The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET AUCKLAND TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1930. A WARNING FOR POLITICIANS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1078, 16 September 1930, Page 8

The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET AUCKLAND TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1930. A WARNING FOR POLITICIANS

PEOPLE are very much the same all over the civilised world, and thus when times are bad and politics no better governments usually receive barbaric treatment. They are hooted and cuffed even though they may not have deserved harsh punishment. National discontent must find an active expression, and who excels the professional politician in suffering and surviving democratic wrath? This has been the experience of the Bruning Administration in Germany—a Coalition Government comprising Social Democrats, Liberals, Catholics and Industrialists representing four out of the eleven different parties in the Reichstag, which contains 45)1 members. The Ministry hag been routed at the General Election polls, and clearly will not be able to retain power unless its leaders surpass all previous German records in the formation of composite Government. A landslide of public opinion, which, in this case, means exasperation, has smothered an administrative regime that stood for steady progress at home and a policy of reconciliation abroad with as much advantage as possible to the Republic. The Nationalist Socialist Labour Party has been placed on the top of the avalanche. Prom a meagre representation by a dozen members in the late Parliament it has leaped to possession of over a hundred seats. It is not quite sure about its own policy except the certainty that the party is against all the policies and programmes of the ten other parties. Its slogan during the fiery election campaign was: “Down with everything for which the Republic stands.” To that may be added another catch-phrase: “Up with a Dictator.” In Germany, as in other countries where the tide of polities is out, exposing many mudflats, there is more than a sneaking admiration, for Mussolini and his ruthless ways of getting things done without chaffering palaver and political party humbug. Indeed, Fascism appears to have swept Germail democracy this week like a prairie fire. There is a menace in the burning. In the result of Germany’s national elections there is a warning for all ineffective administrators. The broad mass of Germans has become sick tired of promises and extravagant panaceas. It staggers under a load of exactions and resents the chafing of the burden. Many attempts in the past six months had been made to lull the people of Germany into a belief that, if they took a long view of their economic difficulties, and were patient with the slow work of the Administration, all would be well in time with the State. Unfortunately for mediocre politicians, there is a limit to the people’s patience and goodwill. Just before the dissolution of Germany’s latest Parliament Chancellor Bruning forestalled our Prime Minister in assuming the role of the strong, frank man in a blatant land. Dr. Bruning made an unexpectedly candid statement regarding the financial and business situation. Naturally, he emphasised the effects of worldwide depression complicated by unemployment and the raising of tariff barriers. In short, something was wrong with everything except politics. These, it had to he inferred, were good and rich in excellent intention. This soothing syrup was followed quickly by almost an overdose of nasty economic and financial medicine. Dr. Dietrich presented a revised financial programme to the Reiehsrat. It disclosed a deficit of £38,000,000 and made provision for reactionary taxation on a high scale. Its chief provisions were a tax on single men and women, a reduction of expenditure, and a special tax on State workers earning over 8.000 marks a year.

For a time the people of Germany generally appeared to have bowed their heads docilely to the storm. The Fascistic Socialists, however, made the most of their opportunity to feed the tire of discontent. They had no difficulty in demonstrating that the main weight of the new taxation burden fell upon consumers, that very little extra had been imposed upon those with large fortunes. Moreover, it was realised acutely that, an accepted reduction in wages and a lower standard of living—a standard considerably lower than the levels in Great Birtain and the British Dominions—had not been followed, as guaranteed, hv a reduction of price-levels. Inevitably, the result was a rank growth of political extremism. It is impossible to predict the outcome of the present political upheaval. Indeed, it would be foolish even to hazard a guess. The extremists are far from being ready to govern the Republic with any greater success than that achieved by former administrators. And there is no German Mussolini in sight. Meanwhile, political muddlers have received a deserved chastisement.

THE TAHITI INQUIRY

WITH the announcement of the Court of Inquiry’s verdict, the Tahiti drama has been officially closed. The essential cause of the accident remains a mystery. The theories concerning the location of the break in the propeller shaft, and the manner in which it inflicted such unusual damage to the ship, are all based on speculation, and the first-hand evidence in support thereof lies at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. In the annals of navigation the loss of the Tahiti will go down on record as a most unusual case, but, although the evidence concerning the exact nature of the trouble consists of theories rather than actual knowledge, the consensus bears out the impression that a slanting fracture of the shaft caused the original failure. Normally the failure of the shaft does not imply the loss of the ship. It is a crippling but not necessarily a fatal blow. The loss of the Tahiti, however, has shown that a fracture of the shaft qan be attended by disastrous sequels, and this accident, though of a rare type, may accordingly have some influence on design. Having evolved, from the limited data'at its disposal, a feasible theory about the underlying cause of the trouble, the Court passed to the simpler task of appraising the conduct of the ship’s company. Here it had the pleasant responsibility of complimenting Captain Toten, and every man under him. The engineers, the greasers, the stokers; the deck officers, the seamen, the stewards; all these, putting before everything the safety of the ship’s passengers, contributed to the records of the British mercantile marine a page which adds to its lustre. In keeping tlie Tahiti afloat until the arrival of the Ventura,. Captain Toten showed splendid judgment, and his engineers the greatest resource. Credit must not he withheld, however, from the Norwegian freighter, the Penybryn, which played such an important part in sustaining the spirit and fortitude of the Tahiti’s passengers. The allocation of costs was an important question which cropped up at tlie end of the inquiry. It was suggested that the Marine Department should pay the costs incurred by the captain and officers in retaining counsel to watch their interests, but the Court wisely refrained from making an order. It was pointed out that in this case there was no suggestion that any suspicion of negligence or blame rested against any of the officers, and that they really need not have been represented. At tlie same time, there could easily be circumstances in which a master or officer, under some kind of suspicion, briefed counsel, and was completely exonerated. The Court’s finding suggests that in such an ''instance tlie officers concerned would logically be entitled to costs.