ARE WE GOING BACK?

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 10 May 1917, Page 3

ARE WE GOING BACK?

THE working classes in the warring nations appear likely to gain something out of the war, whoever else loses. The Russian masses are temporarily master of the country's destinies, and will undoubtedly gain many material advantages before being pushed back again into the economic slavery that is essential to the maintenance of our competitive system of social organisation. In England e-ven Conservative Asquith has become converted to the idea of giving the people a voice in electing, their Parliamentary representa" tives, and female suffrage is quite possible. In Germany the Kaiser and his nominees in the various Parliaments of the Federation have become so radical as to even talk about electoral reform, and from talking they may get to "performing. It is safe to say that the -big interests " in each country that fostered and forced the war didn't foresee the rising of the proletariats in demands for some measure of social justice in their countries. The position ha? a striking analogy to that which existed in ancient Rome when the Huns were creeping up in their invasion of Italy. Even with the Huns visible from the walls of Rome the soldiers and common people had to be bribed to fight by extra allowances of 'food, social reforms and abrogation of laws. As it was in the beginning, etc. The one disappointing feature is that we in New Zealand are going backwards, and the liberties of speech and thought that we were boasting about are being filched away under a pretext of national gain. —Reason.

The mothers of the nation are more than holding their own. In some of the munition factories at Hom.e 95 per cent of the employees are -women. Nature really was in earnest when she made a woman.

As showing the wonderful carryingcapacity of lucerne, it may be rqerrtioned (says the Journal af Agriculture) that at Moumahaki Experimental Farm one fjeld qf 14 acres which 'Was mo,wn for hay on the 2nd March, 1918, during the following 12 months kept the equivalent of 10 Bheep per acre, and in addition yielded a hay crop of 2 tons per acre in January, 1917. In calculating the number of sheep thus carried it is estimated that one grown beast is equal to six sheep. " .

Modern warfare has been shorty of much of tlie glair^our and romance attached to the battles of olden times. Sergt.-Major D.ent told his hearers at the Manakau Anzac meeting that the day had gone by when an officei drew his sword, dashed ahead of Miis njen, and led them forward to victory. The only u,se to which a sw;.rd %a^ put nowadays was lo toast bread before a fire.