Hokitika Guardian & Evening star FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1920. A MENACING SITUATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 October 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening star FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1920. A MENACING SITUATION.

The Middle and Near East continues ! to present a menacing situation so far as British interests are concerned. The Afghan position, according to the cabled news this week, is far from satisfac- | tory. On tl'ie Indian frontier further fighting is not unlikely, while in Persia and Mesopotamia the outlook is quite uncertain. An English correspondent who returned to London at the end of August from Turkey, gave a resume of the position as he found it in the Near East, and his news was not { very cheering. Writing of the general situation he went on to say that in addition to the probability of a difficult punitive campaign in Mesopotamia there is every likelihood of Great Britain having to engage in extensive military operations on the Indian frontier at no distant date. As stated previously, General Lord Rawlinson will succeed General Sir Charles Monro on the lattor retiring at the age limit, while the victorious Fourth Army leader is expeeed to select General Sir William Birdwood and Major-General Sir William Ironside as his chief lieutenants, the latter to lead an especially difficult mountaineering expedition. The necessity for this new campaign has arisen partly owing to the disturbed state of India, partly through the success of Lenin’s anti-British machinations in Transcaucasia, Persia, and Afghanistan. Our situation in the Near East has been materially affected by the failure of the four States born of the Peace Conference—Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan—to emerge as separate entitles favourable to this Allies. Of the four, all bordering on or in the vicinity of Bolshevist Russia, Armenia has already signed a serious with Moscow'; Azerbaijan has been under Red rule for several w r eeks; Kurdistan does not seem to exist at all in the welter of local events; while Georgia, sandwiched between Russia and Armenia and latterly deserted, of necessity, by the Allies, cannot long withstand the pressure of Bolshevism. It is the considered opinion of several members of the Allied High Commission to Armenia that all four States' must sooner or later be absorbed by Russia, with all that that implies. Farther west there is the Turkish rebel force of Kiazim, based on Trebizond, mid then Kemal himself at Angora. The two lattpr are not dangerous at the moment, thanks tp temporary Greek pressure, but the possibility of their joining forces with the faltering Transcaiicasjap States cannot be overlooked. S[ipu}d this blending take place, the situation in Persia then immediately claims attention. The Persians ore understood to have torn up the recently concluded Anglo-Persian agreement—in any case, the country is known to be seething with Bolshevism. Next on the road to India is Afghanistan, whose ruler and Government are openly hostile to Britain and where the whole trouble threatening our Eastern domain may well come to a head. Meanwhile one has nut mentioned Mesopotamia at all. The impression that one gains is that we have “taken on far too much”, in the Near East generally, and that the sooner we withdraw from certain embarassing situations arising, thanks to Lenin, the better. It seems probable that a campaign in defence of India, will sooner or later emerge as inovit- ■ able, with Turks, Persians, Afghans, | Russians, Arabs, and Transcaucasians as potential enemies. The first symp- 1 toms of the trouble lying ahead are nlready visible. There are many in the j Near East who think that one way to meet the oncoming danger is to hand ' over Mesopotamia—pesthole, hut no less 1 sacred land of 20,000 dead Britons—to the Emir Feisul, and to keep Basra and a certain area of the Shat-el-Arab. This 1 will enable us to retain possession of 1 the port of Basra—the “German pistol ■ at India’s heart,” for which we en- < gaged in the first instance in the Meso- < potamian campaign six years ago—and also the 75-miles-long pipe carrying the f oil down from the Anglo-Persian oil- c fields to the port of Mohainmern. • x

water. When the water has been plentiful and clean, there is no doubt about n the use the baths are put to, and even A |in a dislocated way they have done ; good service. It has been a pleasing | sight when the conditions were favour- ( able, to see the young folk disporting \ I themselves in healthy enjoyment and ] recreation, but just now the prospects ] for tlie youth of the place getting pleasure and profit out of the baths this sea-' son are not very hopeful. The baths and enclosure need attention, and most I ' important of all, a more regular supply i of water is absolutely essential. It lias i 1 been suggested that the latter might 1 1 he secured by the use of electric power. , The pipes are laid to the river, and there is not a very great lift into the ; baths. With an electric pump it is be- i lieved the water supply question could he overcome. The pump could be used | througli the late night, when other de- i mands for the power are off, and in this way the water of the bath could he freshened daily. Also, the electric' light could be used for the night use of the baths, and in this way a considerable amount of extra revenue could be gained. These are suggestions well worthy of consideration, but they require to be taken up at once, if the baths are to be put to practical use this season. The. repair of the baths etc. is the matter for first urgent attention, and pending the installation of 1 electric power and light, no doubt a way could be found to supply a fair ' s amount of water from the town service. It is due to the necessities of the ease to make some effort to utilise, the very fine asset there is available for the ' town. Many a place would be glad ini- deed of such a public convenience as Municipal baths, yet having it, we here ir do not appear to he very keen on making use of it. Why this neglect or inis difference?

The essence of good citizenship is public service. The opportunity for putting this precept into practice is being afforded just now when a call is being made for candidates for local body elections. The effluxion of time renders it necessary for general elections of members in respect to the County Council, Hospitals and Charitable Aid Board, and Harbour Board. Local government is the success the people make of it in the life of a community, and on the whole Westland has been rather fortunate in the representatives chosen to fill the various boards. There is , a happy family touch almost, about the surroundings which govern local body administration here. Squabbling is entirely absent, and there is a smoothness noticeable which seems to suggest that usually the right men are in the right place. At the same ' time, a contested election for seats in responsible government, gives a vitalising influence to the work of the local body afleeted. The public interest thereby created affords more vitality to the work of the board or council, and that is all for the betterment of local conditions. The public men of Westland have rendered very faithful service over a long term of years, and that accounts for the unbrok ' eu confidence so many of them have retained for a long period of years. Time, however, imposes changes, and fresh selections have to be made. Just at present Westland is on the threshold of an important era in its history. The district is about to reap some reward for its patient waiting for the permanent prosperity it is destined to enjoy. We hear a good deal about the progress of Westland, and that element of advancement will largely come from the initiative of the people themselves. Provincial progress calls in the first instance for individual progress and effort. That may be exercised among the local bodies, which in their united work .have done a large amount of valuable work for the advancement of the district. The policy of the past lias been good. The trend of events suggests the policy might be accelerated, and this calls for progressive men at the head of local affairs. Now is the time for the people to make a good and a wise choice.