The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 12, 1917. WAR PROBLEMS AND THE PEOPLE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3025, 12 March 1917, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 12, 1917. WAR PROBLEMS AND THE PEOPLE

Pbkhaps- the mos> striking chango in public policy noticeable in the Mother CouVitry in recent times has been the abandonment of secrecy in favour of a candid presentation of the iacts of the war situation as affecting the people of Great Britain. The new policy, for which Mr. LiiOti) George was mainly responsible, is based on the belief that it is unfair to expect the people to rise to the needs of the occasion unless they arc made fully aware of what failure to do so. really means to them and to their country. It is simply a policy of taking the people into i'lie confidence_ of those they have, placed,in authority to advance their welfare; thus allowing tham.to see the difficulties and orn- . barrassments which have to be confronted and overcome, aud, wherever possible, showing the means by which tbe efforts of the enemy may bo' counteracted and success attained. We directed attention a short time ago to a speech by Me. Lloyd ' George, in which ho spoke with great candour regarding the shortage of food supplies, the urgency of tho call for national service, and the magnitude of the task which lies ahead of the Allies. To some the speech might have appeared to take a too gloomy viewof the situation, because it dwelt with unusual emphasis on the least pleasant features of the position. It would be wrong, however, to assume that, because the Prime Ministor, in order to secure the active cooperation and support of tho mass of the people, showed them clearly such weaknesses as exist, the actual situation was made any worso' thereby. On the contrary, by the frank disclosures made he gavo a direct incentive to the people to take such steps as lay within their power to remedy tho weaknesses, and he showed how this could be done.

To-day we have another instance of this same candour from the political head of the Admiralty. Sik Edward Cap.son, First Lord of the Admiralty, speaking at the Aldwych Club, "openly confessed that wo have not yet satisfactorily solved the problems with which the Navy is grappling to maintain the supremacy of the sea." At first sight, coming from a quarter from which we have become accustomed to expect nothing but a buoyant confidence and cheery certainty that Britain's naval might must sweep all before it, this admission sounds rather depressing. But on examining Sm Edward Carson's following remarks we find little ground for pessimism or doubt. Ho allows us a glimpse of what the Navy has dono and is doing to maintain that sea supremacy which is a vital necessity to our"national existence, and it is reassuring enough. Like Mr. Lloyd George, the First Lord of the Admiralty plainly wishes to make the people realise the magnitude of tho task which has to be faced. Tho tendency with most pcoplo is to take -too much for granted. Wo know what tho Navy has done, we havo such confidence in tho Navy that wo accept its magnificent achievements almost as a matter of course, failing to realise tho enormous strain imposed on our admirals and sailors; the sacrifices they have made; the hardships they have endured. Sir Edward Carson, we havo no doubt, is quite as confident that the Navy will carry through its great task successfully to the bitter end as is Mb. Lt.oyd George that wo shall emerge victorious from the final struggle; but they know that they must have the whole weight of tho nation behind them, not as_ a passive, but as an active force, if tho war is to end decisively in our favour. Therefore, they are telling the people the unpleasant as well as the pleasant features of tho situation. The Government wants all tho assistance it can get, aud from every quarter that can rendsr

aid. It wants the people to realise that tho appeals for food _ economics arc not mere oatch-crics, but actual necessities, affecting our capacity to ffSctinuo tho struggle; it wants tho people to understand that the call for national service for industrial purposes is not a faddist experiment, but an urgent need to ensure greater efficiency, and thus strengthen tho nation in its task of prosecuting tho war; above all, it wants the people to recognise that tho calls which are being made and which are likely to continue to bo made on them for personal sacrifices in r.he daily routine of I'hoir lives are not tho outcome of a harsh and umsyuiputhotiu indifference to

their welfare, but. are an essential pari, of the prim wo mmtt |i:t,v fot' victory. With a dear understanding of Llin realities of the situation the people will bo the more ready 1.0 meet, the obligations and hoar the, hardships which (ho necessities of the war may impose, and by their acquiescence in the Government's plans minimise internal friction, ■and smooth the road to .success.