NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 87, 7 January 1919, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

The blessed word "nationalisation," which our local Socialists mouth with such frequency and unction in their advocacy of the short-cut route to' the millennium, is interpreted in a wide and gruesome spirit by their first cousins, the'Rus-sian-Bolsheviks. The "nationalisation" of women, which a cable message this morning tells us is being enforced in Pctrograd and elsewhere, conjures uyj possibilities which even the Socialist sisterhood may find' a little disquieting. There was a time when women in the market place were knocked down to tho highest bidder, and also a time when they were knocked down .with a stone axe and carried off to grace the domestic hearth of their captor and master. The Bolsheviks of today have simplified the procedure. Women under Bolshevik rule are "nationalised"—all unmarried women between the ages of 18 and 45 become tho property of the State, and are forced to accept Statechosen husbands. The plan is simplicity itself. When girls reach the age of 18 they must register at a "bureau of free love," where the unmarried of both sexes are compelled to assemble once a month to choose their partners. The selecting apparently is left entirely to the man, the woman being "national property" having no right to refuse his- demand for possession. It is a hateful picture even sot in such a background of horrors as the Bolsheviks have inflicted on the world.

Political conditions in Germany remain so ill-defined as to suggest that the position is being deliberately obscured, perhaps in the hope that an appearance of greater confusi6n and disorder than actually exist may induce the Allies to modify the terms of peace. A real indication of the trend of events may be given, however, when the German peace delegation is selected. The appointment of Prince Lichnowsky, which is predicted to-day, would carry some weight as evidence of the defeat of sympathisers with the old regime, since the former Ambassador to Great Britain is one of the few Germans who showed an independent spirit and openly defied the war party. The appointment of Maximilian ' Harden, which is also foreshadowed, is on more doubtful ground. At intervals during the war he outspokenly attacked the Pan-Germans, but the accepted explanation was that he was tolerated as a useful safetyvalve. His relation to the new order is not clearly defined, and there is no evidence in sight to support the sweeping' assertion that he is destined to be one of the most powerful political influences in -. Germany. In regard to the-standing of the German delegation at the Peace Conference; recent references are consistent with the idea that its amotion will be practically to receive the terms dictated by the Allies. As one who exposed.the perfidy and criminality of the German Government in promoting the war, Prince Liciinowsky would hardly expect to enter the Peace Conference under any more favourable conditions. ..■•■■» * • • * * / An American statistician is quoted to-day as estimating that an indemnity of £540,000,000 annually can be collected 'from Germany without breaking down her industries, arid that .the amount can be increased gradually to about £700,000,000 annually. These sums in themselves look large, but they fall considerably short of what Germany will be required to find if anything like an adequate indemnity is exacted. Probably also they are considerably short of what Germany is capable of paying if account is taken of her enormous resources in ores and other raw materials. It has been estimated that the war costs of the Allies aggregate £25,000,000,000. £540,000,000 .per annum would amount to only a little over two per cent, on this sum, and £700,000.000 to less than three per cent. The Allies, therefore, will demand substantially heavier payments from Germany unless they are prepared to forego payments to .which they are justly entitled. *••■■*. ■' * ■ * It would be a very big step forward if_ the proposed International Industrial Commission, suggested by Mr. Barnes, • British. Labour leader and member 6f the Coalition Government, could be brought into active existence.. The idea seems to have come from the British Government, which hopes that one of the results of the Peace Conference will be the-creation of such a commission to fix minimum standards of wages, hours, and and to regulate Conditions of work generally in the different countries of the world. In the .competition for the world's markets the cheaplabour, long-hours-of-work countries usuajly can undersell their rivals, and the tendency is in consequence to keep down the level of wages and the standard of working conditions generally. With a universal standard, fixed on a fair and reasonable, basis, there should be a marked improvement all round. Those who may regard the idea as Utopian and impossible of practical achievement should bear in mind the tremendous possibilities which underlie the formation of a Ecague of Nations—even if only the existing Allies arc included in its ranks. Such a league, by means of trade agreecould impose and' enforce Conditions which would close the greater part of the markets of the world-to. the goods-of countries which refused to come under the terms agreed on by the International Industrial Commission.

Supplies of olive oil, which hitherto came to New Zealand from Palestine, are now practically cut off as a result of conditions arising out of (he -war. The position has hecomo so acute that Mr G Hannah the largest importer of 'this' , oil in New Zealand, has had a representative endeavouring to obtain supplies in Palestine and Bethlehem, but without success. One of the earlier contributing factors to. the position that prevails to"day was the purchase by the Italian Government of the whole supply of oil in their 'conntry-for tho purpose of issuing it to their soldiers as a substitute for butter. The most serious difficulty that both exporters and importers have had to faco, however, is the scarcity of shipping between Jaffa urn! Alexandria, the main outlet to Palestine's exports.' This position has .brought about an increase in freights from las. per ton (nrior to the war) to .420 a ton to-day. Despite tin's, exporters have perforce to use the service owing to their being no other outlet and arc'pleased to <ret space even at tho exorbitant price. The position thus created is being felt universally, and from Glasgow, Japan, Australia! Melbourne, and Sydney orders for oil have come to Mr. Hannah. The demands, in the majority of cases, however, have only been partly met, reduced quantities—the maximum being one gallon—being supplied ab 605., an increase of 455. over tjie 1 pre-war price—Auckland "Star,"