WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 May 1917, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

MILITARY MATTEES. THE DUNEDIN INDICTMENT. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, May 18.

Sir James Allen lost n:> time in replying to the sweeping indictment of the administration of the Defence Department that came from Dunedin yesterday. The eminently resectable citizens who found in the Press Association a compliant vehicle for the wide distribution of their startling accusations — doubtless with the best of intentions—simply repeated complaints which have become more or less familiar to the Minister by constant iteration since the beginning of the war. They had lent a ready ear, if not an eager one, to stories which had been exploded a hundred times before and had accepted as statements of fact what really were nothing more than the expressions 01 biased opinions. Had they adopted the reasonable course of laying their complaints before the Minister and asking for an explanation they would have obtained all the information they required towards a proper understanding of the situation and would have the people they wished to serve a much more useful service. • WOLF! The most unfortunate effect of these hurried and ill-considered excursions into print is that they divert public attention from the real grievances some of the • soldiers and their dependents are suffering. When the Minister has demolished a patch of extravagant or inaccurate stories by settin. 1 ; out the facte, more diffident people than the meniber.3 of the Dunedin Patriotic Association hesitate to move even when there oro neglect and injustice to be repaired. 11 is the old cry of "wolf" over again. The Defence Department is wry far from being infallible. The best that can be said for it is that it is profiting by its experience and making fewer mistakes than it did in the early stages of 'ths war. But it still leaves room for plenty of honest, well-informed criticism and the more it gets of this the better it will be for the soldiers' and their dependents and for the country as a whole.

MORE WHEAT. The allusion in the cablegram to the negotiations going on between Mr. W. D. S. Mac Donald and the Australian Government for the purchase of a large parcel of wheat on account of New Zealand has brought the foodstuffs question again into prominence. Mr. R. K. Ireland, of Oamaru, a miller of experience and standing, has written to the Dominion explaining how all the wheat consumed in this country could be produced within its own borders and, of course, his premises are perfectly sound, but the pressing problem is how to obtain a supply for our requirements in the near future. Food reformers are seizing upon the shining hour to tell us if we did not waste the most nutritious part of the wheat in making white flour there would be sufficient to satisfy all our needs, and the free-traders are calling out for a frank reliance upon Australia for our supplies. From the multitude of counsellors wisdom may eventually evolve. STATE CONTROL. Mr. Lloyd George's advocacy of State Control of the liquor traffic, with compensation, as they assume, does not appear to be reconciling the local prohibitionists to the reform. They still will bo satisfied with nothing short of the total abolition of the "accursed traffic," lock, stock, and barrel, and will listen to no suggestion of compromise. However, they are giving away their case to some extent by urging the ment'to exercise the power it possesses under the War Regulations to close -uc public bars at six." o'clock and so put a stop to the promiscuous drinking that goes on far into the night. Quite probably this instalment of State Control would produce good results, but the people on the other side are very logically arguing that if the prohibitionists admit as much they should be prepared to entrust the Government with the management of the whole business.