The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1916. GERMAN INSINCERITY.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 14 December 1916, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1916. GERMAN INSINCERITY.

(With wliich is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimarino News).

Teuton conquerors, who set out on an enterprise that was to end in the conquest of the world, bringing all peoples under the domination of the German Kaiser, have long since repented of the steps taken, and while they could, not retrace them, they have committed bloody orgies from time to time on comparatively defenceless peoples to frighten their enemies into a peace which they have held out to them and strenuously angled for. Their foes, however, were not impressed as Germany reasoned out they would be; their massacres, murders, rapes and frightfulness evoked resentment and determination to punish, but no trace of fear or desire for peace. German crassness has at last been Avorn down and given place to cunning; the Central Powers have now seen how faulty their reasoning was, and they have offered to cease the war on an anti-bellnm basis. Germany will find that she has not yet understood what the Allies are fighting for; an anti-bellum basis of settlemen is not what they want. They have been forced into this war, and since the first blow was struck, they have been fighting to destroy the German menace to the world. Such a peace as Germany asks for now would leave that menace still untouched, and the Allies do not desire, nor will they accept such a peace. Teutonic fireworks let oh here and there, in Poland, Servia, Roumania and Belgium, may have excited the German people, and they may have been befooled into believing they are winning the war, but the Allies do not share in that belief. It is pure humbug and subterfuge to say we believe anything else than that Germany set out to conquer Europe; this newspaper could easily be filled from beginning to end with German boastings of that intention, and of evidence indisputable and incontrovertible that Germany had absolute confidence in her power to achieve her aims. The anti-bellum

peace terms are a complete admission that she made a terrible blunder, and that she has railed. The Allies, or toe world, will not be hoodwinked into believing that the German Military command would offer such peace terms, or in fact, any peace terms at all if there remained one thought in their minds that it was possible for them tjo achieve what they so confidently, so enthusiastically, so boastfully set

out to accomplish. It would be idle

to discuss the terms till very much more detail comes to hand; at present there is little to comment upon beyond what dire calamity it is Germany has sighted which has so profoundly impressed her as to cause her to take on the indignity of admitting the failure of what she called working out her glorious destiny. Germany willed the war, the Allies will dictate its ending. The German people are to be pitied: starving, they hope for peace, only again to be disappointed.

For Germany to pretend that her peace terms are prompted by humane considerations is to insult the intelligence of the world: is net the word Germany now synonymous with frightfulness? Can anyone of us look back over the war and single out one redeeming act? Then it must b«f considerations for the safety of her own skin she is moving. Among the factors for peace proposals are the cries of a starving people; the horrors of a winter campaign; the unreadiness of the forces that there is some difficulty in mobilising; the utmost need for time to recuperate and resusicitate tired, jaded, overworked, worn-out i forces. The change in the war councils of the Allies may have had some influence on the situation, but there is not a shadow of doubt about the completion of the Russian railway to a free, open port on the North Sea being the subject of a good deal of German thought and chagrin. Russia is suffering from a munition famine, and B'ritain and Prance urgently need wheat to adequately feed their armies and people, to save them from the robbing proclivities of exploiters. This railway will help to get the millions of tons of wheat in Russian stores to the Allies, ..and the trains can return loaded with the much-needed munitions, j has been said that Russia, with ample munitions could win the war singlehanded. Then Germany has a n empty Treasury, and a falling exchange of

value of her purchasing medium that is reaching a disastrous extreme. The masses of the people of Germany are asked to believe that these peace proposals are merely nothing more than spontaneous Teutonic magnanimity. Starving though they be, they are told by their Chancellor that the German Empire is a gigantic, firmly disciplined camp, with inexhaustible resources. The German people must surely realise however, that their Govern-

ment's belief in its ability to win the war is diametrically opposed to the inexhaustible idea, when it offers

peace to its insignificant enemies on an anti-bellum basis. One must feel

extreme sorrow for the people of German}', wiio really had no desire fcr war and took no willing part in making it. At the same time, we have to fully realise that desire for punishment or vindictiveness is not the guiding motive of the Allies. The world is faced with a terrible menace, and it is that menace, and that alone, the Allies wish to completely destroy.

While Germany holds out the olivs branch with one hand, she holds aloft the blood-dripping sword in the other; while she makes this offer in the cause of humanity with an astounding

show of spontaneous magnanimity, she, in the same breath, makes the blackest threats of what she will do if they are not accepted. In this Germany again miserably fails in understanding the temper of her adversar-

ies. Boasts of feats of arms; of frightfulness; of self-contained camps with ample resources, food and supplies; threats to frighten Italy into agreement by a campaign of frightfulness are of no avail whatever. The Allies know the conditions? in Germany; they know that German strength is reduced to the necessity of mobilising every living thing in Germany, and to slave-raiding in conquered territories for men and women, to help in enabling her to continue fighting; they know that the various fronts have been "skinned" to find sufficient force to prosecute a foo> and supply raid in Roumania. The Allies were aware that while they were engaged with Russia in getting munitions into her newly-made effective port of entry in the North-Sea, and getting Russian pent-up wheat out, Germany would make some show to impress and heaitcn her people: they understood that she woulid probably" appeal to neutrals to institute a peace campaign when she considered she was at the apex of what it was possible for her to achieve, and before she was again forced on the downward grade to final decision. The Allies know that it is this final decision that Germany's peace proposals are intended to circumvent—not that Germany thinks for a moment they will be accepted. Not at all; the desire of the wily Teutons is to gain time to replenish their empty munition stores, to mobilise and drill the men netted by ; universal mobilisation; to lay up huge stores of munitions in Turkey, Bulgaria, and Austria, and to give Con-

stantine all he requires to make his entry against the Allies as-safe - possible. For has not the Kaiser

made it clear in his message on the

peace proposals? He says definitely: "I offer peace to the enemy, whether it will be accepted still remains uncertain; but until that moment arrives we shall fight on." There is no humane sentiment about that, in fact, it is just about as clear an indication that the Allies can have that Germany is angling for time, for negotiations that are pre-doomed to be abortive. Germany wants the winter to reorganise, prepare her latest levies, and reequip her own and her allies' depleted munition stores. The people of England will have no such negotiations; they have proved stronger than their rulers, and they have taken steps to remove every vestige of a class war. and to make it in its entirety a democratic war. The people of Britain will not be fooled and hoodwinked" into negotiations that will rob the Allies of all the advantages it has taken them since war was declared to attain. The Allies are now superior in force, but by spring, after abortive negotiations, superiority might for a fatal period be on the side of Germany. .We want no such peace!

The Auckland quota for the 25th Reinforcements has been filled under the voluntary system.

The War Office has decided, to immediately pay 84d per lb for comman deered cargoes of New Zealand cheese with an adjustment of price later.

All workers of the Paddy's Market arc reminded of the important meeting at the Town Hall supper room to-night tit 7.:i0 sharp. Business: To make the final arrangements for Saturday.

At the meeting of the Wanganui Pros bytery at Mart on on Wednesday, a resolution expressive of their appreciation of the work of the Rev. R. Catherwood, formerly of Taihape, was adopted.

The ballot for the 25th Reinforcements was completed on Tuesday evening. About three thousand names were drawn. The lists will not be announced for some days, pending a careful scrutiny of the names.

We have received a card from Private W. J. Church, late foreman of the Taihapc Daily Times, conveying Xmas and New Year greetings. Private Church writes from Salisbury Camp, England) and states that he may be leaving for France at any moment.

'At the meeting of the Auckland Education Board yesterday morning it was unanimously decided to bring under the notice of the Minister the Totally inadequate salaries now paid to pupil teachers and probationers, and urging the necessity of providing for substantial increases upon the present scale.

The local Post Office staff had a very busy day yesterday, owing to- the handling of the English mail, which arrived at Auckland via Vancouver on Tuesday. The bulk of the mail consisted of letters and papers from our boys at the front and the various military camps in Great Britain. The staff deserve credit for the expeditious way in which they coped with the extra work entailed.

A widow who owns a farm adjacent to Riverside, and who is having a new residence built thereon, was to be seen, together with her daughter, at an early hour on a recent morning, helping to unload bricks from v. railway truck on to a traction waggon (writes the Mataura Lhisign correspondent) They were both putting in really good work, and performing their task as well as men could do.

The Vancouver liner Makura, which arrived at Auckland on Tuesday night, had a lively experience this trip at Honolulu, where 25 of her stokers rioted on the dock on Thursday prior to the departure of the vessel for Sydney. Several of the sailors belonging to the Makura, and some of the Honolulu police were injured. As the Makura left the wharf the rioters started to bombard the people on the dock with bottles, and the soldiers doing duty as immigration guards opened fire on the steamer,

In referring' to the Dominion's very ci editable performance in sending forward (iO,OOO well-equipped soldiers to fight for liberty and freedom, the Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister for Internal Affairs, at Tuakau on Saturday said the total number of soldiers that fought under Wellington at Waterloo was 23, 331, and with only a period of seventy years to its credit New Zealand had sent away more than double that number. It was made possible because the foundations of our nation were built well and strong.

Alluding to the satisfactory re sponse of New Zealand to the call of the Empire in the present: war, and to the splendid spirit cur young men have shown, Sir James G. Wilson stated at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Farmers' Co-Operative Distributing Company in Wellington on Tuesday that a farmer was being condoled with on the death of his sen at the front. "Well," he replied, "I would much rather that the boy had gone and died than that he did not go at all." This remark was heartily applauded': " ■"'■""-'-'*"-*"-'

A full team of first-class millmen

and bushmen for a mill Ov Karioi is advertised for in our "Wanted" columns.

Mr J. E. Cunninghame. chemist and optician, of Taihape, lias an interesting announcement on page (5 of articles suitable for Christmas presents.

The stewards of the Wellington Racing Club have decided to donate £SOO towards the cost of the infectious dis*oases hospital which the Government is building at Trentham.

Mop.si-a \v. m. Luxford and Co., of Aramcho, are making up convenient parcels of drapery, at various prices to meet the convenience of their numerous country customers, particulars of which will be found on page 3. "

The Now Zealand Dairy Association paid on the 21st inst. to its suppliers £104,960 ii s 2d. This represents the advance payments for butterfat supplied during the month of October. The

amount paid for the corresponding period of last year was £SS,7O7 2s 9d;

ihu s the present payment represents an increase of £16,259 os sd. The rate per lb of butter-fat paid for cheese manufacture was Is 0d and for butter manufacture Is 4ld per lb, plus premiums.

A few days ago the progress of Taihape was commented upon in the editorial columns of this journal. What was then said has been endorsed by tlie Railway Department, in that it has advanced the Taihape railway station a grade. Lt will be agreeable news to everyone who has occasion to use the railway that the courteous, energetic stationmaster, Mr Mercer, is to remain in charge of the higher grade post.

The provisions of clause 35 of the "Military Service Act are being brought into operation in the Auckland district, and the family shirkers are being rounded up. The list contains 103 names, and already 30 summons have been issued. The Auckland. Star says: Rumour hath it that the list itself tells a piquant story. The Defence Department has been thorough in its methods, and where it has been convinced that the section applied has smitten the entire family tree. Two families are said to contribute ten names towards the list. There are three families which have each received four love letters from the honourable Minister. There is said to be a whole team of them with three stalwart branches ready for military service axe —getting on for a round dozen—and the remainder are believed to run mainly in couples.