The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1920. PEACE IN SIGHT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3580, 16 September 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1920. PEACE IN SIGHT.

With which is incorporated "The T&ifaape Post and Waimarino News."

There are again indications that European nations, still at war, are in a humour to adjust their differences. Another winter is just commencing and they shrink from the horrors that a Russia-Polish winter would be productive of with continuance of a widespread state of hostilities. Privately received communications from people in England occupying positions that would enable them to obtain information not accessible to the ordinary citizen, state without qualification that there will be a complete return to a stable condition of life not later than December next? In fact, this information, true or false, was received in Taihape three months ago, but the increasing military operations along the whole Russian front, and the aggressiveness of Bolshevism in eastern countries did not contribute to any prospect of an early state of peace. Now, however, a greater equality of strength in contending armies, renddering final victory less certain for any one of them, and with a Russian winter just commencing, even the war gods are more amenable to reason, and are discovering that they have some trace of the humane in their nature. Latest official messages from Warsaw state that no fighting on an important scale has taken place during the last few days. The recently arisen clash between Poles and Lithuanians augured detrimentally against an early peace, but remarkable changes are following each other in rapjd succession, all in the direction of peace, and they are notably corroborative of the evidence that warring nations are too tired of war to take on any very doubtful winter campaign. With a view of hastening on peace condition? the Polish Delegation appointed to meet the Russians at Riga, are making an effort to have a preliminary conference with the Lithuanians at Miriampol before the opening of negotiation? with the Russians. And as the Russo-PoKsh peace negotiations are to open to-morrow it is not unlikely some information of the Miriampol meeting may be distributed that will convey some approximate idea of what the final result'of the • Russo-Polish negotiations is likely to be. All fighting between Russian Reds and Poles ceased on i Monday, and the present Indications are that it will not be resumed, at least, till the advent of another summer. Of course, it will be very much more difficult to recommence war than to continue the present struggle, therefore whatever peace is agreed 'upon it is likely to be of (a .[lasting character. It is also officially reported that the Allies are doing their utmost towards assisting an early restoration of peace, that they have offered their services to help in arriving at a settlement. More important is the expressed belief that these services will be accepted, and that Allied officers will act as advisers to the rival powers. It is quite correct to state that there is the strongest probability, that peace in the British Empire, and virtually throughout the whole world, largely hangs upon what transpires at. negotiations between two exhausted, war-tired, war-racked peoples. UpoTi restoration of peace in Europe will "depend a restoration of more natural, and less fitful economic conditions. If it were not so, war or no war in Russia would bold little to concern other peoples. All civilisation Is losing its natural heterogeniety and crumbling up into tumultous,

loosely held together masses for want of a return to that state of peace upon which it was built up and upon which it flourishes. The only visible menace to that civilisation and to that peace upon which it can live and progress is the Russian Revolution, and its leaders now appear to be in such straits that they must have a peace that is essential to their own well-being, and to a continuance of the exercise of that power over the people they have usurped. What is of supreme importance is that peace will open up markets in Britain and throughout Europe for whatever stores of food and other commodities the Russians are anxious to sell, rapidly bringing about a parity, of food values throughout the whole world; it will also furnish markets for British manufactured goods that Russians are in the direst need of_ Peace will speedily replace economic chaos with economic stability, and it is, in that connection that peace now is essential to the maintenance of that state of civilisation that war has so dangerously menaced. Peace will exercise an influence in eliminating and deadening the revolutionary spirit that is at present rampant, and contribute to the possibilities of amicable arrangement of all industrial differences, and removing all industrial and, economic excrescences of /an over-reaching character. In fact there is at this moment but one panacea for all the world's evils and that is complete cessation of all war and war-like processes; civilisation is languishing for that peace that now seems to be within speedy attainment.