DEMOCRACY ON TRIAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 189, 30 April 1918, Page 6

DEMOCRACY ON TRIAL

THE u'feAL ISSUE OF THE WAR. \ Mr. J. C. V. Belian, Victoria's first Rhodes scholar, recently returned to Australia to take up the position of 'Warden of Trinity College, in the University ot Melbourne. AVhilo in England lie was closely connected with the legal section of tlie Ministry of Food, and was secretary to the Orders Committee, whicn puts out all the new orders of the Food > Controller. "The rationing schcinc," said Mr. Behan, in an interview to the "Sydney Morning Herald," "was just about to bo put into operation when ray wife and I loft England, and as far as one can judge the public attitude towards it was more than favourable; the people had been crying out for it for a long timo as the onlv possible solution of the immensely difficult problem with which. Ilia Old Country is faced. But there is iio denying the fact that the crux of the whole situation arises from the Mortage ,of t food, and no amount of rationing can j cure this. The people of Australia ought to realise how very grave indeed the situ-/ ation is in this respect as in others connected with the war. The indications when I left were that the food organisation would be-able to carry ou so far as regards most of the important foods in stock and in sight but the position in ! regard to the principal fats, ami especi- | ally breadstuff's, is causing anxiety, h i passing through Canada, and in t;.e ! course of conversations with passengers i on the ships from Canada to Australia, '• I was rather astonished to discovor how i very different the mental attitude appar- ; ent'ly is in the colonies. I ! "I have had 110 opportunity of judging • ! what the attitude of the Australian peo--1 pie may be, but it is quite certain that! ' there is the need for them to pat into j I the struggle every ounce of energy, and I •to throw in all their resources. They ; ; should realise that in this war popular j | government has been, and is, 0:1 its trial, j ; It is by no means certain as yet that it j lis going to make good. All the indica- \ I tions so far seem to be the otlior way. j | It is, therefore, up to the most democratic 1 1 people in the world, to avoid any appearj ance of slackness or indifference towards ! ■ a struggle in which the whole future of I ; democracy is at stake."