The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1917. GERMANY SELF-JUDGED.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 25 April 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1917. GERMANY SELF-JUDGED.

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

A piece of news that was unobtrusively sandwiched between other intelligence in a rather long cablegram came to hand yesterday. It is teared that the Germans, before being driven out of Laon in France ; will destroy the historic and beautiful Laon Cathedral, and one of Lord Northcliffe’s papers urges the British Government to inform Germany that if this building is destroyed, the famous Cathedral at Cologne will be razed as a reprisal. In New Zealand we are too far removed to view the destruction of these buildings in tlicr same perspective as the people of the countries in which they stand, but the threat to destroy Cologne Cathedral as a reprisal interests us because we know that Britain would refrain from boasting about anything beyond its power to perform. The fact that such a reprisal is urged is definite proof that there is the conviction that it can b e accomplished, if not just now then .1 little later on. If Britain can destroy Cologne Cathedral, she can destroy Cologne, and to follow in logical --equence she can destroy the next town and the next till Berlin is reached. Anyway, the proposal is a sure indication that those in high places at Home are obsessed with the belief that Britain has attained to that strength when the erstwhile overpowering German forces can no longer top her from taking any revenge she thinks proper against actions of savagery, and incidentally that Germany

can be defeated. Yesterday’s cables also enables us to approximately appraise Germany’s estimation of her own powers by her own utterances. Germany ha& made an official statement confirming her enormous losses on the West front, and stating that the whole army is ready to die. Naturally enough, the German people have regarded this official statement as an official admission of defeat and that it is impossible for German arms to obtain further victories. They could not well view it in any other light; the whole army is ready to die. There is nothing diplomatic or guarded about this .statement, it is just straight-out information that all chances of vicory have vanished, and the army might as well lay down its arms, in other words, it is ready to die. From the world’s experience of Germany it is well-known that such words would never have been uttered were it possible to modify them. Official Germany took forty years to prepare for this war, but she is limited to forty weeks to prepare for the peace that is to follow it. In France disastrous defeats are hourly expected; German strongholds are quickly falling one after the other; her armies are furnishing prisoners in tens of thousands, guns in hundreds, and her war material is being taken from her. Her munitions works are incapable of making good the huge captures and at the same time keep her men fully equipped, and therefore each disaster makes the next to follow much more severe and certain. The armies of both Britain and France have fought themselves into positions that enable them to smash up the boasted Hindenburg line, and if the crash does not involve Hindenburg and his mam the greater the pity of it. The sooner the Hindenburgs and Hohenzollerns go the sooner will the need for German armies to die and disappear. Judged by her own official statement Germany is defeated and her whole army is ready to die. What a contrast to Britain’s view which is that of unobscured victory, and the supreme triumph of her armies.

A MISSING COURTESY. In election contests, whether parliamentary or local body, the various candidates usually endeavour to convince the electors as to why they should receive a majority of support; they advance reasons why the public’s business would be better conducted by them than by other candidates, and the man who makes out the best case is almost sure to be elected, all other considerations being equal. In Taihape this rule does not obtain; we have a borough council composed of men against whom nothing is said by anybody, not even by those who are desirous of taking their places. No question of policy has been advanced by either pld councillors or the new aspirants. It may be taken, however, that old councillors seeking re-election will continue the careful administration they have advocated and followed in the past, but what do the new candidates propose to do? Some platform was expected from them right up to the last minute, but nothing came. Is it that they have just had themselves nominated because they want to get into a public position? Surely the electors are entitled to be told

why they are so anxious to get into the Council. They have an undoubted right to contest the highest position th e Municipal Corporations Act provides for, but the electors hlso have an undoubted right to ask what candidates are going to do in return for the confidence reposed in them. We niiist admit that we are going to the poll politically blind respecting a number of candidates. There are, we

are sure, some very capable men among those nominated and had they disclosed their policy and intentions there would have been little doubt about some being elected, but electors are in the position of cither voting en bloc for the old council or taking a pig in a poke. We think there is not an elector so crass that he will not realise that when a man asks his fellows to put him in a public position of trust ho should he prepared to say why.