The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, October 20, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1313, 20 October 1914, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, October 20, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Germany has openly scoffed at Great Britain as a military power and has boasted how easily she could wipe out our insignicaul little army could her battalions but come into conflict with it. The British soldier is a volunteer, not a pressed man, and when he joins the colours he becomes expert and enthusiastic —as an intelligent soldier he knows no equal. Germany is compelled to keep alive her military ambition by trampling on the freedom of her people and forcing them to join tbe army. This mechanical method of making soldiers, to be forced like dumbdriven cattle to slaughter at the whim of the ambitious military caste, is not tbe will of the democracy and this war is a timely excuse for the German Monomaniac and his war lords to crush tbe seething disapproval of the German people which was leading to open revolt. German writers declare that British recruiting is a a failure. How blind these writers are. They pretend not to know the character of the British race. In replying to German allegations on this point the London Times military correspondent says : ‘‘We hhve 1,-200,000 men in an organised loan in Britain at the present moment. So many are offering that Earl Kitchener has been compelled to raise the standard above any existing in Europe, otherwise he would be overwhelmed with recruits. All our men are of military age. There are no children or greybeards, so common in the German armies. It stands to reason that an Empire of 400,000,000 can never lack men. The Dominions overseas have come to manhood, and seem to establish their claim to recognition, each for its own Dominion, and all for all. It will go hard with Germany. Her misdeeds will never be lorgotton by the Dominions.” The British Empire is out to crush the German military caste, and save free states from the fate that has overtaken brave little Belgium. There should be no hesitation on the part of free states to unite for this purpose. Free states are those countries which depend for their government upon the expressed political will of the governed, and which, thus democratic, have a high measure of order, liberty, and progress, and are actively dominated by a desire to deal justly and equitably with oue another, and to treat oue an other as members of a common civilisation. This classification would give us Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, France, Britain, the British Dominions, and the United States. Spain and Portugal, with the Spanish and Portuguese Republics of South America, and the Balkan States, are striving towards this freedom. Germany is deliberately and avowedly antagonistic. Austria, essentially a military Empire, is being dragged at the German cannon-wheel. Russia, autocratic in her local conception, is being impelled from within to recognise that democracy alone can give her a Iriendly United Poland and relieve her of the constant German menace on her eastern frontier. The free States are thus seen to be of irresistible strength—if they were united they could make war practically impossible.

A great deal of anxiety has existed in recent mouths as to the supply of ships likely to be available to carry the produde of New Zealand, and especially frozen produce. In response to inquiry from the dairy companies in the Auckland distrct, the Prime Minister has supplied to Mr J. A. Young, M.P., a list of the steamers available. The list of vessels for each month is as follows October: The Ruahine, Coiinthic, Pakeha, and in addition the Nerehaua will carry 22,000 carcases. November: The Rotorua, Rakaia, Tainui, Zealandic, and Star of Scotland. December: The Turakina, Tongariro, lonic, Tokomaru, Buteshire, and ludrabarah. January: The Otaki, Waimate, Whakataue, Somerset, Waivvera, Mamari, Kia Ora, Mimiro, Star of New Zealand, Indrapuri, Makariui and HI Cordobes, In addition £0 these steamers,, which are all fitted to

carry frozen cargo, tbe Mottisfont ’.v i! 1 be available for wool in December, and the Wirral in January. It is estimated that tbe steamers required in the various months areas follows:—October, 3 ; November, 3 ; December, 5 ; January, 7.

The Kaiser is of opinion that bis hordes are “ the chosen people,” and that ” God ” speaks to them by his mouth. We British chopped a king’s head off centuries ago for pretending to ‘‘divine right ” to misgovern, and are not likely to be impressed by such monomaniacs says “Tobunga” in the Auckland Herald. The writer continues; Yet in this tribal “god ” of the heathenish Kaiser is doubtless the deification of the qualities dear to the Prussian Imagination its “ chosen” are those who spread such qualities among mankind, who think ot national pledges as scraps of paper,” and who know neither truth nor honour, neither mercy nor humanity, in the plundering of their neighbours. Our God is other than this. He demands of us that we should keep faith and deal justly, that we should do our duty even though duty seems to to lead only to the Grave, that we should perish in a just cause rather than triumph in evil doing and unrighteousness. Fifty years ago the test came to us whether we would stand against or give way before international crime, whether we would draw the sword for righteousness’ sake or speak softly to the international bandit. We chose the easier path and our punishment is that during fifty years Prussia has been growing greater and stronger and that Prussianised Germany has been persuaded that there is no justice among tbe nations and no supreme love of freedom in the world. No greater mercy has ever been vouchsafed to a nation than has been vouchsafed to the British to whom again, after fifty years, a testing time has come so that if they but do their duty the free states shall not perish from the earth but have everlasting life.