NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 247, 13 July 1920, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

» Herr Geseler, tho German Minister of )ofence, on whom falls the brunt of tlio Lilies' demands, has an unenviable task, lis position as a Socialist minister in iharge of the German military machine s as uncomfortable a* could well bo magincd. Disliked and despised by tho dilitarists and Conservatives as a Bemblican, he is furiously attacked by tho Socialists for failure to impose his will in tho Army. Bitter complaint has been nade that the Republicans dismissed rom the Army during the Kapp coup lave not been replaced, and that the reeding: out continues whilo the Kaplists maintain their places. Instructor were issued by the Government hat the Army was to be cleansed of >olitical influences, and this was promptly nterpretcd by many superior officers as [leaning that it was to he cleansed of Socialists and Republicans. The nuhorities in Berlin are charged by their ritics with having failed to act effeeively against these local commanders, "ho reactionary forces in Germany are specially strong in the Army, and from fcs eld associations and traditions it is latnrally imbued with feelings of atachment to the Hohcnzollern regime mder which tho military were the most irivileged of all classes. Whether Henv Jesslcr, well prodded on by the Allies, ,-ill succeed in extracting the virus of niliiurism from this machine is a thing rhich the future has yet to reveal. * * * « The public is reminded this morning hat letters and mail matter addressed to 'Palmerston" are dispatched not to tho irincipal inland centre in tho North Isand, but to an obscure little township n North Otago. The Manawatu has no uch centre as Palnierston, and if prions living in the town commonly so mown are to bo reached through tho ?ost Office without a more or less cngthy detour to Otago it is essential o remember that the correct address is Palnierston North. Even tho attraction if being Palmerston without any qualifyng description of east, south, west, or lorlli has not been sufficient to induce wople to remain in the salubrious Otago ownship. Its solo claim to pre-emin->nco is the fact that it was constituted i borough in, 1872, whereas Palmerston North, though it had a local board was lot a borough until 1877. Even iit 1878 Palmerston had only 814 people, while Palmerston North was ahead with 880. [n the thirty-eight years between that late and the latest census in 1910. Palmsrston has declined to 752, while Palrnoriton North has grown to 12,821). It la liigh time the slumbers of this somnolent Otago township were disturbed by the official presentation of the adjective "South." # * # * It is to be hoped that the debate in the House of Commons will convince the friends ot General Dyer that no sorvico will be done him by further ventilation of the details of 'the Amritsar shootings. Tho circumstances are now fairly well known. Amritsar, in common with the rest of the Punjaub, was early Last year in a disturbed stalo. A poster had been exhibited in the town urging the 'natives to "die and kill." Tho same day an .English sergeant was niur< deied and an English lady attacked and left for dead in a street. General Dyer issued a proclamation warning the natives that gatherings of more than ten people woujd bo-fired upon. Three days later, on April 13, a gathcrins of 20,000 Natives took placo in the town, contrary to the proclamation. General Dyer went there with about a hundred troops. Without giving the cwwd any warning ho ordered his men to Are, and the firing continued for' ten minutes, during which time !J79 people were billed and 1100 injured. A special commission was set up to inquire .into tho circumstances and found that in opening fire without warning the General's action was "open to criticism," and that in continuing it he committed a "grave error." This view was concurred iu by the Indian, Council, an independent inquiry by the Army Council arrived at tho same unfavourable result, and tlie Imperial Cabinet agreed that tho retirement of Goneral Dyer was desirable. In defence General Dyer nstiertod that the counrry was on the vergo of revolution and that it ,\vns expedient to create a moral impression throughout the whole Punjaub. Howevet good Goneral Dyer's record may otherwise bo it may he taken as clearly established after t'hess ropeated inquiries that his actions on that fatal April 13 constituted an error of jiidgmenfc fatal to his continuing in high command. » * * s A needless excess of candour in the law courts can sometimes have disagrecalilo results. The extreme frankness of Mr. Fred. Karno iu explaining to the Lord Chief Justice and a special jury in London tho defects and goneral rottenness of an expensive motor-car lie had purchased provido a case in point. Mr. Karno, being a producer of airy trifles known as music-hall sketches, is in the happy position of being able to buy

motor-cars less casually than a bishop might purchase tobacco. From one firm ho had bought three cars. The third was a particularly expensive and showy Italian machine. Its exterior was imposing, but internally Mr. Karno liked it not. It had "a rumbling noise coming from the gear-box"; it "bumped about like a cork in a bottle"; his lady friends looked "as if they had been to a prizefight" after driving +o Henley in it; the chassis was "only suitable to a motorlorry"; and the car generally was "a frightful thing," "a dud." All this was really immaterial to the point that Mr. Karno had hirod an expensive array of counsel to argue for him—tha+. ho had merely taken tho car on trial and had not purchased it. Tho Court was unkind enough to find that the tranoaction was a purchase with no obligation to refund. Being a popular favouri'e, Mr. Knrno's convincing and vivid descriptions of his car's defects woro reported in exteDso in all the London daily papers. He is left with a lengthy lawyer's bill, a car he does not like, and tho knowledge that it is an open question whether after his vivid description of it there is anyone in tho United Kingdom with .£2OOO to spare on a motor-oar who is not fully aware what a very undesirable article is the car that Mr. Karno must now be moß+ anxious to sell, * * * * To a very great extent.the solution ot the housing problem 'in this country turns, evidently, upon the amount and efficiency of the ilabour available. There are difficulties yet to bo overcome in connection with tho supply of materials, but tho ilabour question is paramount. It is certain also that the widest possible application of a system of payment by results in the building trade—by the letting of labour contracts and in other ways—would ensure a considerably greater production of houses in a given time than is possible under existing conditions, At the same time this would enable building tradesmen to improve materially upon thoir present Tate of earnings. If tho representatives of organised Labour who have so much to say about the housing shortngo wcro sincere in their protestations they would undoubtedly do everything in their power to secure tho institution of a system of payment by results in the building trade. Apparently, however, their great cor.cern is to prevent the adoption of this rational expedient. A Labour Party resolution on housing suggests that tho Building Trades Federation might cooperate with tho Government, but in- • sists upon "an assured weekly wage" as an integral feature of the scheme. This ' is simply begging the question. An asi sural minimum wage iB assured not ! only in the building trade, but in nil 1 others in this country. " Tho essential 1 question—the question which organised ■ and official Labour seems determined to • evade-is whether additional output 1 might not be secured in return for addi--1 tioual payment.