SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[Natio, in this column does not necessarily preclude subsequent review.]
The National Beriete for August has an instructive article by Mr. F. A. W. Osborne on " The Recoil of the ' Living War
in Australia," where the attempts of trade union leaders to get more out of industry for the wage-earner than industry can yield has led to confusion and discontent. A modified scheme for a basic wage " of £4 to every adult worker, with a weekly allowance of 12s. for each child, is calculated to cost £236,000,000 a year, while the total annual production of Australia has aver- aged £241,000,000, leaving virtually nothing for employers,
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ofessional men, and persons under twenty who are at work. Mr. Gisborne hopes that the rural population will increase and counterbalance the influence of " the tazzaroni of a few parasitic cities," but at present four Australians out of five live in towns. Colonel R. H. Beadon, writing on " Civilian Criticism and the German High Command," does justice to the military merits of the German General Staff ; it would indeed be absurd to deny that the German Army was the most formidable enemy that we have ever had to face. Mr. Adolphe Smith exposes the " German Traps for British Labour " which have been and still are contained in the " International " ; ignorance
rather than probably makes our Labour leaders the easy dupes of German and Russian intriguers, who have plenty of money to spend on entertaining. " Tourist " in " An Impression of India " discusses the effect of Mr. Montagu's attempt to rule despotically from Whitehall, disregarding the advice of our trained civilians in India. Mr. Wyatt writes on " Egypt Thrown to the Wolves," and " Newmarket " concludes his interesting -study of " Prime Ministers and their Racehorses " with an account of the racing careers of Disraeli's Lord Derby and of Lord Rosebery.
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