NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1133, 22 May 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Since last we wrote on the subject, a leading Ministerialist newspaper has plucked up courage to refer to the Hon 11, M'Kexzie's announcement of the Government's ''spoils to the victors" policy. This is the Christchurch organ of the Ministry, and it would have been wiser had it continued to be silent. It is unfortunate to begin with in making statements contrary to fact, thus:

The Conservative orgau in Auckland choso (o interpret his L'ho Minister's] words '[at Opunako] as a statement that the Government would look with special favour, when allocating the public works grants, on Iho districts which returned Liberal members. It is interesting to notice with what eagerness tho tale has been repeated and magnified by tho Opposition press during its journey southward. A Wellington journal followed solemnly in the footsteps of its Auckland contemporary after tho lapso of a day or two. Then Mr. 31'Kenzio was pilloried in Christehurcli, and now wo lind a Duncdin organ ennnuncing that on the Minister's own "confession" the Government's policy is one of "spoils to tho victors."

Now, the matter was first discussed in The Dominion; the "Conservative organ in Auckland" has not discussed the Opunake speech at all; the tale has not been magnified: the Minister's words have moroly been exactly quoted in several of our contemporaries. The Christehurcli paper goes on to say that Mr. M'Keszie's critics hava quoted "isolated sentences disregarding the fact that a reference to the context would have made the Minister's real meaning abundantly clear." As our readers know, we were careful to give the context very fully in our news columns. But, of course, the Christchurch paper : if Me. M'Kenzie had been misrepresented, could have shown it beyond dispute by printing the context in its own columns as fully as wo did. Surely, we can hear somebody ask in surprise, surely this Christchurch paper was not so foolish as not to do so in order that its readers might make the references to the context for themselves ? Alas, it did not. It dared not. This 13 just an ordinary sample of _ the methods of a section of tho Ministerial press. It is really very stupid of them, for the public is not so foolish as they appear to think. We should note, by the way, the only defence or explanation that the Christchureh paper has to offer. It is an exquisite one. It is "the wild improbability of an experienced politician trying to bribe a constituency from a public platform in the presence of reporters." Astonishing _ it was, certainly, but Mr. M'Kenzie has not even ventured to dispute the accuracy of the report. What we lik», however, is the phrase we have italicised. Obviously, the iwinl- custom of Ministers is' to do these little things S uh mm. We are grateful for our contemporary's unguarded moment.

. The refusal of the Dublin Corporation to present an. address to the A ing has been rather vaguely defended as an insult in the i'iekwiekian sense. More explicit, one of the corporation's champions has said that "Ireland will be loval when it has something to be loyal for." The real explanation of the corporation's attitude seems to be contained in the preface to a lecture delivered on March 29 at the Sinn Fein Offices in Dublin by "Major" M'Bride, once the commander of President Kecgek's Irish Brigade, and now an official of the corporation. This gentleman, according to the report of the meeting published in the London. rimes, said:

llio King would, no doubt, receive an address ivora his garrison, hut the manhood oi Ireland would tako no part in it. lour distinguished statesmen would also visit this country during the com--IBS summer, and he hoped that the preas oi the world would compare tho machined reception which would be given to the King- of England with tho spontaneous welcome that would bo extended to the four elected rulers of tho youngest nations in the world. One of those statesmen would be General Louis Botha under whom the Transvaal Brigade had the pleasure of shooting Englishmen, lho Brigade was organised for tho puvposo of paying back part of the debt which Ireland owed to England. Thero were somo Americans and Irish-Ameri-cans in it, but tho bulk of it was composed of pure-blooded Irishmen. The proudest time in their lives was when they were lighting tho British. They had lost over 10 per cont in killed, wounded, anil prisoners, and though the sword had fallen from their hands at piosent, they hoped to pick it up again, and they would not stop until thej had swept away every vestige of that Empiro of Hell. Ho knew that tho British generals were incompetent, and that their Army was rotten, and he was sorrv to say that it was the Irish troops alone that saved lho English from destruction. To-day they had in Ireland several movements for tho purpose of bringing lifo into the country, and ono of these was a movement to prevent recruiting for tho British Army, Navy, and police forces. The success of these movements would do more to hurt England than centuries of Constitutional agitation. They should strike how they might nnd when they might against tho Throne and the cursed British Empire and for tho freedom of It eland.

It may be said that "Major" M'Biude is an extremist and that such views as lie expressed arc not generally held. Vfc should certainly hope that they are not. But the chairman of tho same meeting (Mr.. Arthur Griffiths), in proposing a resolution which called upon the Nationalist members of Dublin Corporation to vote against a loyal address, said they had in the possession of the Sinn Fein Council three written pledges from the Lord Mayor stating that ho would not have anything to do with the address. The resolution, it may he further added, was carried unanimously. New Zcalanders must find such talk somewhat unpalatable. New Zealand, after all, is a part of "the cursed British Empire."

A cor.RESi'ONDEKT, Mi?. H. L. James, writing of the speed at which motorcars and motor-bicycles travel, and referring incidentally to the recent fatal accident on the Hutt Road, voices a complaint which we arc confident is supported by the great bulk of tho community. We do not think it desirable to publish our correspondent's letter—it is far too strongly worded for that—but we feel that it is necessary to give publicity to his main contention and to afford it the support of our endorsement. Mn. James contends that unless drivers of motor-cars and motor-bicycles are forced to comply strictly with speed regulations of a stringent kind motor-cars wifl be better described as murder-cars. The speed at which many of the motor-cars and motorbicycles are driven is undoubtedly a public menace. Even in the streets of the city here, where the woodblocking affords a great temptation to "speed up," the rate at which drivers send their cars and bicycles along is at times so excessive' tljat the average citizen is struck with amazement at the license allowed Uiese reckles3 people. It is Quite ab-

surd to proband that motor traffic cannot bo properly regulated. Many of these drivers whirl round street corners—especially comers such as that at the junction of Lambton Quay and Charlotte Street, where there is a sharp grade to bo faced— at a quite alarming speed, and their presumption in demanding a clear road to be left for them to pursue their rockier way is quite intolerable. Why should the public bo inconvenienced and endangered by these people? No one can dispute the facts. Every,day of the week, practically every hour of the day, motor-cars and motor-bicycles can ba seen dashing past tram-cars which arc going at top-speed, almost as though the tram-cars were standing still. What sort of speed is this for city traffic'? And what sort of traffic regulation have we that permits it? It is quite time the authorities woke up.