NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 111, 4 February 1920, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

In the course of a letter to the Pkime Minister, Mr. H. E. Holland, M.P., makes protest against the dispatch of a force of New Zealand troops to assist in protecting the white population against a possible outbreak of violence on the part of the Indian workers now on strike in Fiji. Mn.' Holland does not put the matter in this way. His objection is based on what he terms the sending of a force to intimidate or coerce "the working men and women of another race, enslaved and struggling against their enslavement in an island 1500 miles away from us and over which New Zealand has no jurisdiction whatever." Thero has been no suggestion that the force being sent to Fiji will interfere in any way in tho industrial dispute, though it may suit Mn. Holland to suggest so. The only reason the force in Question is being sent is, as was indicated by the Pkime Minister, to assist, should necessity arise, in protecting the white population in the event of the strike of Indian workers leading to serious disorders. The Indian workers outnumber the white population by . over ten to one, and their attitude is said to have caused concern at the islands. There is always the danger in isolated communities such as that at Fiji of the coloured races taking advantage of their numerical superiority to commit excesses against the whites; and at the present time the industrial trouble seems liable to develop into something worse unless the Indians realise that a force is available to co-operate with the small local, forces in resisting any outbreak of violence. The merits or demerits of the strike do not come into tho matter. All that is designed is the protection of the lives and property of our fellow subjects should the necessity arise. It is characteristic of men of Mr. Holland's type that in a crisis of this nature they should ignore the danger threatening their own countrymen and see in the reasonable precautions being token for their protection some malevolent endeavour to prejudice the claims of labour as represented by the Indian strikers.

The "record" Customs revenue for the ten months of the financial year now elapsed will give pleasure to tho Minister of Customs and the Treasurer, but affords little clue to tho real state of trade. For the ten months the sura of £3,840,104 has been collected. If tho remaining two months provide a yield in the same proportion the year should finish with a Customs revenue approaching four and a half millions. In 1914 the Customs produced threo and a half millions, the increase over the pre-war figures being thus about a million sterling. The Government Statistician's index number for wholesale prices for all groups of commodities was 1077 in 1914 and 1886 for October, 1919, an 80 per cent, increase. The Economist's average of monthly index numbers in Britain shows an increase of 21)0 per cent, between 1913 and 1919 prices. Bearing these facts in mind, it is obvious that the only trade figures of use for comnarisoiih nowadays are those which give quantities of goods. On this basis our imnorts must be substantially below those of 1914.

It was a curious _ chance that brought together in yesterday's news tho announcement of the decoration by Britain of between two and three hundred Belgian spies who had aided us, and the execution in France of two German war spies of ten now under capital sentence. The spy is an odious but necessary part of the military machine. It is work requiring the greatest coolness and bravery, and the acumen to follow up through any hazard the chance elite that leads to the desired end. Some spying may be perfectly honourable, but in general estimation the method of spying which involves worming a way into tho confidence of others only to betray them thoroughly deserves the ignominious end allotted to it by military law. Exactly how_ the French come to be shooting military spies at this late date for offences committed during hostilities is not clear. The Hague Convention lays it down that a spy who rejoins his army aftor his espionage, but is subsequently captured by the enemy, cannot be held responsible for his previous acts of espionage, and must be treated as an ordinarv prisoner of war. The Peace Treaty provides for the repatriation of prisoners of > war and interned civilians irrespective of sentences they may be undergoing for ~ff,-, n pp S ntrainst discipline, but no i>i"iii'"'i is made of captured spies The Fmi"!! are apparently well within their vights in inflicting the r>xt' w no penaltv for espionage nenrlv fifteen months after the conclusion of hostilitiw).

Mr- Churchill's plans for the reorganisation of l\w British Army and the Australiaa scheme for the establishment of its air defences lend additional point to General Birdwood's I'econfc appeal for closer

Imperial co-operation in defence. Speaking at the luncheon tendered him on his arrival in Melbourne last mon.th, jCJenkhal liumwooD' declared that Australia and New Zealand should sec eye to eye. in defence, and work as one nation with one lino of thought. As British outposts in the Pacific, there could never be any question of divergent views regarding defence. Again, India is the nearest member of the Britannic League to Australasia, and General Bmmvood laid emphasis on the need for close touch between India, Australia, and New Zealand regarding the military situation and arrangements in their respective countries. There could be no telling when the varioys forces might not be required to co-operate in joint operations, and each army should conta'n officers who would know in working with the other? exactly what to expect and what to do. These joint operations of which Gekekal Birdwood talks may be a long way off, but if they ever did take place the cost of the exchanges of officers which he suggest* would be infinitesimal compared with the benefits tha» would be derived. - * i> * The Officers' Association just formed in London to co-ordinate the work of resettling ex-officers in civil life in Britain and overseas is an institution with which the High Commissioner's Office would do well to establish close touch. New Zealand, for many years past, has gone to sleep on the subject of immigraand as the birth-rate in the Dominion has shown another drop it does not appear that we arc gaining population to any extent from either internal or external sources. The Government would be weil advised to collect full information both as to the activities of such organisations as the Officers' Association, and as to exactly what the other Dominions and States are really doing to encourage immigration and what immigrants they arc securine. The collection of this matter, would doubtless be useful to Ministers and members of Parliament in shaping our own policy, and us publication in the Press in Njw Zealand would do much to stimulate public interest in the vjtnl problem of populating the Dominion.