NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 725, 26 January 1910, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

To-day we print further evidences of . the widespread ' dissatisfaction that has been caused by the new railway time-table on the main lines; in this island; The Minister has been sufficiently. impressed by the complaints of Napier to promise that he.'..will..makes. a;'.personal: visit ; of investigation. As. an* indication that Mb. Millak, who knows about as much concerning railway ' management as can be expected, from an amateur who never thought of railuntil he. received the portfolio, is - thinking- of meeting the wishes of the complainants, this announcement is satisfactory, ,/ What 'have -the' De-partmental-officials been doing, that they have contrived- to .inflict' great ana quite unnecessary.: inconvenience on the. public in this island ? We trust that the '.agitation for ah im-. proved time-table will be. vigorously prosecuted, but in- the meantime we ieel that we are.expressing, the views of the public when .we say that it is absurd that th<v railways should remain under a system of management that is not-only fearfully -wasteful, but' extremely - short-sighted at 'the same. time. The railways will.nevcr pay so longs.as they remain > under Ministerial control, 'especially when the Minister, knows as. little of science of railroading as he ■ knows of .the ncbular 1 hypothesis. : ■ As to the [Minister's* personal visit -to Napier,' it is simply absurd, and has : for its object only the' encouragement, of • the idea ..that'"it, takes the - Minister i.toput things right." r, .-: .

. The Anglican General Synod- decided , yesterday to empower the Bishops ; to appoint, a member of the: Central'- Consultative Committee of the.' Lambeth Conference. The mo : tion was not agreed to, without discussion, and the , Primato, ; who is very strongly: opposed to any step that might ; tend .in . any. way to give the.. See of.'; Canterbury anything in' the way: of j urisdiction over the various independent Churches of the Anglican Communion, sounded a note of warning. ; The Bishops of Auckland .and Wellington, however, wore; able .to assure the Synod that : the -Consultative' Committee 'could only ...give information ' and ■ advise, and the: encyclical of the' Lambeth Conference of J. 897. . stated quite clearly, that; the.;-:.committee ' "must win: its way to general recognition by tho services which it may be' able to render to tho working; of the Churchi ,Tt can>;have no other than; a moral authority which will be developed out: of its action." - The late Archbishop.- of Canterbury, (Dr. Temple) made the following'suggestions in this connection(l), That the, committee sit', yearly .'ait, 'Lam--, both;:; (2)\that,;it should-.consist of; tho Archbishops of Canterbury, York, and- Armagh,' the Primus of Scotland, the Bishops of London, Durt ham, _ and Winchester, and. Bishops | appointed (orp by.: each) by the folt lowingChurcheslndia, and Ceylon, Cape Colony, , West. Indies; Canada, Australia,:., and New Zealand, China and Jopnnj thft indeponi dent dioceses,, and two by tho Church lin . tho United States; \ The Central. [.'Coilsuitatiye,-Committee was Vaubse-: ouontly formed upon the basis of , these suggestions. It met for 'the, first timo in Julyj 1901, and has already ; (states the': report - of the last Lambeth Conference) "proved: its utility -by considering: and advising on. important questions." It is entirely good -that the Church of the Province of New . Zealand should jealously guard all its ,rights and privileges and maintain its • indeoutside control; but it would bo a great mistake for a young : Church liko' this rigidly to shut itself up within itself, and re-1 fuse to consult or ; co-operate;.'-with othor branches'of tho Anglican Communion on - matters. of general " in- 1 terest, owing .to. an imaginary ; fear lest her independence should bo endangered. :Tne idealito be aimed at seems to be the maximum of efficient organisation of the whole _ 1 Church consistent with-.the'full; liberty.' of tho: self-governing provinces.

, The British newspapers of December 11, which camo to hand yesterday, contain verbatim reports of MiR. ASQtJiTH's: speech : in/'tho Albert Hall. .We are suro'that our readers will be, glad to have tho exact terms of' the Prime Minister's reference to Home Eule. After referring to the last few. years' legislation'.aifectihg Ireland, Mr.-Asquith said:

But, geiitlemon,, is.;there . any ~ niiin in this crowded liall who is credulous enough tb suppose theso treasures ahd a combination ;of or succession of: similar measures have struck or, can 'strike-;at tho root cause 6f Irish discontent? Speaking oh. behalf of tho Government in ■ March of last year, a week before: my. accession ,to the office of .Prime Minister, I described-Ireland as tho one undeniable, failure of-British statesmanship.(Cheers.) . I repeat, hero to-night what. I said then,' Speaking on-behalf of my colleagues and I believe of . myiparty, ; that the. solution of the. problem «n be found only in one way—(cries of "Home Rulo" and loud cheers)—by. a - policy .'Which,; while explicitly; safeguarding, the supremacy and indefeasible authority; of ; the Imperial Parliament, 'will set up in Ire- - land a system ;of full self-government— (loud .cheers)—in regard to. purely: Irish affairs. (Cheers.) There is;not,and there cannot do ; any, question: of j separation. (More ohedrs.) .There 'is .not. and. there cannot be-any question of rival,or. com-, peting supremacies, but- subject to;those;conditions that ;is tho* Liberal (Cheers.) - For reasons -' which; I;: believe to •have been adoqnato .the-present Parliament was disabled in advance from, proposing any • such; solution.;; But in the new. House of Commons the hands of a liiboral (kivernment and of a Liberal majority .will 1 in this. matter be .entirely free. ■-.... . v ,:,v

Nobody can feel surprised that this statement was generally understood as a . definite promise of a Home Rule Bill. If Mr. Asftumi did not intend to bring in such a Bill, why. did he refer, so impressively-;to what he considers "tho only solution" ? His statement that "there is not,'and there cannot be, separation"—-a statement not; sent. by. cable—proves beyond all doubt that) l he wished his hearers to believo that;a Home' Rule Bill would be introduced. - That statement is simply his . passing recognition of the fact', that the friends of Home Rule do not desire the Bovdranoe of Ireland from, the; Jim-

pire. Since he has not answered the criticisms that followed the Liberal. Whip's assurance that_ Home Rule: had not.been promised in the Albert; Hall-speech. there can be no other* conclusion tnan that the Peilk Hin-; ister has resorted to trickery in the matter.