfying, therefore, to read that the Ministry of Munitions will not rest until Britain's equipment, of big guns exceeds by many times tho present Allies especially Dritaia must redouble her efforts. Mr Montagu declared that, the work of tho Ministry iJ f Munitions would not be completed until the army was a bio !ii maintain lot ail iiKloJinitc period an olt'eu-.H'o along tho whole lino, Thar, is tho only way. The British ouiput must increase in quantity ami maintain its excellent quality, until tho enemy k crushed beneath its destroying weight. Tho other members of the iintents look to Britain as tho chief source of their war supplies and it is most reassuring to know that they are not likely to be disappointed, however 'our; tho wi»c m.'»j l*<'ii<>

Colonels have two stars and a crowrj tor their ijiuige. Ueutunan ; h.-;one -.tin* and >u n, majors a oiwwu. «*:««►* Uiins thro;: lieutenant-- '■ MW".