NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1135, 24 May 1911, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

The Christchurch Press has followed tip its misguided attack on Mr. Jas. Allen's criticism of the Government's tampering with the Supreme Court with a short note reminding Mr. Allen of the concluding paragraph of the Chief Justice's unjudicial letter to Sir Joseph Ward respecting Mr. Hike's charges. "I may add," so Sir Robert Stout concluded, "that my brother Judges approve of this my reply to your letter." Our contemporary implies that this sentence ranges the whole Supreme Court Bench against Mr. Allen. It passes our understanding how any sensible newspaper should imply anything so foolish. Consider what it means. It means that the whole Bench concurred that Mr. Symes's threat to the Stratford paper was "the babblement of an election contest," and concurred also that Mr. Syjies was not a member of Parliament when he wrote the letter—in other words, that Sir Robert Stout's brother Judges solemnly joined in assorting a>s facts two things that simply are contrary to fact. If the Press $ reasoning is correct, so much the worse for its case, for its case would then depend upon the sanctity, and eminence above attack, of a very inaccurate lot of gentleman. But it is obvious, of course, that all that the Judges concurred in and approved—all that they could concur in and approve— was the bare statement that they did not consider the Hike charges within the scope of their consideration. Sir Robert Stout's unjudicial comments, therefore, wore.presumably his own and nobody else's. We are not. quite sure what term would properly describe the Press's endeavour to defend those comments against_ Mr. Alleys criticism by representing them as the joint product of whole Bench. We should like to think the explanation is thoughtlessness on our contemporary's, part. '

opening of the Coronation Exhibition to-day should inaugurate a period of activity in the life of the city which will be doubly welcome, coming as it does at a rather dull time. The Exhibition is really a very much bigger enterprise than is generally understood. The floor space available for exhibits is much larger than was provided at the last big Exhibition held here, and the displays of New Zealand industries promise to be exceptionally good. As usual with such undertakings there has been the customary scramble on tho part of exhibitors at the last minute and some of the exhibits are not yet completed, but every doubt has been."laid at rest as to the extent .and..the, interesting nature of the Exhibition. Apart from the attraction of this splendid demonstration of tho industrial resources of the country, md more especially of Wellington city and district, the arrangements for the entertainment of visitors are of a most varied kind. There should be something or other going on at almost all hours of the day and night to enable those of tho public who have the leisure to,pass time pleasantly; and the arrangements are such that it is anticipated that throughout the whole period during which the Exhibition will remain open the people of the city and the numerous country visitors who are expected to attend will.always find something fresh to entertain them. The committees which have so successfully carried through the heavy task of getting tho Exhibition under way will, we have every hope, be equally successful in catering for exhibitors and the public during the ten weeks that it will be open to visitors.-