CURRENT TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12193, 17 December 1917, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

CUBA. Cuba, which lias now thrown down the gauntlet to the truculent Powers of Central Europe, came into great prominence in the. late, nineties when it was the principal cause of the break between Spain and the United States, which resulted in ilu- power of Spain being banished from the island. Cuba is considerably the largest of the Indian Islands, and lias an area ot 44,1.64 square miles, and is consequently about two-fifths the size of N*w Zealand. It has a population of two and a half million, of whom nearly one third are mr.latioes or negro-'S. Cuba was a Spanish possession from the time of its discovery in 1192. t-sll. by the Treatv of Paris, in 1808. after the war with th A I.nited States, it was relinquished by Spain and became an independent State under American suzeranity. The Constitution of 1901 provides for a republican form or (>overnment. with a President, VicePresident, Senate, and House of Pepresentatives. fn Ifl* lb an insurrection broke out, and the I nitrd Mates Corn mission undertook Hip provisioml Government; organic laws wore enacted in to the executive and .judicial powers, the national Civil Service, the electoral svr-tem, and 'he municipal and provincM 1 . autiioiii ier,. Education, ncgle.'ted for yo.irs. nas reorganised under the American administration, and is now compulsory.

AIR RAID PROPOSALS. There is no doul.it about the P/riiish public approval of the Government s decision to adopt a policy ot reprisal* for air raids. German " fright i'ul-

ness" convinced many who were formerly opposed to ihe pnhcy that no choice is left to hp. As General .Smuts fiiivs: "Wo «ro rlrnlin f- with an one my whose fiiln; re has not earned him beyond the rurlimen.tr. of the Mosaic Law, .and to whom yon ran only apply the maxim of ' an eve. for an eye and a tooth for a ioo;h.' On that orineinle ue are now most: reluctantly forced to apply to h'm the bombing policy wltHi he lias applied to ns." We have to follow the enemy in his practice of bombing centres of civilian population, as we have, had to lollow him in the use of poison gas. Tf is certain that he has many time?. ierrrettcd his introduction of poison «as. and we can only hep? iliat the bombing of German towns may teach him that in this respect also the policy oi " fridhtfulness " dees not pay. Our retaliation in hind, however. would undoubtedly pay hmi it we were so unwise as to detach for rh" bombing of towns far iruo Germany machines which could be ill .spared from the fighting front and from the work oi the. highest military importance which our airmen are doing every day against, enemy aerodromes and arsenals in Belgium. If thar. ucre to be the result, of the. British Government's decision, the enemy would have secured on balance ;1 distinct military advantage. Whatever happens, Sir Douglas" Haig's aerial fighting strength must not be impaired; that has been the official answer all along to the demand for reprisals, and we may be confident that there will bo no change in that policy, and that the decision to undertake reprisals means ihnt- hritain is able to spare machines and men for the purpose.