The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, March 9, 1915. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1371, 9 March 1915, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, March 9, 1915. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

It may sot be generally known that under the Licensing Amendment Act of 1914, it is now an offence, for holders of licenses to supply intoxicating liquor to youths under 21 years of age, whether for consumption off or on the premises. Under the principal Act liquor could be sold if for consumption off the premises. This is alright so far as it goes, but it ought to be an offence punishable by law for any person to supply young men under 21 years with liquor. The recent scandal in the military camps has been attributable to young fellows being supplied with intoxicating liquor, and the authorities have prohibited the sale of liquor to members of the reinforcement contingents. It is, however, a very difficult thing to capture the despicable creature who “runs the cutter” for the ruin of infants and to satisfy the cravings of dipsomaniacs. Such creatures are to be found in every community.

There are small wars and great wars. Writing on ‘‘The Waging of ‘Great Wars’ ” in the Nineteenth Century, Professor Spenser Wilkinson, Chichele Professor of Military History, Oxford, points out that the fundamental characteristic of "great war” is that the whole nation throws itself into the tight. That is possible only when every man and woman realises that defeat means ruin to him and to her, and that there is no escape Irom it except by victory. When that happens a nation makes war with all its might; everyone contributes what he has—his money, his energy, his intelligence, his body if he is fit, his life if he has the chance. That is the position to-day. The conditions of victory in this war, in order of importance are, first, that the German navy must be shattered ; secondly, that the German army must be crushed ; and, thirdly, that the allied armies, victorious, must march to Berlin, to Munich, to Hanover. Unless she is well beaten, Germany will begin it all over again. "We shall have to pay dearly for victory over the Germany navy. The price may be our own navy, We must not grudge it. No price is too high. . . . I hear men saying that it will be hard work to push the German army back to the Rhine. There is harder work than that to be done. The German army should never be allowed to go back across the Rhine, Nothing

but its broken remnants ought to escape across that stream. The passage of the Rhine by the allied armies ought to be the beginning of the end.”

The revenue for the eleven mouths ended eSth February, 1915, was ,£10,719,284 as compared with ,£10,681,955 for the eleven months ended February 28th, 1914. The statement shows the following increases and decreases : Increases. £ Postal and telegraph 52,381 Rand tax 20,020 Income tax 4-794 Beer tax 2,647 Railways 90,716 Registration and other fees 630 Miscellaneous 44.655 Territorial 49.320 National endowment fund 6,368 Decreases. Customs 210,766 Stamps 30,667 Marine 2,240 Other receipts 538 Total increases 281,541 Total decreases . 244,212 This leaves an excess of ,£37,329 over the amount received for the eleven months ended February, I9H.