NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 719, 19 January 1910, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

~ .Yesterdax. .we. had a; cable - message .'summarising which. Mr.'-. Baijoue: spoke'.of ;the:'Governm'ont .as: "turning a deaf ear to the; pleading's of the Dominions,oversea." "I trust," ha added, "weshall not" for ; -longvturh an unheeding ear."-.' We have before now: expressed 'bur strongi■ objection : .to.- this' method- of argument,, nor .dp we think', that : the; sharpness' of the fight is. any .excuse; for thisiclass of appeal to-the-name .of -the colonies'. •' Tq-day\,we have.an '■■ example '.of'the .same sort, of'thing,-; infiuitely-worse '-.in;. from an; opponent of \-the; Unionist/party./ Mk. Will Crooks,',; it appears, ;has 'actually told the.people of Woolwich .that- --"aIK .'colonials 1 .; repudiate with, scorn and derision any suggestion.'to; give ■them';. preference." /.-Tjiat/is; .agross •'.■ Some colonials":go so' far.as to: demand •■prefer-: cnoe.v.The. best' 1 'colonial.: opinion,■ however, does;not demand anything. But'-'to: ,s'ay: : that -all colonials'scorn; ,'tho'-idea .'of preference, l and;will: deride/the vofferA of ifc; if the : offer:,:be; jnade; : is ''to state' the;exact 'opposite of.-the truth.).We;regard this use'of theVcblonies. as-weapons-in the party; 1 quarrels of:Britain'as'/being so,full ;of -;'danger/ to ll the /Empire -that/we believe :,that responsible'men. on both: sides/at '■' Home, i ought,/'; when /the' ■ political;,'atmosphere',;.pools,';. to :'ar-, range something like 1 a.treaty on.tho'i point. /The public/men> and news-; papers'.;bf -the colonies; are,. not/Bin--' less./:.ln ;New: Zealand 'certain-news-/ papers hayc.becn,taking- up'a'fiorcely partisan-.'attitude.;"■;'■ One' newspaper; ,wh,ich;;;follpwed -.us;llast' 1 autumn-in' protesting ' ' agairist/'MR/.:- Balfour's appeal;/:, to ; .' van///alleged'::- colonial" opinibn did : riot;:scruple: to /cheer; Lord'/Ce'ewe when he|cbmmitted-MR.' offence.-,in : 'a 'grosser ; form ] 'and;-with/riot- : oyeh;;:Mn;:BAiiFO'TO , s'. very slender excuse. /We' find"that: a ".few, utterances■: by:'-, such ■ papers Were being used last, month'by'someBritish/ Liberal jpurrialsV/as.;;. proof' that, "tho whole.vEmpire 1 !- is",with, '.thejßritish.Government. o - The-neces-'sity'.for. ripn-iriterferenpo. : by,::the;cpl-;, bhies in': the l party.';.politics o'fr Great, .'Britain.: is/vital': to, the /maintenance, 'of w.holesome .relations-between the diiforent/p'arts'.'of the .'Empiro.-i;-'j : /','-'

.■:..lt is*a pity. that i^obody. will, set-; tie for the/British- public/the merits, of black ;bread "and horseflesh/as 'a; diet.! If ..we may. judge .from -a'speech' by ;Miv.Bais6tj&/which ,was printed; yesterday,' the: Tariff Reformers have; suffered'.a'! good' deal ,!f rom/'the. per-; sistence of. tho; Free-trade ißtatemDnts :as : to!.: the coarse diet;of :'the;workmeii ; in'''Protectionist: Germany.!;\.''Free'-'. 'trade'surely'can': dispense/with,!de:'. :fenbes!6f.!;that sort,..'but/.the/.'Ffec-. traders, would bo moro ■than/human'; r'if-,they : .!;re'sisted';the 'temptation': to:' appeal to/the/.Briton's!;love, of tho wneaten.; loaf h and /the"/good: br o'^ra! beef.! all. of .our'own Me. Hogq's contempt for "for-; eigri' triick."!':/At ! the.^same 1 .time,/it is questionable-! whether /good;,black bread'; and' prime / Horseflesh - are! not really excellent. fare..lAThe". Emperor,; wo know, eats' them, but theEmrjefor. :is eccentric! i.There is good evidence : available, /however';-'! for tho! defenco of horseflesh;! /In the! December{Contemporary .Seutfiic there is an interesting paper ■: on ■: the menus at ■ the ;Paris :i restaurants ; !duTiDg!;the/Biege at the end'of 1870.// Mule arid donkey flesh, wero/muob! .appreciated.'' The/ .Irish .correspondent of,,a;. London Eaper became almost ; dithyrambic. in is praise !of'.donkey:': "The'.'flesh! bf .this ' /obstinate/; but'/weak-minded, quadruped/; is! delicious—in ..colour, like-mutton, firm and savoury.-,!. This siege: will / 'destroy;'- •' many ■ illusions, and! : amongst . them! 'the';, prejudice, which; has prevented many animals! being used. 1 as;.food*";. Horseflesh :was..f6und.'.'.tb/;bo:;".a';littlo':'Bweeter : ' .than beef,! but: in' othor; respects. - much i like -, it. l '', • Oats! and; dogs'J wcr a ! a revelation to a great many, slaves of! convention. ; '■!; Fkanoisque/'Sakcey/ 1 was : furious in;denouricihg tho!eat-. ! irig:bf dogs, but,VizETELLT was &ur.prised';and'pleased;when;he.tried a salmi of'■ rats. - -Rats,/ by!;' tho way,. were caught in abundance m wihecollars, arid'they were/highly; prized when killed/in! a! state '.of intoxication. Wolves were eaten:; camel had to take' the., turkey in.one household on Christmas .Day.;. Dis-' Unctions we're made between the,different ! breeds of dogs. '■; !"I /had-a slice/of, spaniel the'other day,": said one connoisseur; "It was by no means bad, something like lamb.,!. :,, Epicures in dog-flesh tell :mc, that poodle is by' far! the best; and recommend me to.ayOid bull-dog, which is coarse arid ;tastclcss'.'"//. Really, the only unpopular meat was, elephant and moufflon, although one ,'cAe/ gave up the:; task of making:; gdat-flesh eatable.:,: "tough,, coarse and oily,"; And .it' is not recommended. '.'.•'.Moufflon can only /be described by saying "that it tasted of -moufflon and nothing .else." Still,, the. prejudice 'against horseflesh will probably remain, ■ like the strange prejudice against rabbit/in the backdistricts of:' Australia. There \is therefore no need as yetfortho .Freetraders' to ..terrify tho British work'men with thi'eats of elephant.'■'

: "The intellectual bankruptcy of Liberalism 1 ' is the "theme of a valuable paper in Blackwood's. Magazine. Although the writer is dealing-only with the policy of the British Liberals,'he founds his case on examples, which s ' are not without their, counterpart- in this country. .-■ For the old Liberalism,.of course,-.there was .a firm intellectual: hasis': 1 . -it '-was founded on" clear principles,' which all _started from.the,central idea of' 1 individual freedom and comfort. Today, however, it would: seem that "Liberalism" .ha'B.lost; itself; its "principles", are certainly very contradictory, of each other.' For ex-. ample, the .Liberals''talk, of ['trusting the people":; yet in practice they never weary, of opposing the whole idea of Referendum. But their muddlements-; and inconsistencies,•'.-.■ the Blackwood's writer, says," arise ' in greatest number' from their, anxiety, to /repudiate all'connection or sympathy with /Socialism.' The Social- - ists: want, heavy,land-taxes,- but only because they want. to. take: the' unearned increment : of all property values.' ■ 'Hence,- to, justify their adoption, of _a Socialistic doctrine .in- respect of, land, the • Liberals: have to uirgo, that because land . h different from;, all other, sorts of /property it must be; taxed/ more.'; heavily-''than anything elsoi',: The" average Liberal declares that, he favours a: Second Chamber. ..Yet, he : . claims .that the Second Chamber must'.have .no real power, to do anything'with the Lower Chamber's Bills.' It is difficult, indeed,; to,go:far-through.:the -'policy '■ of modern : "Liberalism" anywhere without'meeting, with: cqhtradictions' ■and/ , -absurdities/'..-'.-;One---.-.-;'oo'uld.'.'.--'go' through whole" ,of ; . the. original Liberals' policywithout: finding any,' material/discontinuity,of. this sort:! The case in New, Zealand'is the same as-in;::England,'o'rily'more: so,, as it, were. _ The writer in. Blackwood's, in' summing;. up '-. the- situation;; ; uses words that certainly are true of New Zealand,/whether -they -are'true-, of Britain or not. 1 Liberalism, he says, is/-' : :;':,.v\,''v-;'': ;: ;//'-;', /;',- ; '■'..'/'..;;•' only: a .new;.;type of /"sycophancy.- :'■ Tohave .the- vices of a courtier "one need not; toady a monarch. /In .the ; old days the sycophant: clung.-to.'the. skirts' of J. ; K| n K-or'a cardinal, because;he saw in nira the ; embodiment. of/power. Nowadays it - is ! ;the f mosses'.who/ are'all-potent,' and, it.- is /the. - demagogue "who is 'the' spiritual successor; .of, Carr- and Bucking-' ham. /■Whatever,.the masses desire"they must/'have; /though', it .is: in defiance of reason and Justice. / To; such a : pass-has' fortune brought■'those who.claim to'wear tho .mantlo ,of: Vane; and .Hampden."

menting bid tho;successful results.of the; recent,'wool sales" and' the effect oii -,the.country as'-a'-whole, .seizes the occasion to-, again/ urge on. the ernment the necessity, for pushing on 1 land-.settlement.." './:/'//( -,V-w'/-■ / -•Every, acre,'-bf.Vlond-.'wliioh. can be .brought ,'into.i.occupation and' made '-. to carry._,either sKeep . or- cattle,-;it points' out,:now, brings mone'yirito; the'country;We.must, once .more repeat'-our; amazement ..that ;,' any ■ Government : ,' should.-; be bo inept as to block and. retard land settlement, which .under- intelligent -administration would/be;.,made, easy ''.by high ■ prices : and - certain markets"/'.-Is the "taihoa", policy to; linger along until an ebb comes in- the 'flood-tide'of l cultural prosperity, ;and :: now,.eager .'applicants for Jland hesitate -to.'embark on : what, may/easily become a less tcmptiM; enterprise? ':"■;:/■;■•:.':/. ;/:/';'"/•; -'- ; ;. ■ ■■:..•.-. .-./;

Never, jvpsrhaps,' .wasVttiere Vgrea'tei'.' occasion than : at the present time, for': an/energ^ic/ppßcjr/of'land/settle-' .ment.: ,/j And■-.never.'was.; there;,/more; !raaßbn, , for' , :enc^urdgihg-'-' , th'e/l»ttlerT ;already-;on;t;hb;lah^.";,,The-Dest ; stirn-; -lilus:. that .can'; be: Keld-'but'ito him is: the option' of the freehold, in 'the case! of. Grown -tenants and -removal of:ihei 'constant fear of some';fresh imposin' tipn 'in;the case of ihbse;;who, already-, possess' 1 that; coveted'.tenure.';, '", /,,'^ ; .:.'.;/.