NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 88, 8 January 1919, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

•Somewhat obscure statements in one of yesterday's cablegrams are cleared up to-day by reports' which show that soldiers on , leave from France have been demonstrating at various English centres against alleged delays in demobilisation. It is mentioned that in one case officers took part. The point is emphasised • that the demonstrations were orderly and of a good-natured character, and there is no reason k\ suppose that the.situation is or need become serious. Evidently, however, it calls for careful Candling, and some complex problems may arise. For instance, one group of demonstrators consisted of Army Service men, and it is stated that the authorities have agreed that this corps shall be demobilised coincidently with other units, but at the same time it is pointed out that the transport services have an essential part to play_ in forwarding general demobilisation. It is natural that men who have borne the strain of the war for long periods should be keen to get back as soon as possible to civil life, and though there are detajl difficulties to be overcome no substantial grievance is likely to arise. The British Government is pledged to expedite demobilisation in every possible way.- The third of the five planks on which Mr. Lloyd Geokqe fought the election is: "To , get the soldiers home as early -as poseible." The soldiers', no doubt, will be satisfied on the production of evidence that the Government is" sparing no effort to carry this policy into effect. Available information goes to show that most, thorough preparations have been made in Great Britain for demobilisation -and for the restoration of men to civil life. .It should be possible to rapidly demobilise men released from the front and to satirfy any. lonritimate grievances raised by the soldiers. Any slackness in .tho matter on the part- of the Government would, of course, be inexcusable, and might easilv lead to serious trouble, but as has been said information in hand goes to show that its plans have been laid well and with due forethought. • • . * - '* * *

Some extracts frbm the reports of the Government superintending nurserymen which were publishedin our news columns on Monday last showed that efforts thus far made to provide work for returned soldiers in connection with afforestation operations have ,had rather disappointing results. It is shown, howover, that this is partly due to- a failure to organise adequate camping facilities. Detail failures over a- limited period certainly ought not to be allowed to lead to the neglect of a useful avenue of employment. Even afforestation—that is to say, tree-planting—holds useful possibilities. Under: the scheme which is.being developed in Great Britain, it is planned to employ 125,000 men in this work. But in this country a much more important and profitable field of employment is available in connection with the conservation and development of our.indigenous forests. If a Forestry Department is organised enabled to set to work under efficient methods a wide range of employment, covering various aspects of development work, will be opened under conditions ensuring the State a good•'return for its outlay;, Besides offering continuous employment to a.large number of workers forestry holds most important possibilities as an adjunct to small settlement. All, or nearly all, these ' possibilities .are contingent, however, upon the demarcation and working of forest areas by a properly' constituted Forestry Depart ment. This has yet to be created in l New Zealand, although there is now. a Minister! of Forestry and <i fairly substantial sum was allocated last session to cover initial outlay.

The stimulus of war necessity which revolutionised manufacturing methods in so. many directions in _ Britain and introduced a new spirit of enterprise throughout the whole nation is having a distinct effect on the ordinary industries of the Homeland. Improved machinery is being introduced, better organisation established, and plans perfected in peace time for trade and industrial development are being put into effect. It was recently stated that a golden opportunity was opening up for the iron, steel, and engineering industries of Britain; that .orders were pouring in from all parts of the world. Unfortunately there is a fly in the ointment in the form of high prices and scarcity of coal. Wages ■ inflated by war conditions are said to be responsible for the high price of coal, _ but in any case there is • a scarcity due both to. war demands and -to-the depiction of the ranks of the skilled. miners by enlistment in the fighting forces. With the cessation of hostilities the position should be improved, but tho question of power supply will bo a troublesome one for some time to come, and may prove a serious handicap to the enterprise of the manufacturing interests.

It may appear somewhat strange that while everywhere in Britain great preparations' aro being made to meet , the anticipated demands for British manufactures the British Government should deem, it necessary to provide an "out-of-work' donation scheme" to safeguard discharged soldiers and civilians against unemployment at the close of the war. It is, however, in its way an encouraging sign—an evidence that governments as well as private employers are profiting by their war experiences and safeguarding the future by preparations in advance. It was only reasonable to expect that the world's shortage of manufactured goods due to the conversion of workshops and factories into munition works and shops for the manufacture of war material, would lead to a heavy after-war demand for all classes of. manufactured goods and machinery. Also, that public and private works of all descriptions which war conditions curtailed. to a minimum would be put in hand at the earliest opportunity. A boom time was looked forward to, with employment for all classes of labour —and indeed this anticipation scorns to be in process of realisation. The British Ministry of Labour, however, wisely decided to prepare for the possibility of a temporary p.eriod of slackness such as might have been occasioned by the process of rcadapting war plants to the ordinary purposes of industry. The provision, it has made- has been described as a free insurance against unemployment. In the case of soldiers and sailors it is to apply for a period of twelve months from the date of discharge . m J. .i«. tKfl _<uxp«. **£ /uviliana Juw six

months. Men for whom work cannot be found are to receive 245. a week and women 203., with allo\vances for children. The scheme is estimated to cost up to £;50,000,000. Plainly, the statesmen of Britain are leaving as little as possible to chance in their after-war plans.

To-day's reports agreel in stating that a serious crisis has arisen in Berlin as the result of an attempt by the Bolshevik element to seize tho reins of power, but the issue at the moment is uncertain. There does not seem to be any doubt that things have lately been going from bad to worse in Germany, and Liebknecht, with his declarations that "we must be prepared for bloodshed," is probably quite ready to eniulate the deeds of Lenin and Trotsky in Russia. If there is hope of escape for Germany if must rest largely upon the . fact that the people are not .likely to submit) to such a i reign of terror as has been instituted in the former Empire of the Tsars. An extraordinary degree of ignorance and credulity on the part of the masses of 'the people was needed to enable the Russian terrorists to establish their vile regime, and in Germany illiteracy and popular _. ignorance are very ■ far from being as cominon ( . or as profound as in Russia. The danger that the members .of the German military party may foster anarchy for their own ends is probably as great as any to be feared from the action of Liebkneoht and his associates.