The Hokitika Guardian SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th, 1922. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 September 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th, 1922. THE WEEK.

At nu immediate view the result of the efforts that are being made to promote a Near Eastern settlement depends as the Prime .Minister observed this week.

oil Mustapha Kcinnl, and those associated with'niin. It is the underlying weakness of the situation, however that Britain and France have failed as yet to agree openly upon the details of a enmnmn policy. Kenialists who are .indulging in bellicose threats are probably finding even more encouragement to adopt that attitude in the division of opinion between France and Britain than in promises of support from .Soviet Russia. No doubt it would suit t!:e Kemulists very well if they were enabled, as Turkey often lias been in the past to play off one Great Power against another, Some of the late messages indicate clear that France and Britain are at variance in regard to the continued occupation of tin* Asiatic shore of the Dardanelles. A Constantinople message stated that “ihe Fianeo-Ttalian detachments’ flags were lemoved from Ism id and the Dardanelles neutral zones on orders from their respective Governments,” which leaves the defence of the whole of the neutral zone to British troops. M. Poinca ire’s statement as to the French view is decidedly discouraging. On the other hand there .s a message to the effect that a reinforcement of several French cruisers has hoen ordered to proceed forthwith to tie* Straits. Along with messages of an opposite import, there are some assurances that the Turks have no immediate intention of attacking the neutral zones and Mr Dlovd George still seems hopeful of a peaceful settlement. Bui the Turks are now in tlm neutral teirtorv, and a hot head might he responsible for an outbreak of hostilities r.c any moment. The position would he far more reassuring if France would side definitely with Britain in the task .>f maintaining treaty rights as affecting the neutral territory. •

Tin-: position which has arisen in Greece under the Near East situation is worse confounded. The* upheaval >’t- Greece will leave the Grecian territory an easy prey for ally of the neighbouring States anxious to take advantage of the state of affairs. Bulgaria, for instance, has designs on recovering some lost territory like Turkey, and encouraged by the Turkish success in the pieliininary negotiations with the Allied Power*-. Bulgaria might seek to make a strong military move and obtain a. defensive advantage and seek a fresh treaty revision. Meantime Greece will require strong leadership t*> recover her national equilibrium. The return of the banished Venizelos, who flew the country when Constantine returned to power, will probably he a necessity now if Greece is to have stable leadership. Venizelos was pro-Allv during tlm war period* and it would have been to the advantage of the Allies to have I cot him secure in Greece. But the inti'iiiiiti which followed fVdtutnr..

tine’s return placed the life of Venijsclos in dancer and he escaped the country. He has been residing m Britain, so that his leanings may be considered t<> be distinctly pro-British.

Liquor smuggling has proved a profitable business in the United States, and in consequence has encouraged enterprising and unscrupulous people to take risks. One method followed is for vessels carrying liquor to proceed to posi- i tions off the American coast outside the three-mile limit, over which the United States Government has jurisdiction, and there transfers their cargoes to shore-boats, which take the risk of landing the illicit liquor. An unfortunate situation now appears to have arisen through American coastguard vessels having seized British vessels at a point it is alleged beyond the throe-mile limit. The full facts have not been disclosed, hut as the British Government is reported to have forwarded a request for information as to this alleged departure from recognised precedent it would seem that an interesting question is involved. It certainly does seem rather absurd that a wouldbe smuggler should he safe from interference at a point a short distance outside an imaginary line off the coast; but there is, of course, another side to the question. International rules of this kind are not to he lightly brushed aside even in a matter of minor concern without risk of imperilling the recognised rights of other nations and creating precedents which may have consequences of far-reaching importance. The position however is likely to be settled on amicable lines, as Thursday’s cable news indicated an understanding had boon reached between the principal British and American representatives. The episode is an interesting phase of the prohibition question and how the law is being evaded—and at what cost to the country 1

As the Government organ “The Dominion’’ remarks, a loss of a round million makes the Railways Statement rather doleful reading this year. Fewer passengers were carried, and smaller tonnage of goods handled, and the gross earnings amounted to only 1.07 per cent of the capital cost. In the main the figures may be said to reflect

the general condition of the country. Working expenses, duo to increased wages and high-priced fuel and material have mounted up in recent years, while in spite of increases in charges the re-

venue lias failed to keep pace with working costs. The most cheerful feature is that there has been evidence in recent times Hint the loss is diminishing, but not to an extent that warrants any expectations that the end of the current year will seek a balance on the right side after paying interest on the capital sunk in the lines. Seeing that the interest charge is calculated at the low figure of Bf| per cent., it will lie realised that the railway earnings are in a very low state indeed.

Tlie General Manager declines to place tlie responsibility for this on the management of the lines, and no doubt there is some justification for his claim that the position reached is due to exceptional circumstances. In the main this is correct enough, but this does not say that the position could not be bettered by a closer and more sympathetic consideration of the requirement!* Id the users of the railways. With the view ot Mr McVilly that all .progress

ill connection with the iinvrovement and development of tile railways should not he suspended merely because the country is passing through a period of temporary depression, we are in heart}’ accord. It would be an entirely unsound policy to further delay the urgently needed improvements which will add to working efficiency and assist the management to eliminate waste and reduce running costs.

-Mil A. Si’KNfKii president ( ;f the Auckland Employers’ Association, and president ol the New Zealand Immigration and Land Settlement League, in an interview with a “Lyttelton Times” reporter this week said: That the only real method of bringing about better times ami genuine progress is to throw open the undeveloped lands of New Zealand to oversea immigration. As far as a national settlement policy is concerned, the Government is doi*ig nothing. Some one must force them to act. That is one object of the league. We arc already going strong in the Auckland province and we hope to link up with organisations throughout New Zealand. Business nun and the community generally are coming to realise that we can increase our volume of exports and reduce the debt per head by importing more people of the right stamp to hear their share of the national liabilities and taxation. At the present juncture Great Britain has n great surplus of population and the Imperial authorities are anxious to co-operate with the dominions in the task of solving the problem by emigration. It is costing the British Government something like £100.(>i)0,0()i) a year to pay out doles to the unemployed. That is a very heavy burden. To strengthen the Empire, the Government at Home has communicated to New Zealand. South Africa, Australia and Canada, details of a scheme, as propounded by Colonel Amery under which Britain offers to pay half cost of any land settlement in the colonics. II 'we ill New Zealand throw open our Crown lands oil a large scale, lor the settlement of immigrants the British authorities will pay half the cost, even of transportation and improvement. Very little has been heard of that scheme out here and it is unfortunate that our Government is not fully alivt: to the situation. In fact they have been Iradlv left behind by other States such as Western Australia which has begun on a really- good seheme. Cp to the present. West Australia has had offers from 100,000 immigrants to come from the' l nited Kingdom and go on the land. Most of those, immigrants have money, so vou can understand wliat an asset tliev will be in their new country.