NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 701, 29 December 1909, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

0 , It is of interest to note tie position of political parties in Great Britain at the presont time, as compared with that existing on the 'eve of the previous General Elect-'on. In ordor to secure a clear majdnty over all parties, tho Unionists mubt gam 169 seats. At the previous Geni eral Election tho Liberal party had : to convert a Unionist majority of i 74 into a Liberal majority, which meant a gain of 38 seats It will 1 be seen, therefore, that tho Unionists i have a much bigger task ahead of i them than that which confronted the 1 Liberal party in 1906. But the Liborals in 1906 secured many more than the 38 seats. They mado a net [ gain of 215 seats, and con\orted a i Liberal minority of 74 seats into a Liberal majority of 356. Since 1906, however, the Unionists have lednced this majority until it stands to-day at about 338 Practically the whole of the 169 seats required to securo a Unionist majority must be sought from tho 465 scats in England. At tho last General Election the results of the polling were as under:— Liberal Unionist scats. scats. England 338 127 Scotland .-. GO . 13 I Ireland .. 85 18 Wales -.. 30 0 I 513 157 I Allowing for tho gains which have i been secured by Unionists at byelections, they still have to win 169 seats above what they may lose in order to socure a bare majority. This is a vory heavy task Tho Liberals, with the Labour party, now hold 327 seats in England,' and the fate of parties appears' to depend almost entiroly on tho success the Unionists may meet with in these constituencies. The records of the paßt show that the task ahead of the Tariff Roform party is not by any means impossible of accomplishment In 1900 ihe Unionists secured 339 seats in England to tho 126 seats won by the Liberals, and in 1895 tho figures were: Unionists 349, Liberals 116. r- I Austruia is interesting itself i keenly just now in the raattor of immigration While the figures have not attained to any startling dimensions, the flow of population to the ports of the Commonwealth ' from ovorseas shows a steady and i marked increase, which is the subject of general and favourable comment. Fiom 1893, when Australia entered on its era of bad times, to 1905, immigration into tho continent was practically dead. , The gairu from new arrivals were counterbalanced by the losses through departures. According to tho Daily Teleqiaph, during the ton years onded 1905 the net gain in population from immigration was only 6147 persons In 1906 tho gain was 2865, and would have been greater but for the deportation of some 2000 Pacific islanders, who had beon engaged on the sugar plantations in Queensland. In 1907 the figures showed a net gam nf over 12,000, .ind tho year following it increased to 13,000 odd. But it is during the present yoar that th« Commonwealth hag s£owa

its most marked growth' of population through immigration.; During the first ton months of 1909 the gain has totalled 22,346, and it is anticipated that by the end of the year. the net gain will bo doublo that ofi l; the preceding twelve' months. This! gain has been mainly from the British race, which has yielded over 20,000 out of the 22,346. .No doubt Australia's gain has been 'attained to some extent at the expense *of New Zealand, r The tide of population which for some. years' flowed from -Australia to New ■ - Zealand turned some months ago in Australia's favour.. Now Zealand's record this year will probably, be the worst experienced' for many years -past, but_ as matters are improving ' in various branches of trade, and industry, we may looki;for better results during the, coming-. twolvo months;; -'i,-'. -;, ";,".■■•

; An. interesting point'..: was raised in the House Of Representatives by the Leader of the' Opposition l yesterday. /Mr., Massey:.submitted: that the rcintroduction of the'vote of £400 for the financial adviser of the Government in: London, on the Supplementary Estimates after ; the : vote had be'on:rejected Von> the ,' general Estimates, was'. ; ..contrary','.' to'~: , thd Standing Orders of tho House.' He: .further submitted that the vote was not one of those which could: appear on the Supplementary Estimates at all. The: public are i not greatly interested in the'forms/'of Parliamentary procedure, and'iwe, do not 'proposed to deal, with the.question raised in Those who are, interested in'the.matter will,find the argument on both sides reported in. our news columns. -It is .dijslrable. to point out, however', that'-strict adherence: to the forms of Parliamentary. pro-., cedure is most necessary to the proper conduct of thei business of ; the House. Any dopa'i)turo'\ therofrom opens the pk>6r to abuses, and it is highly therefore, that a strict; adherence to the: Standing Orders should bo insisted oh., i (Wo do not think that'the Peihe Minister, in adopting the course followed; on the',; present -occasion', had' any idea that it would bo questioned., It vjas quite..evident from his-attempts to.ireplytb .Mk.::'-»Massey's;-'conten-tions that he had. not given the. matter v any consideration;'' and that. he was quite ignorant that any ground: for objection Vexistedi . He,; must, therefore, bo absolved'from.blame J oh that ground. .At the same time' the casomade out bythe Leatferj.of-! the: Opposition was, a; very strong ] one,, and Sir Joseph Ward might well have seen his' way: to recognise ' this.:a He could, still have: carried j out his desires iri'regard to the .par- j ticular; vote concerned, _and he ,would have avoided establishing a; prepe-' dont; which may'prove a .dangerous one. ; Mr. Speakers/ruling 'against the 'point of order raised::by,. Mr.; I Massey was not so. far i as' the reasons': put-forward ■.; for it' i.aro.;.cohcerned._ Ho; voiced a .very' admirable sentiment in./expressing' i;his endeavour,;, to';; interpret;' the 'Standing: Orders so as :,to, ; .afford members the widest';latitu'de jWithinj reason,',andiin the'present case, no I harm; has been: done: thereby. ~ But he':has opened-tho door—no j. has created> a precedent - for. the. New Zealand Parliament which' may.lead to abuses in the future. 1 It;would; have bcon, wiser to have erred ;6h the 'sidcVof '. caution.';•.;:,;': ::/.;'//://■'''

■;- The : :acquittal "of •'.Madame '.BteinHElt/ charged with 'the murder/of her husband and - her mother, -, Has; afforded; the^.■■British press ; opportunity for'a'fgood l deal of comment "on the French .system of criminal procedure. According to the genorallyexpressed opinion,-' the altitude- of the Judge towards the prisoner scandalised overyoneX Appointed to adf minister the law,'v.'ho behaved, '.; ac- ; cording to one writer; "liko a hound seeking to;find its' preyj" :and. lost his self-control when,thwarted of'it!; jfln^this,trial* we-,see : ihe'- French] syßtom of (criminal procedure in : its'' ! fullness; perhaps we might say at its' worst,"-wrote ',the '.';.' ( VI4 conflicts- with 'bur ■' settled' rules.' 'It 'shocks,our;sense of:fair.play.. Eydfything: is ■ topsyturvy. ■,;;trhe; Judge,: who, ought to; be impartial and to hold aloof from tte .contiist between the, prosecutor'and .the: prisoner, :' ; or. .to':.be,';:on .the whole,\the prisoner's, friend,; is the.true; prosecutor, arid one 'invested- with a ?license '.;' which would not be tolerated.on the .part of a prosecuting, .counsel; in-' our courts;" ; One of; the most able; features of',.'this-remarkable caso was the; attitude 'of the' public towards the prisoner.;.. She has ■ beeri haned;jas';a.-popular ; Chronicle, discussing /this "aspect, ql'■ the case;,; remarks'. :—-^v!- : '/■'-.'. ?'.' ':■■<■?;"■

"What heroic attributes has she exhibited? Not virtue, nor fidelity, nor voracity. Sho was not a good wifo nor a wjto mother; sho was immoral, untruthful, devoured with egotism. But' sho was comely, she had a bewitching smile, a silvery voice, and a dramatic instinct for posing and speaking in , court. Thoso gifts were enough to win the great heart of tho people. Need we bo surprised that the veteran journalist M. Henri Rochefort" complains of the omnipotence of woman, particularly„an attractive woman, in Franco?"

The majority of tho papers, however, hold a different view to that of the Chronicle as to the reason for the woman's popularity. "All' tho newspapors agree," says the Paris correspondent of the Times, "that the verdict is to be interpreted as a sweeping condemnation of tho way in which the_ trial has been conducted." This probably is the correct view. Tho spectacle of a woman fighting for her life, bullied, harassed, day after day, tho whole powers of the Court arrayed against her, with 'the presiding Judge as her chief acciisor and most determined antagonist—oven a woman with tho record of Madahe Steiniieil was bound to enlist a large share of public sympathy under such conditions. '