Hokitika Guardian and Evening Star SATURDAY, AUGUST 18th, 1917. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 August 1917, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian and Evening Star SATURDAY, AUGUST 18th, 1917. THE WEEK.

The War Boan prospectus issued during the week is worthy of the most careful attention of our readers. Between now and September 3rd. the Minister of Finance wants from the country a loan of £12,000,000, and we do not hesitate to say that every individual should do what ho or sho can to see that this money is subscribed. Thf> terms of the loan are set out in another part of this newspaper. They are decidedly attractive. The prospectus speaks for itself. Benders are offered a fair variety of issues, and behind them all is tho solid rook of State security. There is tho option of bearer bonds or inscribed stock and there is a reservation of £1,000,000 available for investors who may chooso to u&o their scrip in payment of death duties | —a very sensible arrangement on both sides. To small investors the opportunity is offered to subscribe in sums 01 £1 upwards: Wc hope t'hat the loan will j be a complete success, and we feel sure it will. It is the plain and simple duty of every citizen who can do bo to help the Government in its enormous financial needs, and this method of helping has the special merit of benefiting the lender. The loan is a most excellent investment, patriotism opart. The subscriber, need have no fear that ho is “locking up” his money for the cur- I i-ency of the bond, for the stock will always b© negotiable and some of it is almost WFtftio to appreciate in y«Iu«,

We shall take further opportunities of Mowing, to the best of our ability, tbe sentimental and the material attractions of this great loan. For the present we would impress upon everybody that the financial requirements of the country are both large and urgent. It is incumbent upon the community to lighten tho responsibilities that rest upon Sir Joseph Ward by fully responding to the call for war funds. The loan,. big as it i 9, ought to bo largely over-subscribed.

The strike in Now Soiit.li Wales is apparently assuming very serious propoitions. The absence of news by moans of the cable, the worjk of tho Censor in Sydney makes it impossible to properly guage or follow' the com.™ of tho upheaval. From what can ho gathered however it appears as if the struggle is a clear cut one of the law and order against'l.W.W. methods. The Sydney “Bulletin,” u'hich in tho past has shown a strong leaning to Labour unionists writing of the strike Says:—“This strike is just plain social sabotage. Tho men who went on strike had not oven the oxcuse of possessing a tangible grievance. They were not seeking the redress of any wrong. Stating the eases for themselvs the only justification they could produce was an assertion that the time-cards would lead to grievances in the future. Asked to prove this, they declined the. invitation. Asked to give the system a trial and produce the grievances for inspection when they arrived, they declined some more. They simply insisted on denying the right of their own Department to institute a change of internal management, and on asserting their own right to . either have their way or to deal out stousli to the community. On the balsis of the strikers case not being bogus, all of this meant that a crowd of rebels was trying to browbeat tho. State into submission through fear. On the basis of the strike being merely a machine-made disturbance, it meant that several thousand men had been prepared to blindly follow liko jum-bucks wherever a coterie of disgruntled wire-pullers chdse to lead them. In either case it meant that tho public peace and convenience wero made the sport of a truculent, intolerant push. If public ownership of utilities common to the general citizenship cannot save, the people from assaults like this, where in tho name of common sense, are the advantages of the experiment to he looked for? .This paper does not know, and has suspicion that no one else knows. What it docs know is that this strike makes a mockPiy ot everything the Labour movement and industrial unionism has stood for in the past, and turns into jest the whole super-structure of Labour legislation and administration. Tjhero are perilous times ahead of Australia. Economic .problems of a character tho population has never drenmed of about are in the making. Is there anyone who imagines that thege will bo met and dealt with by the maintenance oi such industrial conditions as are prevalent to-day? It is very doubtful, for these conditions aro a sham from top to bottom, and the Labour movement is rapidly becoming a sham too. As it is to-day it stands for one thing only—-bashing a public which earns hostility L\y leaving itself (open to attack. No State ever stood that sort of thing indefinitely and Australia will not, because Australia has to live.

The Battle of Arras, which opened a week ago, and which was then described ns the greatest battle the world had ever seen, has developed during the last few days with a further violent offensive bv the British French and Portuguese armies in Belgium in the vicinity of Ypres, tho scene of many a hard struggle in the early days in the west. Satisfactory news came to liand yesterday of a brightening up of the offensive by a strongly carried out, attack on the German positions. The news to hand shows that so far the attack has been carried on with distinct success. The gallant work of the Canadians is attractively described by the correspondents, while tho French troops have gallantly borne themselves alongside the British troops thf advance being successfully and brilliantly carried out by all the armies all tlie objectives being won and then held against savage enemy counter-at-tacks. The work of the combined artillery appears to have had a terrific effect in spite of the unfavourable weather interfering with the aerial work of the gallant airmen.

Tnn operations on the othe fronts during tho week have not received much attention at the hands of the cable sender. The French cominuui.,-. made mention of some operations the vicinity of Rheirns, whore the c.®-.-tnn.n trenches were raided. On tho Italian front the promised offensive has not eventuated so far as the news received goes, but there is every probability that Italy will endeavour to get in another big blow before the summer ends. No news from Salonika is somewhat ominous in view of the urgency of a substantial move to help relieve the pressure on the front- There is also an absence of news from the latter theatre. This cannot bo considered disadvantageous at tlie present time, as it, tends to show that the German offensive has quietened down, and any delay at the present time must prove of advantage to the Russians, who have had to retreat to new linos ■of defence ov«u .. considerable area of ground during the past few weeks, as a result of the lamentable outcome of the internal dissension of tho Russian Empire. I