The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 1917. A COLOSSAL DIFFICULTY.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 20 June 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 1917. A COLOSSAL DIFFICULTY.

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

The magnitude ~ of the task of rcabr sorbing the soldier into civilian li±*Q is impressing itself, upon many provident farseeing people. The subject has been brought under ..notice again by a small booklet we have- received through the Department • that is now responsible . fox - satisfactorily settling our .returned men. . The booklet is a statement of the views on soldier settlement of the Attorney- Gen? oral, the Hon. Mr. Herdman, and although it is aJong step in advance of anything yet put forth by the Government there is much about it that is unsatisfying. We do not mean on Mr Herdman|'s account, for it is the firs*; practical, eoin'prelien- 0 *' * the people>*"-~ r &"3s submitted to them, and . froim no less a person than the it should be wellconsidered by ifivery franchisee! citizen of our Quite why this question of absorbing soldiers into civil life is taken up \!>y Mr. Herdman and not 'the Minister ,-of ; Defence, who has" everything in connection with soldierjing under his .is not too obvious", -.unless it is the Mm. iM?. Allen is "naturally"'a man who jean-only fit his ideas rto "circ'tim'stahees as -ih-ey arise. That >may be a passably workable capacity in sssviall matters, but we -shudder to think of'the condition that-will arise if such 1 an i&ven£'comes in which the Minister is conMofttexi' 'with the task.*<of absorbing som*e tfjfty ' thousand men. He might be t*i*e "Minister responsible, but. ' r s would require a genius in organising ability, ;and that Mr. Allen certainly can nesse*- claim to be. The Hon. Mr. Herdman agrees that a huge task is ahead of rthe Government, one of supreme difficulty, and realising this he has made a very gratifying effort to evolve a p-ractical scheme, but he discloses a want of full confidence in his proposals in saying the Government is contemplating with a certain amount of alarm the position that will arise when peace ensues -and men return to New Zealand in thousands. The few hundreds dribbling back have proved none too easy to deal with, and, on this account, there i s alarm in the Ministerial dove cote as to what will "happen when thousands .come where hundreds come now. They admit their alarm; they are nonplussed; the task "is too big -for the sum total of the Minister's organising possibilities and Mr. Herdman's, coming forward with a thought out scheme shows what he is convinced of. We want it distinctly understood that we are not cavilling at what anyone is doing towards what we know is going to produce one of the most serious episodes in the life of this country. We -realise with Mr. Herdman to an extreme the supreme difficulty, the position that is on the verge of human capacity to deal with, and we long ago drew attention to it, but we ".vorQ abashed on learning that 'the Mia'

Sster for Defence would do nothing towards acquiring land for the thousands who would want it till the men were on top of him; that soldiers cared little for going on the land, and, in fact, he had more land than soldiers would go on tx>. We are not going to discuss the land such as some returned soldiers we know of have been exiled on, land miles away back, with no roads, where 'every bit of sugar and flour has to be packed in amongst mountainous country covered with, virgin bush, only to say that there are hundreds of thoussands of acres of partially improved land hereabout, quite the equal of that which is being offered twenty-five pounds an acre for around it, mostly land that could be taken over by the Government at such a time as this; but nothing will be done till a crisis arises. It is amazing what risks greed for money &:nd power wall rush a man into. The Czar of Russia was ready

to sell Ms people to Germany and to drive his armies to slaughter just for

the promises of Germany to uphold iiis' throne of Absolute Monarchy, and so it is throughout the world. One of the weakest spots in Mr Herdman's scheme is "the appeal for voluntary help. He will get such telp that helps the giver as much or more than it does the receiver. Hopes are predoomed that arc built upon what will be done voluntarily by the banker, the merchant, the farmer, the trader, or the manufacturer, and we could not put very much confidence in ".permissable assistance from such -institutions as those presided oyer by the Public Service Commissioner and the 'General Manager of Railways. Most of the men in private capacities the Attorney-General appeals to have had nearly three years of giving, and this should convince us that some scheme is essential from which everything permissable is eliminated. We must have, to avoid a crisis dangerous to our social and industrial fabric, a definite, comprehensive, uniformly just scheme that "is enforcable by law, as to place trust in moral effort and force is "to court disaster at the outset. To ensure the evolution and institution of such a scheme as we suggest, we certainly need the best brains of the best industrialists, best organisers, best em-pire-buffders, best agriculturalists, best financiers, and the best Captains of commerce amongst our most honourable and public-spirited citizens in combination. Even such a body would find the task of' resettling our soldiers without dangerous friction a work fraught with such difficulties as to cause despondent iiiomerits. ' -The whole country will be

grateful tjp the Hon. Mr. Herdman r v or liis'really humane effort in -putting ' out comprehensive proposal "for bridging over the time coming, in this country's history that will prove nubst prolific in elements of industrial and perhaps national disaster. There ; is no spirit of cavil in what is "here written; a mental scene is before ns of the huge obligations this country 3s under "to the returning men; we see them in tflxoussraEs clamouring for means to resume 'Civil _ life, means which we have not /provided, and at ftp time o ur rmental v* slojl " Tcsl ' s ' <M> 'hundreds of thousands of acres of land, any hundred 'acres which would gkve a soldier at comfortable living, stJl without' a anan'to the thousand acres. It is already late in the day to commence jpsreparing for our returning warriors ,av.d we sincerely hope that leading men in Taih'ape' will give the subjeet their .attention:' 4 One naturally hesitates ia criticise tlie Attorney-General's proposals, but a s an instance of the faultiness of any single man effort- His first Cfttegoniscd proposal may be quoted. He says: "That to avoid congestion, the -Defenee Department be requested to endeavour to arrange that the New Zealand Army abroad shall return gradually and by drafts at regular interval This will avoid congestion and give (Officers of my own and of other 'Departments concerned some

chance of Scaißng with the men effectively." I n tlig first place, there are

thousands of men who will have their own homes, or the homes of their paints to go to; also men with rowans who will require no Government assistance. Will not these men chafe on being kept from their friends in New Zealand a day longer than is necessary? If these men are given preference over others who require Government assistance would not class troubles arise that would at a blow destroy the magnificent spirit of camarderie that has grown up in the trenches? Soldiers with means will ask to be discharged in England and will pay their own passages borne. This will be another opportunity for shipping combines tc reap a big harvest, as one can well picture what fares would soar to with the crush of business that would result. This again would give the rich an advantage over others less fortunate, as shipping would keep every ship possible from falling into the hands of Government to be used as transports. In fact the Attorney-General's proposals overwhelmingly reflect the want of confidence with which he himself seems to regard them. We hope, however, that this is only the beginning of a more comprehensive and uniformly just scheme for reabsorbing soldiers into Civil life,

Tenders we iavited up till Monday, July 2, for the erection of a church at Ohakune. Plans and specifications may be obtained from Mr. W. Seth Smith, Obakune.

The works of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company at Southdown re-open this week after a month's idleness. The company has been granted steamer space for the exportation of a small quantity of frozen meat.

"You grew no wheat last season, but now you are going to. W-hy are you going to do so?" inquired Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M., of an appellant before the Military Service Board, in Christchurch. "Because I think it is going to pay, that's why," was the answer.

The following story is going the round. When Sir lan Hamilton was in

command of the allied forces fighting the Turks, he had been telegraphing repeatedly to Lord Kitchener for additional troops to be sent to the Dardanelles. "You'll be crying, next for the moon," came Kitchener's reply. "Why not," wired General Hamilton, "if you want the Crescent."

A silver brooch was lost in Taihape yesterdaj' afternoon, that had been sent by a son in the trenches at Ypres, to his mother in Taihape. The brooch has a sword and the word Armentiercs worked on it. The finder is particularly requested to return the brooch to this office as it belongs to a poor woman who has sent four boys to France to fight our battles, and she naturally values the brooch at above anything that could be represented in money.

At the Auckland S. M., Court on Monday, Mr. Cutten, S.M., gave reserved decision on the charge against Sponsley Clarkson, of exhibiting publicly an indecent picture. It is entitled '' The Sleeping Venus," a coloured p'rhit of the celebrated picture. The Magistrate held that the picture might be 'a very beautiful work of art and quite proper in its place, but exhibited in a shop window it woiild have a mischievous tendency. It was therefore legally indecent. Defendant was fitted •'£s and costs and increased to £S to (enable defendant to appeal.

A.gale of wind can and does, produce ■many curious situations. On Tuesday, while a young -lady was walking demurely along Devon street, she was considerably startled to feel something alight on her head v (says the Herald, New Plymouth). It proved to be a man's hat, which, after this brief pause in its hurried flight, dropped at her feet—where it was quickly joined by its flurried owner, Just as he pounced in triumph on the hat, his foot slipped and he ended a brief but spirited pursuit of his straying property on his knees before a giggiing maiden.

An instance of "marrying in haste," but it is hooped not "repenting at leisure," is told as follows: The fouowing uds in park, the Pall Mall Gazette says: "Yes, we met and were engaged at once, and married, and then my husband returned to the front. He wrote and said he was coming back on leave one Saturday night, and I wanted mother, to come with me to meet him. But she said she never'heard of such a thing, flatly declined, and told me I must go alone. 'Well, mother,, I told her, 'I want you to come with me, because I'm :afraid I shan't recognise him!"

If anyone were asked .to name the greatest recent triumph of Americanism jn the British speech, the chance would probably fall on the word ' some,' used 'as ;an adjective or a superlative. Yet it must be kept in mind that words like curses and chickens, come home to roost, and the use of "some" in this relation is .only the return of .a prodigal. 'A correspondent in a recent Satur-

day Review (London) pointed out that "some" in the present American usage is really of Cornish origin, and was transferred thence to the United States, and re-Imported. So do the years make whips of our pleasant provincialisms.

The Auckland to Wellington express train was delayed for two hours yesterday morning, owing to having pulled out the heavy coupling chains, and snapped the Westinghouse brake and steam circulating hose just south of Te Kuiti. The damage was caused by a sudden jolt due to the slippery condition of the rails. Temporary repairs being effected, the train was pushed back to Te Kuiti, where, the damage was made good, and the train proceeded on her journey. The train was divided at one of the steepest inclines, and each part was drawn separately to the next station, where they were linked up again. When the jolt was felt which caused the fracture considerable alarm was felt by the passengers, who imagined tne train had run into a slip. Sir James Allen, Acting-Premier, was on board at the time of the accident.

Nestling Cloth for Dressing Gowns in light and dark Saxe pale blue, pink, maroon, cream and scarlet, 1/6 and 3/9 yard, Colljnson and Gifford, Ltd.

A thoroughly reliable married couple are wanting a position on a station.

During the present war there has been an almost total disappearance of enteric, and the number of cases of typhoid in France has been only 4571, compared with 60,000 in the South African War.

A team of Taihape footballers left for Taumarunui last night to play a return match with the Taumarunui team, the financial proceeds of which are to be devoted to the Y.M.C.A. funds.

At the Police Court, Auckland, yesterday morning, the magistrate fined the proprietor of a Chinese gaming house fifty pounds and costs, stating there were objectionable features in the case which were taken into account.

News reached Taihape yesterday that Mr. J. "W. Doole, known here as "Jack," had succumbed to wounds received while fighting in the battle of Messines. Many friends will regret the loss as Jack Doole was one of the most popular young men in this district. His parents will have the sympathy of all old residents in the Taihape neighbourhood.

Mr. J. A. Young, for many years manager of the "Wanganui Chronicle/ died at his residence, Wanganui, yesterday. The deceased gentleman, some few months ago~suffered from a breakdown, but had recovered sufficiently to resume his ordinary duties, but evidently the mischief was deepseated, and the decease's passed away as stated. He leaves a family of one son (Lionel) now on active service, and four daughters.

Messrs A. W. Gardner and Co., the well-known drapers, of Taihape, announce that they are -holding their usual winter clearance sale, which starts to-day. This enterprising firm has achieved a reputation for the genuine nature of the bargains offered during their sales, and we are informed that this sale is intended to eclipse all previous ones in the value and the variety of the goods to be disposed of. Messrs Gardner and Co., in their sale notification on page 1, make certain claims, which should prove interesting reading to those in search of bargains.

Accounts from The Hague accentuate the reports from other quarters as to the stringent food conditions in Germany. Some ' time ago, for instance, it was stated that frozen rabbits had been imported by Berlin from Holland in large quantities. Details now to hand show that those "rabbSts" were really frozen cats. During February, it seems, there was a widespread cat hunt in various parts tof Holland, and the "rabbit" imiporta'tion into Germany was the re;f?ult. These fapts- have been referred to in recent. weeYs by the Dutch Press.

To tender a note for £5 in payment of a penny fare on the tram seems an absurdity, but that was done by a lady .in Auckland on Monday aftcrOn Sunday a man who tendered a £1 note was given a receipt for the balance, and told to call at the office for the change. A woman on the car on Sunday tendered half-a-sovereign to pay a penny fare, The conductor saw a penny in her purse, which she declined to hand over. He had a heavy bag so the lady received in change 5/ in silver and 4/11 in coppers. A man on the car suggested: "Put the change in your bonnet mum!"

The Council of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce on Monday passed the following resolution: "That this Council views with profound alarm the attempt now being made to transfer the greatest shipping industry of New Zealand to control not responsible to the people of this Dominion, and that Government be urged to use all means in its power to prevent the acquisition, virtual or otherwise, of the business of the Union Steam Ship Company in Xew Zealand by the P. and 0., Company of Britain, and, further, to take efficient steps to prevent the control of any other essential industry of Xew Zealand passing outside the influence of its people." s

During an application at Shoreditch Tribunal (London) for a Cloman, confidential manager of a fur dyeing firm it was stated that prior to the war furs were dyed black exclusively in Germany. Since, however, a member of the firm had succeeded in discovering the secret, and the turnover in consequence had advanced from £lO, 000 in March 191(5, to £25.000 in March 1917, with profits of £2OOO and £7OOO respectively. The manager originally eamed £3 a week and commission when he joined the firm 14 years ago, and was now drawing £I3OO a year, Mr. Porter said it sounded like a fairy tale. The man, described as a friendly alien was granted four months' exemption.

Smart Winter Blousings in Newest designs and Colourings, Bd, lOd, IOSd, 1/3 yard. Collinson and Gifford, Ltd.