NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 309, 25 September 1919, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

Considering that <-i two-thirds majority of tlio United States Senate is required to ratify the Peace Treaty, tlie test vote reported today—a majority of 4o to 40 on a postponement motion moved by tho Republican leader (Senator Lodge) —may seem to open somewhat doubtful prospects. In fact, however, the test is inconclusive. The Senate has a membership of 96—at present 49 Republicans and 47 Democrats—so that 13 members abstained from voting on the socalled test division. A few Democratic Senators are said to bo voting with the Republicans, but the last news received by mail indicated that about half a dozen Republicans in the Senate were disinclined to support any amendment which would .seriously alter the Treaty or modify the League of Nations Covenant. One very material question to be determined is in regard to tho majority renuired to amend the Treaty, President Wilson has declared that a twothirds majority is necessary to carry amendments as it is to ratify the_ Treaty, but authorities seem to be in conflict on the point. If for one reason or anbther Senator Lodge and his followers fail to amend the Treaty on such lines as they have advocated they will have to choose between accepting or rejecting it as it stands, and it is not supposed that they will seriously consider the latter alternative. Ttie attitude of the Senate will no doubt be heavily influenced by the trend of opinion in the country, and there does not appear to be any doubt that this strongly favours ratification of the Treaty and acceptance of such obligations as the League Covenant entails. Late news suggests that the Republican Senators have overreached themselves by employing ridiculously forced arguments and raising • obvious bogeysi and that President Wilson lias made a de.ep impression by skilfully elaborating and enforcing the contention that ratification of the Treaty is the onlv alternative to casting the world back "into the slough of despond in which mankind was before the war." • 1 * * • » If Sir Joseph Ward and Me. Holland hoped to gam votes at the coming elections by their efforts to outbid the Government in the matter of soldiers' gratuities they will nrobably suffer disappointment. Every vote they may gain from the unthinking will be at least balanced by a vote lost from, the ranks of those citizcrs who realise the heavy financial obligations the country has already incurred and who are sick to death of party politics and party tactics. The .Government propose a flat rate of gratuity, of Is. 6d. per day for every sol'dier. . Sir Joseph Ward, .anxious to go one better, proposes 25.. and Mr. Holland, still, more reckless and irresponsible, on behalf of the Labour-Socialists doubles Sir Joseph's bid, and so the came of narty politics crocs on. We doubt if thet'd is a single elector in the country who cannot see through it. If, as one member remarked yesterday. the Government had proposed a higher figure than Is. Gd. a day,' the same o'd party _ bidding for popularity wbuld still have been witnessed. The sorre thing about it all is that the soldiers, whom everyone desires to see treated as liberally as circumstances will permit, should be'made the medium for seeking to advance party ends. It is bound to have ?,n unsettling effect on many of the men and is liable to create a sense of grievance where none existed.

The attitude, of returned soldiers generally speaking hps been wholly admirable. With tho exception of a noisy few in Wellington they have as reasonable men and with a. sense o c the fitness of_ things recognised that a gratuity is a gift outside and apart from their conditions of service. It is a voluntary tribute from the Conn try—a desire to make ■ recognition itnd to demonstrate- appreciation of the groat service rendered; not a payment for that service. Often enough it has been said ' that no money payment could make full recognition of such service, and this is true. The men in Wellington who, under the guidance of ill-informed and irresponsible loaders, decided to "demand" gratuities totalling some £15,000.000, have met with little support. There are some 50 local associations'comprising the 'New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association, and not one .of these has' supported the "demand" made at the meeting of the Wellington association three weeks ago. On the contrary such as have expressed any opinion on it either recognised that the matter was one entirely for the Government to decide or have expressed satisfaction with what the Government has done. In a number of instances disapproval of the action of the Wellington '-"malcontents" has been voiced. The unedifying wrangle in Parliament yesterday over the aucstion of gratuities may do a good deal of mischiejf, but, as before remarked, we very much doubt whether ■'those who were so nlainly playing for popularity at the >.xpensn of tho country are going to profit by it. x

Deputations am a source of tribulation to Ministers, in. the course of a busy session, and it may be that in these circumstances they se."'-'e, as a gcnoral rule, no very useful purpose/ Sis Francis Rei.l, however, .topic up a somewhat extreme .attitude in .what he had to say about deputations in his address to the conference of education boards yesHis idea seemed to be that in making representations to a Minister a deputation must' be attempting to pain an advantage over the rest of the community. , His anxiety not to be prejudiced, he said', was probably prejudicial to the man who pot a hearine. While one can sympathise with Ministers who are constantly being pestered over minor parochial matters, the truth seems to be that they invite the plague of deputations of which they have reason to comnlain bv concentrating too exclusively on administrative duties and failing' tn maintain that free contact with nublie opinion which ought To largely guide and ?nflucnci: their policy and actions. This, of. course, would not implv a slavish nolic.v'of merely giving the people what the.v want. In keeping freely in touch with public opinion Ministers would be best placed to dircfc it on such linps its they considered right. There_ is no doubt- that Ministers in this country concentrate far too much on mirelv administrative duties, and that if tliev gave more time _ and thought to showing th~ public on what lines they .arc working all-round benefits; and a redtte in the plague of deputations, would result.