NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1059, 23 February 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

9 Hindjiarsh is a wdlmcaning gentleman, and his motives in asking the City Council to make hideous the city "tramcars are no doubt good ones, but the Mayor and his brother Councillors wo trust will reject his proposal in the most emphatic manner possible at to-night's meeting of tho City Council. It is really very remarkable that such a proposal should emanate from a Councillor apparently desirous of beautifying the city. The idea of disfiguring the tramcars and . making tliem. a perpetual eyesore lo citizens in order that the Town Belt may be beautified must on reflection ttrilre even Councillor Hindmarsh as too ludicrous for acceptance Of course Councillor Hindmarsk will say l !fi docs not mean that the cars shall bo made hidfcous eyesores—that the advertisements placarded on Wellington cars will be things of beauty and calculated to charm the eye antl gladden tho heart of all who soo them, or something of the kind, But

Councillors and citizens kno.w perfectly well .that .poster, advertisements that do nut attract attention are uf no value to anyone. And who is. to be the censor ? Hut in any case the proposal is a bad one. The city is already sufficiently disfigured with hoarding;; and posters, and the municipal authorities, instead of adding to that disfigurement, should rather consider the question of reducing it. .It is always a pleasant thing for a public body to see a new source of revenue opened up to it, but the municipality has other obligations imposed on'it besides grubbing in the;highways and byways for means to supplement its revenue. It hns to consider the cffcct of its bad example; and if it docs this the city will not bo troubled with the pictorial nightmare which the adoption of i Councillor Hindmaissh's proposal would most certainly lead to.

We arc disappointed in Dit. Findlay. In his flikurangi spccch on Monday ho said that "Mr. Massey was very fond of anecdotes to illustrate his point, and could scarcely complain if his example were followed." If wo know Mn. Massey, ho would certainly not .complain. Nobody ever is anything but glad to havo a good parabolic anccdotc well capped. But Dn. Findlay is, as we have said, disappointing. Mk. MasSEY told a story of a man who went to Hell, "and, finding some bodies hanging up on a .wall amidst the flames, asked who they wore. He was informed that they were North of Auckland siiDporters of the Government, and therefore "too green ; to burn." This has just the clarity and point.that are-tho justification and excellence of suen absurd little jokes. Dn. Findlay repeated this story at Hikurangi, and said Mr. Massey had omitted tho rest of the story, "which," said Dn. Findlay, "is the best of it." And ho added what is really one of the dullest and heaviest things we ever heard retailed as an anccdotc. It will be found in another column,'and our readers may amuse themselves by endeavouring to find the point of it. Tho point seems to us,to be that it has no point. Dr. Findlay has not the sense of humour and the sincerity that arc ncccssary to the politician who would- succccd in the lighter vein. "Which is only another way of saying that as political issues have no reality for him, iho cannot cucccssfully joke about them. Hischief_ is in much the same case, and this is where they differ fundamentally from Mn. Seddon. It is only fair to add that.Dn. Findlay is on the side which is most exposed to the breezes of satire.

It is difficult not to feel that behind all the debate upon the Home Rule question there is a fairly general disbelief in the. prophccy that Ireland will enjoy complete selfgovernment at any early "date. That something must be done, however, is an equally widespread fcoling; but nobody appears to know where to find a Solution of the 1 difficulty. Tho first business-like suggestion \ve havo met with was propounded last month by Sin Pieter Bam. one of tho most eminent of living South Africans. In a letter to' the Manchester Guardian this distinguished Imperialist, writing as a friend and admirer of Ireland, and.-an enthusiastic worker for tho South African Union, asks whothcr. the Irish question, cannot be 1 discussed upon th 6 namiS principles as dictated "the procedure of the South African National Convention. He fully appreciates the feeling of the Irish Unionists, but ho tliiriks no good .cause can suffer from inquiry. Accordingly he suggests, that an Irish National Convention should as soon afe possible undertake the consideration of the whole Irish problem and all that it involves: "Why'should not the_ best and most mdture thought iirevery "section, political and religious,, in Ireland sit down together and think out what is best for Ireland? I am certain such' a Convention would be welcomed in Great Britain, and throughout tho whole British Empire." Tho delegates would include, amongst others, Mn. John Redmond, Sin Edward Carson, Lord Dunraven, Mr. William O Brien, Mr. "Walter Long, Mr." Thomas Sinclair, tho Duke of [Abercorn, Lord Mac Donald, and Mr. John Dillon. Sir Pieter- Bam's idea is a most attractive one, and will certainly appeal as strongly to the colonios as he thinks it would. Thorc could bo no more magnificent triumph for British statesmanship' than a succcssful Irish sequel to the South African National Convention; and the difficulties of the Irish problem, difficulties of feeling, and difficulties of government are so great that a solution niay 'after all be sought through this method.