The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9th, 1926. ANOTHER DICTATOR.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 January 1926, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9th, 1926. ANOTHER DICTATOR.

Anotiikii nation In Southern Kurnpe. remarks tlic “Lyttelton Times," . lias passed under tlie temporary aiitlm ■ity of a dictator. The (Ireek militarist leader lias made the explanation, now becoming a little commonplace, that “Parliamentary Government was the sole cause of the nation's troubles,” and that the methods of politicians were altogether too conciliatory for a nation of such heroic f|mdities There is such a close resemblance between tlk>- methods of (frock military domination ami Italian Fascism that obviously General Pnngalos is endeavouring to follow in the footsteps of .Signor MusI solini. The liberty or ttie Press has been attacked, freedom of speech has been banished, and public posts hare been filled by supporters of the militarist clique. Possible opponents of these measures have been banished, among them General Plastiras, whom a miltarv council has suddenly discovered to have lieen responsible for the debacle in Asia Elinor in August, 1922. The general is to Ik' tried by court-martial, but as he is said to be residing abroad, the affair may prove to be more in the nature of a military drama than anything else. T’ Athens Press have recorded the steps taken to establish a dictatorship. Beeently he “Athenne” said: “We of the Opposition must be very eareful in our attitude towards the militarists. and our object must he to avoid such tactics as will encourage these .swash-bucklers to exploit the discontent in a way to create a social revolution. Tf that should happen, the militarists would have an excellent pretext for establishing a dictatorship.” With or without pretext, the dictatorship has been proclaimed, relying on bayonets for its support, an making great claims as to the naval and military strength of the nation. The first difficulty of the new order may he financial. Greece has been •striving to obtain from America the unpaid portion of a loan negotiated some years ago. American financiers have been reluctant to lend any further sums on the grounds that “conditions in Greece are far from stable.’ lhey may have acquired stability of a kind by the abolition of self-govern-ment, but that is not the stability winch American financiers regard with favour. One of the difficulties of dictatorships is the ensuring of a supply of competent- dictators, and Greece may find that the methods of a Mussolini depend for their success, first and foremost, upon the production of a Mussolini.