LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2427, 5 April 1915, Page 7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

DISTORTED IDEAS OF JUSTICE. Sir—Your editorial to-day is of exceptional interest, dealing, as it does, with a dangerous doctnno of recent growth in English educational and clerical circles—not infrequently a source of purblind errors—and you aro to bo commonded for explaining so succinctly a doctrine the nature oi' which is little known to Now ZealandeVs. Although you have touched upon but the fringe of the subject it is self-evi-dent that you are quite au fait with its details, and I think a little more light thrown upon it would bo in. the public interest. The doctrine of "Don't humiliate Germany," referred to in a cablegram published yesterday, originated with Professor A. C. Pigou, M.A., Professor of Political Economy at King's College, Cambridge University, who came into the limelight with a striking articlo published on February 6 last, which was subsequently very freely discussed and criticised. The professor wrote as oue who had a close personal knowledge of his facts, for he wrote: —"I have seen the ruins of Ypres Cathedral ; 1 have, watched the mnd-stained soldiery staggering homeward from their trenches; I have been near by when children in Dunkirk have been maimed and killed from the air." Close upon these tragic words, he discloses his Exeter Hall proclivities—so prejudicial to the military authorities in the late Anglo-Boer War—by advocair mg a policy "leather, forgive them, for t.hev know not what they do." It certainly seems premature—if not somewhat presumptuous —to discuss the terms of peace we shall impose upon an enemy, to- whom the Allies do not intend to submit, at a juncture when the enemy's territory has soarcely yet been invaded, and, an enemy, forsooth, which is avowedly out to destroy and annihilate, but the temerity of some professors of politioal economy is commensurate only with the courage of a Perseus or a Hercules. I was going to say, "Fools rush in . . but respect for Professor Pigou's position constrains me to politer diction; still, even a professor of political economy is open to criticism. He says that the choice of terms lies between what have been described as: (1) The Kaiser's terms: "An honourable peace" and (2) a French General's termß: "The terms we shall chose to impose." These Professor Pigou paraphrases as: (1) That which Germany might fairly regard as honourable, and (2) a penal or crushing peace. The latter, he states, would induce Germany to conoentrate her whole thought and energy upon preparations for revenge, and build up a will to power which we deplore; the former, he believes, would foster a feeling of indignation against Germany should Germany decline to'accept reasonable terms. Professor Pigou appears to go so far as to believe that Germany, like Great Britain, entered upon the war reluctantly, not as the result of any deep-laid plot, hut from the mis-handling of a difficult situation. This is a point which I do not propose to discuss, being quite irrelevant to the issue involved in the discussoin of terms' of peace. I claim that there is a middle course between the twoclasses of terms suggested, inasmuch as a weak "honourable" peace would be iust as dangerous as a weak "penal" peace. Excessive leniency is equally as dangerous as excessive severity; ■ Great Britain usually errs on the side of the former, Germany always on that of the latter. Now, what terms would Germany accept which the Allies would offer at the present juncture? No one expects to dismember the Gorman nation or to annihilate the German people, but there will be no peace unless and until Prussian domination is absolutely crushed. Let rr«t (ask these questions*: Is Belgium to remain German territory? Is no indemnity for damage done to be demanded? ts Alsace-Lorraine to remain German ? Are the Slavs to be sub. servient to Germany? Ato tho Turks to continue to. menace the. peace of Europe? Is Prussia for ever to dom. in ate Germany? Assuredly—No! Germany, at present, would loudly asrart— Yes I

Germany must tie defeated, not necessarily wiped out of existence, and the defeat must involve a certain amount of national humiliation, even the Hon. and schoolmaster brother of one of Great Britain's leading genernls to the contrarv notwithstanding. The terms whioh Germany would be disposed to aocept are not such as the Allies would be disposed to offer and the terms which the Allies would be disposed to offer are not. such as Germany would be disposed to accept. Germany must bo humiliated.—T am. etc., PERCTVAT, R. AVADDY, Wellington, March 30, 1915. ORIENTAL BAY. Sir, —For four years I have been visiting Wellington periodically, on business, and upon arriving from the Old Country was much impressed with the natural beauties, and t'h© sreat possibilities of making Oriental Bay attractive, and beautiful in every detail. T was informed that the local council had a great scheme on hand and were going to construct a marine parade along the front, and it would bs a pleasure resort second to none in the Dominion. I noticed at that time concrete sea-walls being erected, and evidence generally that a great treat was in store in the immediate future. On Sunday last % T walked round full of delightful anticipations, for the sea air was gloriously invigorating, but the conditions (devised by the responsible authorities) renelling and utterly disappointing. The paths along tho front were a veritable quaemire, on the beach was an accumulation ■ of broken bottles, oil tins, and debris of every description, and to add to' the cnarm a horrible stench arising 1 from fish offal and garbage, of all sorts. I noticed in several places the concrete walls had been badly damaged by the action of the_ sea, and the whole place looked ohaotic. untidv, and altogether uninviting, so left with a feeling of disappointment and disgust, wondering why the authorities ever commenced these so-called improvements, if they never intended to complete them. Far better to have left it in its natural condition as tho Creator intended it to be, for it would at least have possessed a. natural chami which at present is being destroyed. A visit to the sea-front at Auckland, Napier, Timaru, and Dunedni is always accompanied by nleasant recollections, but Oriental Bav—tho finest asset the Wellington people posj®?? ls m y mind, under present conditions, a, good place to keep away from.—l am, etc.. A COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER, PAHIATUA DISAPPOINTMENT. T^ e . W>tle town of Pahiutua, the centre pf wide areas of the best grazing and dairying land in the Dominion, has, since its inauspicious initiation as practically a private enterprise in opposition to Government settlement in the neighbourhood, been tho victim of political perversity—its development has boon hampered and stifled'by niggardly treatment and neglect by Ministers previously in control. ■ So'acute was tho ieeling engendered that in the interests of soil preservation and progress, expecting at least- equitable consideration by a change of Government, tho peoplo of the town gave a solid majority to tho fiefonn candidate two elections ago. The result l>,i s been sadly disappointing, and as n supporter of the party I find it. difficult, lo exorcise restraint, in making a formal protest against, air apparent, drifting into the old habits that ran liavo 110 other effect than plunmrig tho town inlo '-lia backfill., 11 is lo ilia wstUli of UyJ,

pioneers and. their successors, to purely local effort and enterprise, that the town has progressed l and reached its present status; it is to the discredit of past Administrations that something approximate to a small city, has not been established. Now, however, the town is threatened', by stripping it of a -0-year-old subsidised mail service to Pongaroa and the East Coast district, with an injustice from which it cannot possibly recover. The story is too to set out in detail, but some of the facts were placed before tile Post-master-General by a deputation last I'riday. In the last eighteen months a rival route, via Eketahuna, has been accorded inexplicable preference, despite the tact that Pahiatua is the only point from which, a. daily connection with mail traffic and passengers can bo made from north and south. By the Eketahuna route all northern traffic is shut out from daily contact with the coast. Eketahuna has a motor service part of the 41-mile journey; Pahiatua has abandoned the motor and reinstated coacheß, alter the loss of £2000 of local, money, because the road will not carry motor traffic, and money promised by the Government has not come up to the amount indicated. The Pahiatua route carries all the Jieavy traffic to the coast, and because of this, combined with the absence of good metal, the cost of maintenance is particularly heavy. _Yet Pahiatua's-interests must be sacrificed. In other matters the action of the Government, from whom reasonable treatment was expected, has created general disappointment, with the result that the local member will find it. difficult to retain his local majority and the seat at the nest contest. This should not be construed into anything in the nature of an idle threat, but a. simple statement of fact. • As a supporter of the Reform Party, the publication of this letter in your col-, umns may have some effect in drawing the attention of the authorities to the pressing claims of both a neglected nn<4 hard-hit town and district.—l am, etc.„ AN OLD RESIDENT.