Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22nd, 1917. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 December 1917, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22nd, 1917. THE WEEK.

Jr was a happy thought which hit upon a musical memorial to the First •Seven Divisions—that handful" of super men who held up the multitude of the German hosts when pouring through Belgium on route to Paris, at the outbreak of the war It was a glorious service rendered by an incomparable Army which .-food its ground till wiped out, virtually, in the great service which it had been trained. Poets will sing for ages about the great deeds and history can never weary which tells of the thrilling deeds performed by that gallant band. It was a theme well calculated to stir the imagination of the musical artist. The story lends itself to such treatment—the light and tho shade, the gloom and the light, the Hash and thundering roll, the rally and the forlorn hope. Such a composition must he essentially majestic and thrilling and is indeed a pleasant way to perpetuate the memories of those to whom all humanity owe so much. So great a story might well be embalmed in music and be told year by year as the fateful August comes round, just as at Christmas time another great fashionable musical composition gives to the world its message of peace ann good will. Some day tlhe composer will arise, we hope, who will toll in stately music the story of New Zealand’s part in the war as a memorial to Gie men of the Antipodes who sprang to arms at duty’s call, and played a man’s part in the cause of Empire. So great an opportunity can never he missed, surely.

Those First Seven Divisions, which' wore the salvation of the Empire at the outset when there was one clear call to sacrifice, owed their triumph to sir John French, who mobilised them into the firing line within three weeks, and j led them through the memorable retreat ; from Mons. Conan Doyle, has recountled this phase of the story in the following interesting statement: —lt is ' a difficult matter to get the true pro- ; portion either of events or of characters ■in so great an epoch as this. It will ! he years before the true scale will' J gradually be found. At the same time it can he said now with absolute certainty that the name of John French . will go down to history for the sterling , work that ho has done during sixteen . months of the extreme military pres- ! sure. Nothing which the future could bring, however, terrific our task, could be charged with the same possibilities of absolute disaster as those operations of the past through which he and his brilliant subordinates bad successfully brought the Army. His was the preparation of the troops . hefor the campaign his the responsibilities of mobilisation, and his the primary ore (lit that they were in the fighting line ( by August. 22nd., 1914 —they who. upon j August. 4th, had been scattered without! their reserves or full equipment over a dozen' garrison towns. This alone j was a er#at feat. Then ©anw tfae " A

Ttiekk htfs been a. great How of ink this week on the subject of the escaped prisoners of war from the islet in Auckland harbour. The Auckland papers comment strongly on the escape. Says the “Herald”—'“Few war events have aroused in Auckland tlie intensity of feeling resulting from the escape of German prisoners from Motuihi. There have been times when the community teoii mo war .ions graieiy, uu.es Wueu s.iuness nas tuc p.oia...ug note, out on Uus occasion i. may said unit iaiger i s upp.-rums l . me aioignatiou is natural uuu reasonauie, lor it js iou tmiit had tiie responsible authorities assumed, as tney ougut .o have assumed, that prisoners such as uin Luckuer and Ins raiding crew would attempt to escape, and had all possioie precautions been taken on that basis, the roll at Motuihi would have neon now as it was on Thursday last.” The “Star” —“The escape of German pris oners from Motuihi has made a painful impression on the community. . .

The circumstances of this well-planned a rid* successful escape suggest an insufficient appreciation by the responsible authorities of the possibilites of the situation, and the public will not he satisfied until they know all the 'facts about, the business that can be told without benefit to the enemy, and until those responsible for any laxity that may have been shown are suitably punished. It wall occur to some people that the escaped prisoners would hardly leave without indefinite objective, and that the fixing of an objective would ho made easier through communication with the outside world. We may say that the escape does not come as a surprise to everybody; the possibility that has become a fact had been freely discussed by Aucklanders. AVo hope that the Minister for Defence will realise that people feel very strongly about this escape, and that they want a full and careful enquiry into the whole business and to he satisfied that steps will be taken to make its recurrence impossible.

To those .who were perturbed by the alarmist speech of Mr. Watt of the Federal Ministry, the report this week of Mr. Murdoch, the war correspondent on the readiness of the Fra neo-British armies in the West would be pleasant reading. Since his report was compiled the weather has become more wintry, settling down to the seasonable climate which has marked the three trying winter periods which have gone before. Mr. Murdoch's particular reference to the French Army i, s of peculiar interest. He reminds us that the great French Army was little used during the year. That is of course, there has been no grand attacks such as bled the brave Army white during 1914, 1915 and 1916. For this year the British have borne the brunt of the onslaught, and the respite has served to re-build the French Army to its former great proportions. Thi s is of distinct value as a means to counter-act any sudden onslaught by tho enemy. It is of great value, too, from the fact that this reorganised, Army will he able to march into action beside tho greater American Army next spring. There are indications nil along'that the Americans are to fight side by side with the Frenchmen, so that the spring fighting will he probably in those sectors where the Franco-American forces arc. This thought suggests that the mineral regions of France wjll be the scene of the opening of the 1918 campaign. The great war will continue to still leave surprises, and it will be the unexpected no doubt which will turn, the tide in the end. f '

Tite tone of the eablenew s would have prepared most readers for the defeat of the conscription poll in Australia on Thursday. Still there is a surprise about the news, and that is that the “No” victory is so substantial. The “No” win really spells an enemy victory also, because the Australian forces will be a diminishing quantity from now on. Even at the present rate of voluntary reinforcements, Australia will be not loss than 50,000 short for a year. A force of that strength of such brilliant soldiers a's the Australians make, is a serious shortage. The absence of the force will he all in favour of the enemy, and because of that material advantage, Thursday’s poll is a pronounced victory for the enemy. It is more. It is a' sad reflection on the Empire to find one of the daughter States thus shirking her responsibilities. It is a shame upon Australia.that i should be so. and more than all, its a shame to the memory of those thousands of Australians who have willingly laid down the'ir lives for the cause of .Empire. Australia seems to be shaping a course for her own undoing. Politically, the conditions are no less chaotic than they are in Russia. The National Party ruling, in the popular Federal Assembly finds its work vetoed by the second Chamber. It is a sea-saw ballaneing game to the undoing of the nation, and the dishonour of it- all is reflected throughout the Empire. Ausralin had the opportunity to redeem the vote of 1916. She has made the position more intense hv the latest poll, and established a condition of affairs which will require nunh unravelling.

What will happen in Federal politics nmv ? Those who take the matter seriously to heart may draw some small measure of eomfort from the fact that prior to the poll the political quidnuncs gave it out if the proposals were lost, it would he lost only as a vote of no-con fidenco in Premier Hughes, and that in the end all would be well. Mr. Hughes has made an overstrenuous fight for it. He has bullied and blustered to a high degree, and his gifted eloquence he seemed to use very inappropriately. He failed-to adopt a suaviter In mode, fortltor in re 'demeanour, prefemngcto rftßtj#pd to- hi*

long, desperate fight to make head against a superior foe, the rally, the return, the fino change of position, the long struggle for the const the victory saddened hv the practical annihilation of the old Ttegulhr Army, •tihe alfsorption and organisation of the netv elements, the resumption of the offensive, and that series of spirited actions, which if they never attained full success, were each more formidable than the last, and were all preparatory exercises for the great Sommo battles of 1916. This was the record which Lord French took back with him to the Horse Guards and it is one which can never be forgotten by his fellow countrymen .

heart’s desire. Ho could not hope to convince and convert the basic blend of “antis,” but tho.ro was a great army of silent voters who might have been captured by the less strenuous efforts than those he employed. According to the rules of the-game and to.the impression given at the outset of the campaign, Mr Hughes’ Government, must now retire. In that event politics will he again In the melting pot. The National party now reigning were sent back by the country with a solid majority as a win the-war Government. An essential stop in the programme was to provide reinforcements. This has been vetoed violently. Whether there can be a satisj factory reconstruction remains to be seen. The turmoil of another general election, practically on the conscription issue, would seen futile to a degree. Perhaps the best way of all would bo to throw the responsibility of the position on to H.M. Opposition and let them justify the “No” attitude in the safe and sound Government of the country. For the rest Mr: Hughes seems to be badlv discredited.