The Waipawa Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 2,1917. CURRENT TOPICS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7913, 2 August 1917, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 2,1917. CURRENT TOPICS.

Why England Went to War. Wiseacres in Germany-—Pan-Ger-man fanatics, professors, editors, and others—are constantly discovering the “real” reason why England went to war. It has remained for an engineer, Fritz Lurmann, to bring forth the “facts.” In the trade journal “Steel and Iron,” which is quoted at length and with front page prominence by the semi-official “Cologne Gazette,” Herr Lurmann “reveals” that Britain's war a i m i s to annex the coal mines of Rhineland-West-phalia, Belgium, and Northern France! Lurmann had disinterred a report made by a Royal Commission headed by the Duke of Argyll in 1886, dealing with the coal resources of the United Kingdom, and stating that on the basis of supplies then available the kingdom’s coal would he exhausted by the year 1988. Lurmann says: “The year 1988 is only seventy-one years away from 1917. The Argyll Commission came to the conclusion that England ’s decline could only be averted after 1988 (1) if new sources of coal supply could be discovered; (2) if the strength inherent in coal could be increased; or (3) if imports of coal could he made. Science and commercial acumen are such that the English could not hope for much relief from the possibilities under points 1 and 2. Imports from the only districts which could come into question—Northern France, Belgium, and the Ruhr Valley, in Germany, of which Essen is the centre, doubtless struck the English as too uncertain to be depended upon.. Therefore the English sought to ac-

quire through the present war, above all, possession of the anthracite coalfields mentioned. - 9 / The object of the “Cologne Gazette” in giving prominence to Herr Lurmann’s fantasy is, of course, the .tßree-year-old-4rick of attempting to sow discord between England and her allies.

Looking to the Future. November next is expected to decide the form of government which Russia will eventually adopt. It is proposed to have a general election on the basis of universal suffrage. The main questions to be submitted to the electorate will be the nationalisation of all land, tools and machinery, and the form of'government to be adopted. The leading Petrograd papers expect that a republican form of government will be chosen, with a President at the head. They point out that the extreme socialists have weakened their cause by their violence, and that Russia is anxiously awaiting a strong government able to deal with the economic situation. This seems to be extremely bad at present. Owing to uncertainty over the land question numbers of large estates were only partially sown, and a poor harvest is expected. Bread is already scarce, and cards are being issued restricting each person to three-quarters of a pound of black bread daily, the white bread being reserved solely for the use of the sick and wounded. Sugar is restricted to three pounds per head per month, and there is a great scarcity of both meat and butter. The large wages demanded by workmen have had the effect of causing a complete stoppage in certain manufactures, and raising the prices of all factory products. But one effect of this has been to cause the people generally to realise the supreme need that exists for a firm hand at the head of affairs; and they would seem to be supporting M. Kerensky in his efforts to restore order and take steps for a vigorous prosecution of the war. Some of the disaffection in the army may be due to the lack of equipment, and this has been partly brought about by labor .troubles. All soldiers over 43 years of age have been released from the ranks owing to lack of rifles, and it is said that there is only one machine gun for every 250 men. Russia has now some excellent factories for turning out rifles and guns, and if the labor troubles were settled the difficulty of equipment would be largely solved. This may be why the Soldiers’ Committee is helping in the suppression of the extremists. The present troubles may cause a temporary set-back, but if they impress upon the mass of the 1 people the need for a strong form of government they may have a profound influence on the election, and cause Russia to establish her Republic on firm and sure foundations.

Money for Soldiers. Considerable interest attaches to a statement made in the House by the Postmaster-General, Sir Joseph Ward. Remittances to soldiers, he said, may be made through a bank. If the amount does not exceed £lO, only the value of the telegram is collected by the bank. At ordinary rates this is 2s 8d a word. At Expeditionary Force rates it is Bd, but at present, owing to the great congestion in cable traffic, all such cheap rate messages suffer very considerable delay. Remittances may also be made through the Defence Department, on payment of a charge of 10s. All such amounts are telegraphed to the High Commissioner daily in “packed” messages, and prompt payment is assured. There is also the money-order telegram system. The charge for this service is 3d for every £l, plus the cost'of a message at ‘2s 8d a word at ordinary rates, or Is 4d at deferred rates, the latter being subjected to a certain amount of delay in transmission. Soldiers in England can, by application to the High Commissioner, withdraw by telegraph amounts at credit of their Savings Bank accounts in New Zealand with a minimum of delay. If they have allotted deferreckpay to the Post Office Savings Bank, the High Commissioner advances the money before communicating with New Zealand. The principal cost of telegraphing money is the cable charge, over which New Zealand has no control, and the cost is determined entirely by the number of words which it is necessary to transmit, which, in turn, depends upon the length of the instruction which it is necessary to embody to ensure payment to the proper person.