NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 883, 1 August 1910, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

"Lyiie Dror," a contributor to the Weekly Herald, the local Labour journal, discusses in somewhat caustic fashion the proposal to import domestic assistants for the benefit of the wives of moderatelypaid workers. Wo are not concerned with the writer's views on the general question, but there is one portion of his article bearing on the attitude of the public towards "the mother of children" which should afford food for reflection to those who urge tne duty of the citizen to see that the cradles are kept full. Here it is:

And so we need not wonder that no section of the eonimuiii'ty is given less consideration than the mothers of the children. Nor need we follow melodramatic busybodies into mothers' homes to learn that. Just note the general expression of hostility—it pervades the atmosphere, a palpable thing—when a mother hustles heriielf and little ones into a tram. Note it oil a train! Note it aboardship! Note it in a public dining-room! Note it at the theatre! . Hear the chivalrous

"chuck it out!" when a youngster makes a noise! Then watch the tired woman, stealing shamefacedly out. Note the "awfully sorry, but we're full uj:," when a woman travelling with children seeks accommodation l . Note the "very sorry, but our client stipulates for no children" when she- tries to rent a house! Note that "no encumbrance" when a oonple seek a billet. Go on noting! All of which is easily explained. This is the age of . Alummon. Children don't pay! And when communities begin to aquiesco in that view, it shows what u thoroughly mad, bad lot they havo become.

This is bitter, but who will deny that it is founded on truth?

As was only to be expected, the division upon Mr. Massey's motion last week has greatly embarrassed the Ministerial journals, whose comments are rich in unconscious humour. The Christchurch organ of the Ministry, for example, speaks of "Mr. Dillon and his timid friends," a description that surprised us, and seemed too paradoxical for explanation until we came to the following passage:

Fortunately the majority of the Liberal "freeholders" take a more intelligent view of their pledges to their constituents than to suppose that it is their duty to cross over to the Opposition whenever Air. Massey uses this particular question to make a demonstration against tho Government.

If this means anything it means that the Government; lacking a land policy,- and anxious to give no hint of its intentions, only to say that any attempt to give the House an'opportunity to deal with the question is an attempt to turn it ,' out of office, and freeholders may j cheerfully betray their constituents. Now, ■ we venture to say that the country takes a different .view of election pledges—the unintelligent view, as our Christchurch contemporary would call it. Otherwise, what value has an election pledge at all 1 We believe it is held in law that a witness, bent on perjury, cannot evade, the consequences of his oath by Icisaing his thumb instead of the Book. His moral reservations, his "intelligent" .reading of I his oath, avail him, nothing. And similarly, the freeholder who, in giving his pledge, mentally reserves his freedom to break it in certain circumstances, cannot hope for absolution when he faces his constituents? again.

It is an interesting: fact that, nearly every movement for the ro-:. form'of-manifest [political and Parliamentary abuses in Britain .is bringing forth .evidence' of the anxiety of leading statesmen and publicists in Europe to deal with somewhat similar troubles of their pwn. We have been struck, as'will have been gathered from ounoecasional notes on French affairs, by the fact that certain conditions which the New Zealand Government arc most anxious to uphold are the conditions from which European statesmen are anxious to escape. In an interview with a Morning Post representative Professor Pasqualb Villari, _ the famous Italian historian, discussed the weakness of the French _ Senate, which, like our Legislative Council, is wholly composed of nominated members. At first, says,-. Processor Villari, this system worked well:

But as time went on successive Ministries have been less careful in selecting persons for the. Senate, and- have considered the securing of favourable votes more than anything else. Consequently, although the Senate stilk.con-tains a largo number of eminent men, certainly not less than' the Chamber, its industry and energy have diminished. The Government has taken advantage of this -stoto of things, and sent up to the Senate at the end of the Parliamentary session, when the Chamber had already adjourned, a large number-of Bills asking that they should he voted without any modifications so as not to be obliged to summon the Chamber again. All this lias proved detrimental to tho prestige of the Senate.

How like the' position .in New - Zealand- this is—even in respect of the end-of-session inertness of the Senate, for has not Dr. Findlay . said that the Legislative Council must take the House's enactments on trust? ProtESSOR.VHiUni looks to the application of the elective principle for reform.'

We. have'hoard nothing this session of the Second Ballot Act, which a great many people belieyed, after last election, the House would be certain to repeal. The importance of getting rid of that measure before it has taken root is very great, if there is any lesson in a remarkable electoral dispute that came before the French Courts towards the end of Juno. At the last General Elections the first ballot gave no result in a certain Paris electorate. The "Unified Socialist" , candidate headed the poll, the other two competitors being "Radical 'Socialists," MM. Levbaot and Chevaux. M. Levratjd withdraw from the contest, which then seemed a safe thing for M. Chevaux at the second ballot. But M. Chevaux agreed to withdraw in favour of a new competitor M. Jacquelin, who undertook to pay M. Chevaux'£l2oo and to leave tho .eat free for him at the next election. "Moreover, M. Chevaux, anxious to recompense the devotion of certain of his friends who have lent; him their enlightened assist•on ce, asks M., Jacquelin, once ho shall have been elected, to do everything in his power to obtain those rewards which are in such circumstances granted by the Government." Unfortunately for this little -plot, the Unified Socialist beat M. Jacquelin, and a month later M. Chevaux obtained an execution on Jacquemn's salary. The ' second ballot system is of course in its infancy here. Its maturity seems to be a thing to bo prevented.

, At two of the city churches last evening, a comedy which is to be staged in AVcllington for fjie first time to-night was denounced in the

strongest terms possible. The evidence upon which the Revs. Dr. Gibb and J.' J. North have based their opinions was not _ definitely disclosed, but it seems fairly -clear that they- have been guided by certain newspaper views, assisted by illustrations depicting scenes from the play. While we have deemed it our .duty to give publicity to the addresses in question, we prefer to reserve our opinion of the comedy itself until we have seen it. That it has objectionable features there is already sortie evidence to support, but whether or' not it deserves the violent denunciation it met with last evening from the pulpit we shall be in a better position to estimate after to-night's performance.