The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. THURSDAY, JULY 13th, 1916. CURRENT TOPICS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7748, 13 July 1916, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. THURSDAY, JULY 13th, 1916. CURRENT TOPICS.

Irish Settlement. It is evident from a statement made to the House of Commons on Monday last by Mr Asquith that the negotiations for a settlement of the Irish difficulty are progressing satisfactorily. Under the Government proposals the Irish House of Commons will consist for the time being of those returned to the Imperial House of Commons, and the Appeal Court will consist of Judges appointed by the Imperial Executive. The bill, which is a provisional measure, will remain in force for twelve months after the war. There are certain powers which will be beyond the control of the Irish House, namely:—(a) The general subject matter of Acts relating to land purchase in Ireland, the Old Age Pensions Act, 1908 and 1911, the National Insurance Act, 1911, and the Labor collection of taxes, (c) The Royal Irish Constabulary and the management and control of that force, (d) Post office savings banks, trustee savings banks, and friendly societies, (e) Public loans made in Ireland before the passing of this Act. It is provided in the Act that on giving one year’s notice the Irish Parliament may take over (a) old age pensions, (b) part 1 of the National insurance scheme—that is, the part dealing with invalidity; (c) the administration of part 2 of the Insurance Act—that is, unemployment—and of the Labor Exchanges Act. In each case there will be transferred with the services the money to pay for them. The postoffice goes at- once to the Irish Parliament. A New Horizon for Ireland. Commenting on the remarkable change which has been made in the Irish situation by recent events, Dr. Fitchett in “Life*’ says:—“History has many surprises. Someone has said that when the war is over, a monument ought to be erected to the Kaiser as the man who has succeeded in knitting the whole British Empire into an organic unity which gives a new 7 outlook for its whole history. He never intended this, of course, but, as a matter of fact, he has accomplished it. And the Sinn Feiners, when they proclaimed their republic, transferred their allegiance to Germany, and opened fire on the King’s troops, certainly never intended to bridge the deej) gulf which parts the stubborn North of Ireland, with Sir Edward Carson as its leader, from the emotional South of Ireland, with Mr John Redmond as its representative. But, as Mr Asquith reminded the House, the war has created a new tie ’twixt North and South. It has given to Ireland—as it has given to the whole Empire—a new horizon; a new standard by which to measure things. Men from the North of Ireland and men from the South of Ireland have stood side by side against the common enemy at Mons, on the Marne, and in the trenches of the Aisne valley, and this has begotten a new comradeship betwixt them. At the challenge of the war, indeed, the whole nation is lifted up to a ruood of sacrifice. We learn to put .first things first. The nation is more than the party, the community than the individual. Some metals can only be welded at a high temperature; they must be fused before they unite. And in the intense spiritual temperature to which this war lifts us all, even the stubborn metal of Irish poli L tics may reach the welding point.” • * • The War. The marvellous progress now being made by the Russians on the Eastern front is strongly reminiscent of their successes in the early stages of the war, with this striking difference—that the Russian army has been completely reorganised and has an ample supply of munitions, whilst on the other hand the enemy lias been steadily weakened by the process of attrition and the pressure of the blockade. Hence there is no reason to doubt the ability of the Czar’s troops to press home the offensive. Little has been heard of the part played by our Japanese ally in the war of late, but when the history of the struggle comes to be written it will probably be found that she is entitled to a very great deal of the credit for the success of the Russians in keeping them supplied with munitions. Meantime, it is good to learn that the Germans are not attempting to hide the importance of the Russian successes, and the admission of the “Berliner Tageblatt” that the Russian troops are far superior in morale and equipment to those defeated in 1915 is significant. ' V I V On the West. The French continue to “make good” in the region of Peronne, an important railway junction. Surprise has been expressed in some quarters that the British are not making progress at the same rate as the French, and the suggestion has been put forward in explanation that a much more difficult task confronts the British, that the enemy anticipated attack in this region and made elaborate preparations to meet it. But the report that tbe Germans are preparing to

meet a possible British attack from the Belgian coast furnishes another explanation. It may be part of the present' offensive for the British force in France to harass the enemy with continued attacks whilst a movement for the envelopment of the enemy forces engaged there matures. And the capture of Peronne by the French would go a long way towards the achievement of this object. The operations of the next few days should throw more light on the problem.