NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 791, 14 April 1910, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

" A correspondent who has been following the controversy over the allocation of railways construction expenditure reminds us that the question was discussed in'the House last session. On December 23 Mr. Lang moved the reduction by £l of the vote for railways construction "as an indication that the allocation of the -railway vote proposed to be expended was not satisfactory as between the North and South Islands." The motion was rejected by 36 votes to 21. Of tho 23 members who did not vote nine were members of the Reform party, five of these beirfg North Island and four South Island representatives. Of the remaining 14 Ministerialist absentees, nine were South Island. members. Messrs. Allen, Fraser, Hardy,' and Nos■worthy voted with the Ministry, their concern for the South being apparently stronger than their appreciation of the national justice of Mr., Lang's proposal. The Ministerialists who voted, with Mr. Lang were Messrs. Glover, Greenslade, Hogan, Jennings, Luke, M'Laren,. Poland, and Poole. Thirteen North Island members voted against the rendering of justice to the. North Island: Messrs. Carroll, .. Field, Fowlds, Hall, Hood, Kaihau, Lawry, Maodonald, Ngata, ' Ross, Smith, Stallworthy, and E. H. Taylor. Some of these thirteen gentlemen have shown that they arc prepared to vote as the Prime Minister dictates, but some of them, 'we are sure, voted in quite honest ignorance of the full, facts'of ; the situa,-. tion. The discussion on the motion was . very brief, and the issue : was clouded by a mass of irrelevant and misleading figures which the Hon. B. M'Kenzie had had prepared. Since December,, fortunately,, the real positionhas been made known, and in the light of a better understanding of the case most of ■ the North Island Ministerialists' may be relied upon to reconsider, their; views.,, '.. ~ ; , , .-..' ~ ''■'..,;■ '.-'.' .'.':

One of the great stumbling-blocks in tho way of anti-smoking enthusiasts is the fact that doctors and clergymen aro as fond of- tobacco as other people. At the'42nd Annual meeting of the British Anti-Tobacco and Anti-Narcotic League—in Britain a' league is formed every time •anyone "has an idea"—this sad fact was dealt with, and froni'the* report of the' proceedings which _we have seen the League is not going'quite the right way. to work. It urges, of course, that boys and young men should be encouraged to abstain from smoking for health reasons ; but it also goes tho questionable length of making the matter one of morals: "They did not want young men ■ to cease smoking because they were afraid of getting into trouble, but for an entirely higher motive." "The prevalence of the practice of smoking among.. medical men" was deplored, and grief was' expressed at "the fact that so many ministers smoko.". The chairman confessed that "ho was one of- those who believed that any' man;who occupied an important position ought to be an example to othors." We believe that Lord Pmjnket might give up 'his cigarette, Sir Joseph Ward his cigar, and Bishop Wallis his pipe, if it were put to them that they must choose between their positions and their tobacco/ But if the view of the Chairman of the League came' to be generally adopted, we are afraid that gubernatorial, Ministerial and episcopal, honours would lose a great deal of their charm. The thought of driving Prime Ministers and Bishops to . chewing-gum or some equally appalling substitute is too dreadful to-contemplate.

We had hoped that with the tragic death of Me. Michael Qtjirke the public would have seen the wisdom -of leaving the active operations for the capturo of Powelka in the hands of the police. Unfortunately* this has not been the case. . The citizens of Palmerston appear to have quite recovered their normal state of mind, but a number of members of the Dominion Scouts, one of the Wellington defence corps, carried away by the excitement of the hour, havo proceeded to the spot to join in the hunt for the escapee. It 1 iff not quite clear yet whether these men have gone in uniform as members of the corps or whether they are merely taking part in the search as private citizens. If they are acting as members of the corps their conduct cannot be too strongly condemned. So far as we can learn they have no authority .from the Defence Department to so act, and however good their intentions may be they are acting most unwisely and most improperly. If they arc merely tendering their assistance as private citizens they are doing something which should bo quite unnecessary and which, in the' circumstances, is only likoly to lay them open to ridicule. We cannot believe that cither tho Police Department or the Government is rcI sponsible for this latest development in what has proved at times both a farcical and a tragic business.

A courr.E of years ago some of our local trades-union loaders fell into disrepute with their colleagues owing to their acceptance, or at any rate, their supposod acceptance, of invitations to a Ministerial garden-party.

The indignation in Labour circles was regarded at the time as quite unauthorised, but it bogins to appear that aloofness from'the "upper classes" is sound Labour doctrine. English newspapers report a speech by Me. Seddon, one of' Lancashire's Labour M.P.'s, in which this fact is made quite clear. The ' Labour party, he said, was disappointed in. Me. Asquith : . v

We havo had a demonstration of the paralysing effect of great wealth in a party. I hazard a guess that the timidity of the Prime Minister can be traced to the reception which Mr. Ivor Guest gave at Wimborne House, where you had the rank and fashion as it is represented in the Liberal party. From that meeting you have a clear indication that, whatever may bo the intention as far as the rank and file is concerned, responsible Ministers, influenced arid paralysed in their efforts by those surroundings,- have run away from their own plain statements, their own plain promises. It is safe to say the temper of a large number of the' Liberal party and of the whole Irish and Labour parties is , hopelessly. against temporising with the great encumbrance that prevents legislation for the welfare of the people. We are determined as a P a ™y not to continue the existence of the House of Lords.

It would seem that instead of abolishing the House of Lords it would be quite sufficient to prevent the Lords from giving parties.