Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1916. WHAT IS TO FOLLOW.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11648, 17 August 1916, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1916. WHAT IS TO FOLLOW.

! SPEAKING to the correspondent of an American paper a few days ago in regard to the wonders of British finance, Mr McKenna, the British 1 Chancellor of the Exchequer, touched a question of vital importance to the future of the Empire. That was as to whether the conclusion of the war is likely to he followed hy commercial atrophy or by a time of prosperity. Ho scarcely dared to don the mantle of the prophet, but iis was inclined to think that “the times would not be had.” Of course, there is no exact historical analogy upon which - to base an opinion. This war is unlike any other that has previously occurred in the world in respect to the utilisation—the waste—of resources. Nearly all wars have .been wars of armies only. This is a war of nations, with the concomitant proportion of destruction of wealth. The few men, the few cannon, the comparatively insignificant amount of munitions employed in the Peninsular War, or that won the battle dt Waterloo, did not certainly constitute the drain upon the resources of the Britain of that period that the present war does upon the wealth of the Britain of the present day. And it is this question which stirs the consciousness .’of every business man as to whether the Empire, will have been bled white by the resources, which have been prodigally dissipated and will be compelled to undergo a period of atrophy and penance for its wastfnines?. - It is one of the almost unexplainable facts, however, that great wars have almost invariably been followed by periods of commercial activity* and prosperity'. It was so in England after the war with Russia in 1856, in the United Slates after the War of Secession, and oven in Prance, after defeat and robbery by the Germans, the splendid resilience of the people’s industry was shoyyn by a period of extreme prosperity. So far, therefore, as partial analogiems can lead us to a conclusion we are led to conclude that at least we shall drop on normal conditions of trade if we do not experience the greatest boom of modern times. Money may have to find its way to America in large quantities on account of loans. But money is only one factor in a nation’s prosperity. A virile nation that retains its land, its factories, its coal and metalliferus wealth can never suffer ruin or permanent commercial depression and the necessities oc. the world in almost every form of production will be enormously greater than before the war. What millions of projects, in fact, in the world afe waiting for the end of the war. 4 Even in New Zealand we hear of them all around ns—houses not to be built, factories, meat-freezing works and hundreds of other Works held in abeyance—and what we see here is only a kind of pocket edition of conditions all over the world.

IP the residents of Marten desire that. Gray’s bush Gray’s JBnsb. at Upper Tutaeuni shall be set aside as a Scenic Keservo they will have to bestir themselves in the matter without delay. A Government surveyor is now at w’ork cutting up the land into small farm areas, and we understand that up till now no Instructions have been issued by the Department that th bush shall be reserved. This block of bush has always been fenced off and so preserved from tne inroads of stock, and in consequence it is still practically in its virgin state, and provides a specimen of native bush

unequalled in any olbe’- _ . ~ . . . „ J * „-part ot the district. For many 1 , ■ ■ ■. years it has, m summer time, . „ the scene of school ami _ . . , ■ _ utfeet p;cuics, and it woul. ..o to the yonng people jtjis part of Rangitikei if ,/erc destroyed. A petition urging upon the Government that this hush should be made a Scenic Reserve and sanctuary for birds is now in circnJation, and will be founcTat the Borough Chambers and elsewhere in town, and all who desire that this beauty spot shall be preserved to the district should make it their business to sign the same. In the meantime Mr E. Newman has telegraphed to the Minister requesting him to instruct the surveyor not to include the bush in the survey.