The Daily News. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1911. ITALY'S GREAT CRIME.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 128, 21 November 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1911. ITALY'S GREAT CRIME.

Home papers just to hand, are full of protests against Italy's action in making var on Tripoli. The universal condemnation of Italy's act of piracy is the one hopeful feature of the affair. English and German opinion is unanimously against it. France and Austria have to speak with tongues in their cheeks because of Morocco and Bosnia. The people of Italy are bitterly opposed to the war with Turkey. So fierce' i« their resistance to the policy of the Government that they have been muzzled by main force. Women and children have (lung -themselves on the rails to prevent the Italian soldiers from going to the war. There liave been riots. The first blood shed in the war with Turkey was Italian blood shed by Italian soldiers. The Italian Government dare not let Europe know the true state of Italian feeling about the war. It has maintained a savage censorship on all r.ews. "We have nothing but hatred and loathing for the European pirate, whether he be liritish, French, German, Russian or Italian," says the London Star. "We do not forget that our own record in piracy is by no means trivial. The Italian adventure in Tripoli is really the last consequence of our occupation of Egypt, and of our refusal to carry out our promise to evacuate it. That act led to the French adventure in Morocco, to the long series of Franco-German warscares. and now. after France and Germany have agreed to divide their loot, the whole harmonious union of Pirate Powers is in danger of being shattered by the selfish and indecent greed of Italy.'' One of the strongest statements in the English press was made by the Daily Graphic, which said: "The whole episode is so shameful and shocking that we can scarcely believe, even at this eleventh hour, that the conscience of Europe will not revolt against il. Nor is il merely a question of abstract morals, ff this cynical raid is tolerated 110 -State will henceforth be siife. The satisfaction of unlawful ambitions will only be a question of opportunity. It means a relapse into j pure barbarism.'' "For the last t«i years the predominant Powers in Europe have been preaching to us the politics of force.'' says the Westminster Gazette. "Xothing, we have been taught to believe, counts except armaments and the power of striking. Treaties mcrch registered the forces behind them, and international boundaries were to be respected only in so far as they were defended by superior forces. 'The public law of Europe' has been derided as a sentimental phrase. We have seen the

result of this touching in six years of unrest. Whether a good law or a Dad iavv, .the law of the wolf makes the world an extremely uncomfortable place to live in. Perhaps for their own convenience, if for no higher motive, the nations will begin to think that there is after all something in the notions of law ami moral force in their dealings with each other. Just as men in their private dealings found law essential to the civilised life, so we begin to hope that nations in their public dealings will discover that the absence of law is fatal to their progress." The idea of a limited liability war is always a delusion, but never more so than where the Ottoman Empire is concerned. "If ever Armaggedon comes Turkish war might," the Spectator thinks, "well be the beginning of it. Turkey is the proof of peace in the Balkans. If we wished well to the Young Turk regime for no other reason we should wish it for this reason, that the existence of a reasonably stable Turkey prevents the beginning of a general scramble. To attack Turkey is to injure the symbol of Balkan peace. Greece, restless, ambitious, and rather vainglorious, will want to snatch whatever she can as the scene falls about her ears. Turkey would occupy Greek territory, say Thessaly or Epims; the Bulgars could scarcely be restrained from rushing into Macedonia; Austria has too many ungratified ambitions to stand still while anyone else blocked her way to Salonica; and where Austria stepped in there Bussian would be almost bound to follow. Apart from the mad rush to anns in Europe, the occupation by a Christian Power of a Mohammedan country would cause a ferment from one end of Islam to the other." Ameer Ali, in a letter in the Times, writing as a Mohammedan who is 'd'eeply interested in the growth and maintenance of amity and friendly feeling between Christianity and Islam, and in seeing the two great creeds working harmoniously and, if possible, hand-in-hand," warns us of the "unthinkable consequences" which may follow from "the flagrant breach of all canons of international morality on the part of a nominally Christian country." To England, especially, the matter must be of serious moment. "A hundred millions of Mussulmans acknowledge her sway." The Tanin, the chief Turkish paper, SftVfl:

"The Tripoli question brings on the tapis the whole question of the relations between Christianity and Islam. The Turks have trespassed on nobody's rights, yet Italy is preparing to occupy a Turkish vilayet on the pretext that f.'ermany and France have taken away the independence of Morocco. While giving assurances of friendship, Italy is hastening on hostile preparations. Such conduct is a violation of the principles of international law. humanity and civilisation. It is evident that the word 'justice' is a lie in Europe, that protests of amitv from the Powers have no meaning. and that treaties are merely instruments of deception which may be destroyed ivhen any advantage is to be gained thereby. The Italian aggression is really the outcome of the animosity of Christianity towards Islam."

"One wonders," says the Daily News, "what Italians would think if France occupied South Italy because it was neglected and retrograde; what Englishmen would think if Japan seized the northern territory of Australia because it was empty; what Russians would think if the Chinese for the same reason occupied the waste places of Siberia, The doctrine which Italy puts forward exposes half the nations of the world, including herself, to dismemberment by any State which professes to be more civilised and is certain that it is stronger." "The Italian action is the direct consequence of France's march to Fez," says the Manchester Guardian. "Italy sees the centre of Morocco seized by France, the northern coast by Spain. She is aware that, in spite of the defence offered by these Powers, their action cannot be justified, and is, ultimately, the simple exercise of might. 'lf Italy allowed this moment to pass, it would not return,' say the Italians. "Even if Tripoli could be had for the asking, it would be a doubtful policy for Italy to take it," says the Nation. "It is the poorest of all the North African countries, and its development would, under the most favorable circumstances, cost money which could be much better spent at home." Tripoli has been Turkish since 1835. German public opinion is strongly against Italy, and the Times says that it is conspicuous for its indignation.

creases in New Zealand, Australia and Canada for the ten years are:—

Per cent. Canadii 32. la New Zealand HO.iiO Australia 15.11! If we go further back the comparison so far as this badly governed country of ours is concerned is even more favorable. Take the previous ten years when such suicidal, socialistic, and dangerous legislation as the advances to settlers, compulsory purchase of lands, old age pensions and the like were passed, measures, we were told, which would have the efl'cct of driving our population away to countries like Australia and Canada. From .1891 to 1011 the centesimal increases were as under:

Per cent. Xew Zealand 00.92 Canada 40.2(1 Australia 27.10 It must be remembered that this result has been attained despite any serious effort on our part to attract immigration. and the most discriminating laws in the world. We are not going to say that we should be satisfied with this position, for we believe that one of Xew Zealand's greatest needs is more people, and that we should set about attracting them in a businesslike, comprehensive way, as soon as more land is available. This, we are persuaded, will be the case when the Government's new Land Bill is in operation, the graduated land tax is stiffened, and the amendment to the Land for Settlement Act is put into operation. The figures we have mentioned will show, however, how unreliable is this "fleeing the country" argument that is being made so much use of by ill-informed or blindly prejudiced partisans.

CHILDREN" ON TRAINS. Now and again the excellent cry resounds through New Zealand, "Keep the cradle full." and the State and its servants echo it because the State is born in the cradle and its greatest men were all "puling" infants once. But the State does not want the State trains full of children and its vigorous and excellent inspectors who are now so active in the exercise of their duties know a 3y»-year child from a 3-year-oltl with remarkable certainty. If a law exists obey it; but if an unfair law exists repeal it. A child over three years of age may not (ravel free on a New Zealand State railway. A mother may be able to afford to use the railway for short trips if her children are over 5 years of age and therefore of school age. but it is obvious that most mothers who take short trips must take the little ones with her. She may have a child of three years and a. child of four years. If she knows she must pay for both of these, she will probably stay at home. The State runs the train at exactly the same .cost whether there are ten passengers or fifty, and in enforcing the "over three" charge it is simply driving revenue away. It would be a small enough concession to make to parents to allow all children under the age of five years to travel free with a parent, and it would be far more pleasant for the eagle-eyed inspector not to be bound to regard every youngster as a possible fraudulent passenger. The State might be asked to believe that if the "free age" were raised 'to five years more adults would be able to afford to travel. 11l the majority of trains running on New Zealand .1 ines at ordinary times, there is any amount of vacant seat sjpace, and the State is not being ruined when a few extra children are occupying the space. The present hard-and-fast system is rather an inducement to mothers (and fathers) to forget when Jimmy's or Jacky's th ird birthday was and to declare that he never had a third birthday. Some aspiring political candidate might snatch the votes of quite a number of mothers by promising that "if returned" he would do his best to overcome the State's opposition to children on railway trains.