WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 22 December 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

AFTER THE WAR. LOOKING AHEAD. (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Dec 21. In a chatty letter to an intimate friend in Wellington Sir Thomas Mackenzie, writing at the beginning of last month, emphasises the importance of New Zealand looking ahead and preparing for the conditions that will arise after the war. “This is not a time for party bickerings and political dissension,” he says, “tnough, of course, party ideals and political aspirations need not be forgotten or abandoned. This terrible war is still demanding all our grit and all our effort and we can give our best only by earnest and sustained effort. But it is not too early to be making preparations for the victorious peace that is coming and for the new duties and responsibilities that will follow in its train. The country that lays its plans carefully now and gets a footing—that builds on a sure foundation — will be exceedingly hard to displace afterwards, and later on there will undoubtedly be enormous competition.” Sir Thomas expresses a fervent hope to return to New Zealand when his work in London is finished —“not for politics, but for rest” —but he does not expect to be free until after the war. THE SOLDIERS’ VIEW. Another interesting letter by this week’s mail comes from a Canterbury lad, who went to Egypt with the Main Body and at the time of writing was lying in hospital at Netley with his second wound received during the big push. “It was a machine-gun bullet that got me this time,” he says in the three lines he devotes to his personal troubles “Hit me just under the angle of the left jaw and penetrated as far as the throat. Hurt a bit till the bullet was extracted, but getting along bully now.” Then to the business that interests him. “Things seem to be very dicky in Germany just now,” he goes on to say. “When we attacked Fritz’s infantry offered very little resistance. Just came out in hundreds with their hands up. There were hundreds of them carrying the wounded and making themselves useful to the medical corps for the whole day after it. There were six hundred in the same hospital with me in France and those that were able did orderly work and other useful things. One of them told me he was very glad when he was taken prisoner. The day before ninety out of a hundred men in his company were killed by a British shell and the corporal in charge of the survivors told them to surrender at the earliest possible moment.” This and scores of other letters received this week show the New Zealanders to be in great heart.

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE. By a rather unfortunate coincidence the announcement that the Cabinet had not yet agreed to the order of reference for the Defence Expenditure Commission and that in consequence the inquiry could net be commenced till about the middle of [ January appeared side by side in the newspapers with the evidence of the kind of economy that had been practiced at Motuihi Island before the escape of the German prisoners. The coincidence, naturally, has not made the public less insistent in its demand for a wide order of reference and for a very exhaustive enquiry. The criticism that is not concerning itself about the etiquette of the position nor worrying greatly about the sources of its information, is not directed so pointedly against the Minister who is nominally responsible as it is against his advisers. For some days past it has been common talk in the streets that these gentlemen have taken a great deal more authority upon themselves that it ever was intended they should and that Sir James Allen’s quixotic loyalty to his staff has landed him in an extremely unpleasant position. This is altogether apart from what has happened at Motuihi Island, where the critic must not intrude at present;, and people are predicting all sorts of sensational development in the near future.

THE AUSTRALIAN REFERENDUM. The early returns in the Australian Referendum, which seem to indicate that conscription has again been rejected by the Commonwealth electors, were received with much disappointment in the city this morning. Although the Press cables published during the last week or two have been by no means reassuring, it was generally supposed they merely reflected the desire of the big newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne to stimulate the supporters of universal service to an earnest and sustained effort and private letters from people in good positions to judge the trend of public opinion have been far more encouraging_ It is practically certain the votes still to be counted will sub-

stantially reduce the first “No” majority, but even the', most optimistic Imperialist is doubtful To-day of the impending defeat being converted to a victory. Of course, in the smaller sense, it is Australia’s business, not New r Zealand’s, whether the Commonwealth keeps to its the Mother Country or not, hut the failure of one Dominion must be the common concern of all others and the next move by Mr Hughes and his colleagues to provide the Reinforcementsto which they are pledged will be awaited with eager and anxious interest*