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Hokitika Guardian, 21 August 1922, Page 2

It is eight years now since the outbreak of the Great War. The peace which was to redraw the map of Europe and Asia according to the principles of justice, and was to eliminate war by removing its causes, has done nothing but perpetuate feuds. Defeat has not brought resignation to the vanquished, nor has victory brought contentment to the conquerors. Querulousness, hysteria, suspicion and an implacable spirit of revenge still darken council. As Mr Lloyd George has observed: “In the fierce suffering of the war and the passionate triumph of victory the old Adam, is almost as afraid of his friends as of his enemies.” There is not a little irony in the circumstance that the eighth anniversary of the war which, whs to cleanse us by the ordeal of fire, should witness the culmination of rather a sordid disagreement between the erstwhile brothers in arms. The impasse which lias been reached in the matter of the war debts in a sad anticlimax to all their high endeavour. During the war Britain borrowed between eight and nine hundred millions pounds from America, partly on her own account and partly on behalf of her Allies. The latter (exclusive of Russia) owe Britain £1,300,000,000. Britain now recognises that the liquidation of these debts is probably impossible, and certainly inexpedient. She believes that it would lie better for all concerned to wipe them out and start again with a clean sheet. Only thus can the financial and economic rehabilitation of Europe lie effected. But although Britain is prepared to remit the debts due to her and to relinquish her share of the German indemnity, she cannot be, and should not be expected to be the only nation to do so. If she remits her foreign debt she cannot repay America. She proposes, therefore, that America should cancel the British debt, that Britain should cancel the foreign debt, and that in return Franco should consent to a reduction in Germany’s reparation payments and to a moratorium for German private debts. That Britain is quite disinterested is shown by the fact that by this arrangement Britain would lose very much more than she gains; her Allies owe her more by a third than shy owes America. But she is satisfied that tho general improvement in European conditions, which would result from this scheme, would com*

pensate for the sacrifioe. However, America, it seems is determined to exact her pound of flesh, while France whose judgment in this affair lacks its usual clarity, has placed a false interpretation upon Lord Balfour’s note. Britain does not wish to become a “debt collector for America” ; she wishes a tabula rasa. Surely it is a mournful commentary on our professions of idealism that at a season consecrated to the memory of their common effort the Allies should be dunning each other and upbraiding each other in tuis fashion.

Reports continue to be received in regard to the state the main south road is drifting into. The extraordinary traffic resulting from heavy motor transport is cutting up the roads very badly, and the ordinary road staff and the readily available material are not equal to maintaining proper maintenance conditions. The matter calls for something more than passing interest, because unless the main highway south is adequately maintained, th c result will be prejudicial to general traffic in the coining season. In the past the want of the bridges has been the drawback. Those bridges are now being provided, but a further serious barrier is now rising up ns a result of the damage to the road by heavy motor traffic. The authorities in control do not appear to have finances enough to attend to the upkeep as the present heavy traffic requires and if that is the true explanation then some restriction will require to bo placed On the transport. The damage in the main is caused ‘ by the heavily laden lorries, and as this is so apparent .it- is not difficult to devise methods for checking the undue amount of damage which is being done. The welfare of the southern district is involved in the matter, for unless communication is readily available in a

reasonable way, the expansion of the district will he retarded. As to the , general question of building up the roads to the requirements of the traffic that is a master which will require to he faced sooner or later, hut for thc ,

present the want of adequate finance prevents the needful action. In the meantime, therefore traffic requires to he so regulated that the roads will carry the general volume of traffic, as it has done heretofore, till the extraordinary traffic took the road. There is an obligation on the authorities to see that the greatest good is done for the greatest number till funds are available to provide for the requirements of ill traffic.