The Daily News. THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1915. "WAITERS ON PROVIDENCE."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 251, 1 April 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1915. "WAITERS ON PROVIDENCE."

This felicitous phrase,' applied by Mr. Gladstone forty years ago to those members of the House of Commons who could not make up their minds which side to take in tin; contest over the. Seeond itcfrom Bill, might with almost equal appropriateness be used to describe the present attitude of those European notions who are still hesitating about easting i n their lot with the Allies in the great war. There are three of them tn which the designation specially applies. Rouuiauia, Italy and Greece. In no case is the hesitation one of principle. In no case is it prompted entirely by considerations of interest. Rouinania, Italy, and Greece are all fully convinced as to the cause which it is their duty to support. They are simply hanging back because they do not feel sure that they can afford to have the courage of their convictions. And so they are waiting like cormorants sitting on a rock wanting to seize the fish rising to the surface of the waters, yet afraid to run the risk of taking the plunge for fear of being carried away by the waves. The hesitation of Koumania is specially inexcusable because the well informed correspondent of The Times stated in the middle of January that she had apparently come to a final decision and that it was generally expected that the campaign would commence in the middle of February. Still she has not yet come into the field. She seems to be kept back by dreal (jf the revenge which might be wreak! d' on her at the close of the war in the possible event of a German viclorv. Tt is not for us to offer advice to Roumanin. but one thing is certain, that if Germany should win, Koumania will be crushed by tier claws, and that therefore her manifest interest is to take such prompt and decisive action as shall render the victory of Austro-Germany an absolute impossibility. This she has it in her power to do, because she has an army of six hundred thousand strong absolutely intact, since s'he was able to annex Selistria at the close of the Balkan war without sacrificing a single man. If Roumania would strike at once and sttike hard it is practically certain that her action would bring the wir 'o a 'trhuv pliant close within a few m.m'.hs, especially as the intervention of Ronmania would powerfuly affect the conduct of the other waiters on Providence. If Rouinania takes the lead, Italy am, Greece will follow suit, and if these three Powers joined hands in the support of the Allies the doom of Ormary would be sealed. As to the hesitaticn of Italy, the ground of that is partly ecclesiastical and partly political. A significant letter addressed to The Spectator at the beginning o[ the present year from a resident in Italy contains the following passage: '-The defeat of Austria and Germany is certainly Italy's inter-

est. Why then does Italy still hang back? The reasons may be summed w as follows, and may be said to reflect tlio vast body of sound middle public opinion as voiced in the strong and loyal Government of Signor Galandia. Italy is not in a position economically to bear the brunt of a long and trying campaign. She is still a young nation aw! has not yet acquired real stamina. T.'m.v is. a genuine feeling that it would he base and disloyal to make war on lipoid Allies without a new cause of difference arising between her and thev.i. There is no doubt, however, that whatever happens Italy will not flinch fro-ii making war the moment war become-; necessary in defence of her own vital interests." To these considerations it '.>; sufficient to reply, firstly, that Italy ],< h already practically broken with lier old Allies by refusing to take the side of Germany and Austria, and, secondly, that no interest is more vital to her than the success of the democratic ideal' which the Allies are fighting to nplm'.iand which Germany and Austria are fighting to crush. Italy has everything to gain and nothing to lose by following' out to its logical issue the course. she has already commenced in holding barf, from co-operation with Germany. It- is not necessary to say much, about the third of the cormorant's, Greece. Greece has always be,e u the friend of liberty, and the foe of tyranny. The cause- for which Britain, France, and Russia an fighting is the one to which she is bound by all the most sacred traditions of her history. For Greece to side with Kaiserisni would be a, betrayal of'the standard she has upheld for centuries. The only conceivable explanation of her hesitation to ta-ke part in the war is fear of failure. But that fear will' vanish once she sees that Roumania and Italy have joined the side to which- her national instincts are all callii|j her. We hope that Roumania will bo the first of tlu cormorants to take wing, and feel su:e that the moment she- has done so tinother two will follow. With the co-op-eration of Roumania, Italy and Greece, the victory of the Allies ought to lie only a matter of weeks rather than months.

AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARMS, flawera is to l>o congratulated on having made a move to instal a system of automatic electric street Arc alarms, and especially i n adopting the system wnirh lias proved such a complete success at Tailiape. Why New Plymouth lias so long delayed this most important work it Is difficult to conjecture, but when (i small town like Taihape, which less than twenty years back was a denso mass of standing bush, and is now thoroughly equipped with all modern improvements, has for some three yeais had a fire alarm system in use it shev. s that something is lacking in the «d----ministrative machinery of New Plymouth that the . safety of the' town nhould have been endangered so long. Up to the time of the formation of tiie. Fire Board the Boroifgh Council was responsible, but since, then the Board must shoulder the blame. The completion of the new fire station emphasises the need for putting an end to the delay, and it is to be hoped that the object lesson now being given by ITawera will not be lost on New Plymouth. The fire alarm system which was installed at Taihape is one that may well be adopted here. It is at once simple and effective, and contains some modern improvements that conduce to efficiency. The town is in urgent need of such a system, which would very materially assist the fire brigade in their work of Attacking and subduing outbreaks of fire at the. earliest possible moment. It is the minutes lost in the early stages of a fire that enable it to obtain a mastery, and a proper system of automatic fire alarms can alone minimise the risk :if a serious conflagration. In the past New Plymouth has been extremely lucky to have esecaped so lightly, out until fire alarms are installed there will always be a very grave risk —a risk that should now be speedily eliminated.