CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 297, 10 May 1911, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

"THE TIMES ARE OUT OF JOINT.* Locally, Mother Nature seems to lmve mislaid her calendar, and residents of Xew Plymouth who are astonished at her vagaries are full of stories of the season's eccentricities. She does not as a general habit clothe the rata vines with blooms at this time of the year, but for once lias anticipated the aeason. Gardenera report a wealth of flowers on their azalea bushes; Jack's beanstalk was hardly more rapid in its climb than the eleangus; prize rose-growers complain that the trees they wished to gather spring blossoms from are blooming themselves to death at the moment; and the holly berry persists in its scheme of decoration, forgetting its usual habit. It seems but a few days ago that the evilsmelling seeds of the prolific acacias strewed rural sidewalks, and therefore the mass of fluffy blossoms on tne "wattles" seem unusual. "I never saw the grass jump out of the ground at this time of year, same as it is now," said a farmer, and added characteristically and with great gloominess, "hilt it ought to have,come sooner." Pullets that should ,be "close to profit" are moulting. A doleful horseman mentioned yesterday that this hack ought to be as rough as a doormat and as dull 'as a working bullock; instead, the horse is shortcoated and blooming, and bucked bis owner off in the exuberance of his springlike spirits. Some eager willows have begun to wear new greenery before ridding themselves of the old suit; but willows are eccentric vegetables, with amazing vitality. Stuffv folk, who on the first appearance of a cool wind rush into flannel underwear and carefully exclude the wicked atmosphere, have even gone so far us to leave their windows openheroic souls! By the way, a local resident hopes to gather plums shortly, and the pumpkin family is trying to make up for its past remissness by producing evanescent vegetables. The presence of numerous juvenile small birds seems to point to the fact that the animal eren-1 tion has also lost its diary, and even the everyday and necessary cow is not as dry as one might suppose. Our least cheer-1 fill informant prophesies that winter will last well into next summer, and that if, he can sell bis land for eighty pounds an acre lie will emigrate to some country where nature is more regular in her j habits. |

"THE TIMES COMMENDS." Tt is perfectly natural that the London Times should mistake the decision of the New Zealand Government for an act of the People. Tt therefore "commends the military spirit" in this country. There is no military spirit in New Zealand; nor lias there ever been, except when circumstances demanded it. It cannot be claimed that under the diluted compulsion that is now law the people themselves have shown any great enthusiasm for military service. The machinery for the compulsory enlistment of males under voting age recognises the right of a person over that age to refuse service to his country, and among the hoys who are to form the backbone of the force, there is no eagerness, and certainly no "military spirit." The only observable "military spirit" is not a matter of national feeling, but one of political machinery—necessary because of tlie lack of the national enthusiasm. A system with no "beg pardons" about it is treading on the corns of ranters and backsliders, and while it is every day evident that the enthusiasm the Times sees, is lacking, the semi-compulsory system, if it is allowed by politicians to do its work, may create a military spirit which is not necessarily an agressive one. The Times emphasises the faet that it must be many years before New Zealand possesses senior local officers sufficiently trained. The Times point of view seems to be that a certain machine will necessarily turn out a certain kind of man. It is possible to have a tine colonial soldier with the necessary genius to lead and control, and an Imperial soldier who can do neither the one nor the other. Senior colonial officers, prior to the coming of the present commandant, exhibited in some cases the true spirit, and might have been successful if they had been allowed to rule. The idea of a "democratic" service is absurd in the highest degree. The fact that Imperial senior officers have never been obliged to sing small to evpry Tom, Dick and Harrv, or to politicians, is the chief reason why it is absolutely necessary to have such men at the head of our defence forces. The training of NewZealand officers in the Imperial army will do much to remove the stigma that colonial officers are not fit to command colonials-. The colonial wilt conform to discipline, with as great an alacrity as the soldier of any other countrv—if the officers arc allowed to command.