WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 December 1917, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE ESCAPED GERMANS. j A REGRETTABLE INCIDENT, j (Special Correspondent), Wellington, Dec. 19. The escape ot the German prisoners from Motnihi Island remains the chief topic of animated conversation and indignant criticism everywhere. What the f'riue Minister has described as the most regrettable incident since the outbreak of war seems likely to have far-reaching results. The whole of the administration of the Defence Department may be brought under review and ullicials in high places may be involved in the investigation!. The disclosures made at the opening of .the inquiry in Auckland yesterday are not yet subjects for discussion, but they are being supplemented by the reiteration of many disquiet- ! ing stories that have been current for months past. 'Sir James Allen, no less than Mr. Massey, is regarding the incident with grave concern and there need be no fear of any of the facts connected with the deplorable affair being withheld from tlie public. THE ANTI-GERMANS Naturally the people who have been agitating during the last two or three years lor the adoption of more drastic mesaures against Germans settled in this country, whether naturalised or not, see in the latest development a realisation of their apprehensions. They contend that it would have been impossible for the prisoners to get away without active assistance from outside and they even indicate the quartet's from which the assistance came. Of course much of the talk of this kind is mere exaggeration anil speculation and in the circumstances not very wise or generous, but the growth of the anti-German feeling during the last day or two is unmistakable and some of it unreasonable. The Prime Minister's hope that "the. affair will lie a leasson to the people," however, gives the countenance of authority to a tolerably frank expression of opinion and is loosening many willing tongues. THE SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE. Though the Executive or the Second Divison League is bowing to the inevitable in accepting with a good grace the conditions of service imposed upon married men, it has by no means relaxed its efforts on behalf of the section of the community it represents. At its meeting last night it strongly protested against a number of unmarried men, members of the First Division qualified for service, being retained in the country in positions tint could be at least, equally well tilled by mat''led men or by returned soldiers. 'Seve'-nl striking cases, of this kind have lately been brought under public notice, one having to do with the stalling of a Minister's office, and there is a disposition even outside I he ranks of the League to question the policy of the Government and the. administration of the "Military Service Hoard, in this respect. It is alleged that the simplest routine wot'; is being magnified into essential service'. LABOR FNREST, At last night's meeting of the Empire Service League, which aiming other aspirations aims at the establishment of better relations between capital and labor, a good deal of sound eommonsense was talked by the members. A committee of the League ha- gone boldly to the extremist!, among Lie working men with an admission loaf there were faults on the side of capital and had come away with an admission from the other side that Labor was not free from blame. Starting on this rudimentary basis of agreement the League is now seeking si conference with the workers with x view to "going into matters and defining a plaforiu and education," and if the pre-ont good feeling between the parties is maintained thh im-ven-eni may go far towards hastening the arrival ot the better uiulersanding between capital and labor that is promised by the optimists and the prophets as one of the good fruits of the war. AFTER THE WAR, LOOKING AHEAD. Wellington, Dec. 21. In a chatty Idter to an intimate friend in Wellington Sir Thomas Mackenzie, tin; Hiyh Commissioner, writing at the beginning of last month, emphasises Hie importance uf New Zealand lookins ahead and preparing for the conditions that will arise after the war. "This is not the time for parly bickerings and political dissensions,'' he say-, •■though, of course, party ideals and political aspirations need not, he forgotten or abandoned. This terrible war is still demanding all our grit and all our ell'oif, and we'ean give our best only iiy earner, and „usisiincd ell'orl. lint H is not 100 early to be making preparations for the victorious peace that is coming, and for the new duties and responsibilities I hat will follow in its train. The coiinlry that lays its plans carefully now and gets a. fooling—thai builds on. hard to displace afterwards, and later on there will undoubtedly be enormous competition." Sir Thomas expresses a fervent hope to return to New Zealand when his work in London is Finished • "not for politics, but for rest."- but he does not expect to be free till after the war. THE SOLDIEiIS' VIEW. Another interesting letter by this week's mail comes from a Canterbury lad who went to Egypt with the Main Body, and at the time of writing was tying in hospital at. .Net lev with his second wound'received during the big push. "It was a machine-gun bullet thai got me this time," <ic says in the three lines he devotes to his personal troubles. "Hit me just under the angle oi the lefl jaw and penetrated as far as the throat. Hurt a, bit till the bullet was extracted, but gelling along bully now." Then to (he business that interests him. "Things seeiii to be getting very dicky in Germany just now." he goes on to say. "Wii'cn'we attacked, Fritz's infantry offered very little resistance. .Inst came out in hundreds with their bauds up. There were hundreds of them carrying Hie wounded and making themselves useful (o finv' medical corps for Hie whole day after that. There, were six hundred, in the same hospital with mo in France, and (hose that were ajiln did 'orderly work and other useful tilings. One of them tolu me be was ibid be was taken prisoner. The day before ninety of a hundred men in his company were killed by a British shell, and the corporal in charge of the survivors toll! them to surrender at the earliest po'tsible moment." Tllis and scores of other letters

received this WtM'k. show till' XliiV Zl'illandcis to be,iii great bean, IJEKENT K AxFE-NDI'ITUE. !!v n .rather uuforiunale ■■<■>m-jtii-m-** ] the'announce,ucM. that tlir Cabinet had j not vet agro-d in Hii' order hi' reference I for the Defence Expenditure ('oniinisdon, •jml that in consequence the iii<jiiii-.v ctinitl mil !)'• commenced till aboni tljc middle of .T:uiu:»r.v. appeared side !iy side in (.Innewspaper- Willi tin' evidence ill llii' kind of economy that hail been practised ai Moinihi Island before Hie c-.ciipe of the German prisoners. The coincidence, naturally, has not made the public loss insi-tentin its demand for a wide or'il«--r i.t reference and Tor a very exhaustive inquiry. 'J'lii! criticism that is not concerning itself ahont the etiquette of the position nor worrying greatly about, the -.sources of its information, i« not -lirc-ied no iiuinteilly against the Minister, who is nominally responsible, as it is again-!' his advisers. For some days past it has been common talk in the streets that those gentlemen hive taken a great ileal more authority upon themselves than it was ever intended they should liave, and that ISir .Tamos Allen's quixotic loyalty to his stall' has landed liim in an extremely unpleasant po: j ition. This is altogether apart from whal !, as happened at Motuihi Island, whore the critic must j not intrude at present, and people are predicting all sorts of sensational developments in the near future. THE AUSTRALIAN REFERENDUM. The returns in -the Australian referendum were received with much ihuch disappointment in the city this morning. Although the press cables published, during the last week or two have been by no means reassuring, it was generally supposed they merely reflected the desire of the big newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne tb stimulate the supporters of universal service to an earnest and sustained ell'orl, and private idlers from people in good positions to judge the I rend of public opinion have been far more encouraging. It is practically certain the votes still to be counted will Mtli.-Unlially reduce the llrst "No" ma- . ioril'y, ln.it. even the most optimistic Imperialist, is doubtful to-day of., the im-pending-.defeat being converted into a victory. Of course, in tin; smaller sense, it is Australia's business, not -.New Zc-,t- ---| land's, whether the Commonwealth keeps [to its obligations to the Mother.Country or not, but the failure of one, Dominion must, be the concern of all the others, and the next move by Air. Hughes and his colleagues to provide the roinforeo|menfs to which they are pledged will be awaited with eager and anxious interest.