NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 543, 25 June 1909, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

PpoFESson : E{CKEN;was:not as clear on ;in his address' at yesterday's ■capping c()vemo!iy iwuj.mighrhave been. In ordeiv to. crpatu, a. definite and decisive public opinion upim t> functions of the university m Ration fo' tjib'-natibnal-iifc,' he secnwto inclipa to the establishment of :-. univcrajtjes,. in suine -.meas'urq dent at least,,ijj fclio iour centres.''Surely the objections are liirge and obvious which can ba urged against .the creation of four uniyersities- in.this country during' this Eonaration at .bast, unless the change liat such ii proposal, would entail, were'' a change only in name. Nor can we agree that.iUe cultivation of' ''the. social aspect ■of: university life' , ideal,! 1 .unless. PROFi:.ispß PjcKpif . meivns.: some: 1 wing ujat wo do -rittt Bupposo he means. L()|tn ■jionj.EV touched on , this, pqint onlv .a.fow, weeks ago in an address at the Univorsity qf-Manchester.'• ''Tho social'lifc of the university," he said, "is most essen--tial'f: ;'; : .,--. : ; --> ,■ • ■;>".;• -,;',-;:,;.■■;; ;■ .. Itigiyea a oort of unity,'a unity of in\prcssion te university life,; whieli I' thini nothing pise does, or scarcely.'miythin B oiso, and ; ;l certainly wpiild say pf my own Uni-. vorsity at Oxford aiid with all rcfpoct to my pastors' and masters and itiUors' and - govemors, riipstjof.: long :'?incei v ilflno.- far ? I?' ? n v? ae i ,vay nlor i a Ta,ual >le. influence ill tiiat me:than.tno'lectures and-the veree.malcing and the prose-makingiwcrq tho walks and. talks, \ypck wo had .with ono another, about tho same ago, with, the same ainbitions, the same hopes, tho ■ samd comnion ends. In it. 'air , thorp 'was a stimulation'-in' all,that communipii—yes, hlmpst more Valuablo. than the direct stimulation "of the actual teaching. •: ■ :•'.- '.-,'

New .Zeajand students live so nmch of their' lives beyond the boundaries of the .university that-the cultivation of the social aspectqf their membership should be encouraged. Those who are anxious for the.success'pf the university in' jniliiencing the national life' should not forget that immediato and tangible proofs of success cannot bo looked tor) . The university will do all tjjat jt should do if ite ™e: , f. slow, indirect, "ana silent. WJiat the friends of the university should , make-their, chief concern is the preserva-tion-of the-traditional riiaphinpry and the principles..LEoNAupoiiA Vinci said that if he wore to* give a book'tea :monkey, the monkey would smell it , and ? s f J f tnprp .were anything good to eat in it. fhe spirit of that monkey is very genocal in this country'.. v Thq chief danger -, to tho;university is the utilitarian. On the other hand, there is a' danger of an opposite kind—the tendenpy of some of th,e idealfsts to drivo out examinations and degrees. . Thp' university will take care pf its own influence if it is' prevented from becoming'anything other than a university. But the Government can do spmefting. Ifc can placo tho university cgjlcgos beyond the necessity for worrying over finance'.

_Mr. Hogg's explanation of hjs resignation from the Ministry l given'at; the Town Hall last evening to a large audience, was not at all sensational. : It "served to show that Mb. Hogg' was in disagreement with his colleagues on two important issues, and that to preserve his freedom of speech ho relinquished office and its emoluments, ■To use hig own words, "he was.not to bo tongue-tied, gagged,' and muzzled." The audipneo was distinctly sympathetic, and, as wp remarked on/a previous occasion, Mr. Hogg is deservedly thought a good dear.more of to-day by the majority of : people than he was when , ho )iejd office. Even th,ose'in.total disagreement with his pxtrome, and in spin,e '.respects extravagant, views must recognise that he has made a sacrifice for principle which probably jip pth,er member qf the present Cabinet would bo prepared-to make. His references to the vast areas of land locked up against settlement must make his late colleagues fool' nitlmr uncomfortable. If it assists to stimulate their enprgies in unlocking this land,' as we have repeatedly -nrgcd'on them, ' M'i:. Hoao'will havedone the epuntry bettor service by leaving the Ministry than by'continuing to bold Cabinet rank.

A mspyssios winch took place at ycsterday'a meeting ol t!w kduciition Board upon a question relating to school cadets servos to remipd tho publjc of tJio anomalous position of Major T. W. M'Donald, an officer of the Defence Department and. a moinbor of tho Board...lt will bo remembered that this gentleman, while holding <i clerical post in the Uuferieiv jJiipartmpijt, was permitted to take an active part in loeni politics. Mo was tho Mayor of Lower llutt. No particular acutencßS of understanding is necessary to see that in, a country in which t,)ip.Civil Servants are debarred froiji 'taking any in politics it was most improper that a Departmental officer should have been permitted to lipid municipal oflice, aiid. t,o appear, as ho once appeared, paying public homage i'n, his capacity, as Mayor of a borqugh to the Ministerial.-head of his Department.: Tho point was raised in Parliament;, wo believe, , .and tho Government replied that Mr: M'Pona'i.p v/ns npt a member of the Public Service, and was therefore free to dp as he chose, In our opinion, it is wrong in principle that the officer in command of fcho cadet forces should bo a member of. tlip Education Board. Mostfcsppnsible military officers', fio arp quite sure, must look"-with" dieliku' upon Mt. M'Donald's connection with local administrative bodies.-.The-discis-sion aV yesterday's meeting, of the Board illustrated one Bpecjal reasqn .why it Is undesirable that the' ofiicor commanding the cadets should have a voice in Education Bpard policy. The qfpeer commanding the padcts ought pot to b,p in a position to approach . thq Board cm 'questions effecting sohqol 'administration oxcopting through his own ■■Departrnent." , No doubt Hr._ M-'Donald's position" is- legally, unbut we. should .have' imagined tjliiit the c»se ivas one in which plain propriety should be made-the fjrst consideration. 'There is nothing to proyent Mr. M'Donald from resigning his , seat on the Board, and we arc surprised that he does not sop that propriety requires him to do so. , , ~,».-■ .;•. ■ v...-.

A Pherrimq item in the speech of the Minister for Agriculture at' Palmcrstpn ■North' on Wednesday was the' announcement respecting, the/ substantial 'increase in value of the exports of the Dominion for .the first IiVB months of tho' current year. During the period named the'ex-' porta totalled £10,530,000' in value,: being .G!,B!O,ODQ higher tljan the exports for ■the cnrresjiondinfr ncrio.cl of. igos,' and'actually half a million moro than the v'ahio of Uie exports for the first six months of thai year. This is highly, satisfactory. ,Thp increase was, : of eqursn, rnninjy due to the increased prices rpccj,ved for wool, ''but'the whole country will share in the benefits thus derived.. When it is borne in 'mi'n.d ,f;)!atcont ß nip;oranep H sJywith' tye increase -.in. ttie,ya]ue of.our exporfi tliere.hasVlicon ■ii '•linnkage. }n the yalun pf imports, it Will., bo.soen that the,' adjustment of' th'e .. viljinco- to debit in the; preceding, .vearis bing'.rapicjly Ijrqiifrlit'aliDiit,.: hnvQ pointed out Oμ previous pocasipns'thai the oxepss of imports over.oxporte has meant a heavy draip; on. the' resources: pf'the p OU nw.V-the point .was plso' frphed oh I'y the. Chairman, of .the flank .of' fc Sifjaland. in- l)is .recent .address: tti' shareholders. The turn, pf the tirjo will bo wolcoined on a] J sides', and affords substantial evidence that with tfjo oxprcjse 'of pare and prudence there is good reason to hope that the exist ,-, depression will not dwell withiiis over-long.' '"•- ■'■

■ Ohie of the .mostVstrikingVpassageV in Mr. Hogg's speech , last, night, was his refcronce to 'his.experience as Miiiister'for Labour.- , .--..■...': ' : v '."'";. ;.■■'■ •;;'::

.As Jlindster for Labour (he- said) the dutips ho -had had to iwrformAycro hoart-roiid- ■.,'"?•.-. We liatl bcenbpsicTOcl in'tlio'street and at l|is office by men.and wijmc'n, and 'aJI he was to sond fficm, along' to th<j Labpur .JJppartißc'nt, v.'lierp ho'knew their- names would be registered >yiihpu| iiho ' sliiih'tc'St lopcof tljoir gcj/Wng priißlpyrnpht.-" It Kad :wm onp of the most trying'qrefcaJs of has Iltp. aiid ho liopod ho would never again have' I'pnoh an oxporieneo. :■'::,,--■. ... If anybody pares to turnback to our issue of, May 26.last, they will'find ■that Mk. Hogq made, these statements'on the question of unemployment: : :' .';■'•■ ..■"■'.'.■'.■ '■ I'ani not iywarp that'there hh-s' been great trouble with tho'workcrs./'ilfy own iniLJircssion has ooon.thpt tho. laboiir market' lias brightened up a bit. '. "- '■ ' ':' '.■■.' \M this timo-in .May this: -papor and pthers,worp urging on tho dovcrnipcnt the wccssitypf doing sbmpthjng to assist the unoraplpycd. ■:■.'v:Now, whatever, we may think of Mn.HoQQ's.opinions, wo baHevp that' his. heart is. warm and good. It 1 (!ap only _; be assumed/ the'rofore, ; feh,p.t tpo astpnismiig-opinjori'Awliiph' he 'issued, on May 26, and which; so contradiots his Gtatnment to-day, was the outcome of the attitude which the . Government\had: dei cided to take up.'.'Presumably.it 'Hit, HqGq's flpipipii, but" the.-.Qpvern l ment's, aiid Mn. ■,-^pqq'had, to' fathef it,' It.is little wonder'that ha : was so ready, tpbreivk his connection ; with a. Ministry which placed so enibarrass(inc sitl!.".tiqn. .", • . :v : '.' : :..'■" ! ':. ; \;