NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1403, 1 April 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Tiie dramatic censorship has been having a run of had luck. Events have kept it before the public, and it is an institution which docs not thrive on publicity. The thing that caused thy norma I dissatisfaction to burst into indignation tempered with amusement was the ludicrous appointment of Mn. Bp.ookfield, author of Dear Old Charley, to be Joint Examiner of Plays. Then his colleague, Mu. Redfokd, resigned, and a few weeks later, Earl SpenCEii, who, as Lord Chamberlain, was the official head of the Censorship, retired from that post. Just before his resignation he appointed Mn. E. A. Be.mmi.l, a dramatic critic of long experience, as successor to Mi;. Bedford. Each succeeding vacancy was hailed by newspapers, critics, and playwrights as an opportunity for the Government to abolish the Censorship, but it still lives on, and oven during the period of change it has provoked further hostility by some of its decisions. It insisted the other day upon the deletion of certain passages in The Secret Woman, a play by Mil. Eden Phillpotts, based upon his novel of the same name. Mn. PinLi.rorrs refused to submit, and the license was withheld. Mr. Giianville Barker had undertaken to produce the play at the Kingsway Theatre, and a season of six matinees had been announced, but he generously supported Mn. Phillpotts in his refusal to allow the play to be tampered with. Thereupon twenty-four leading authors and critics made a public protest and announced that they would make themselves responsible for the production of the play as originally arranged, and the public would be admitted This would be technically a private performance, and the audience would be present as guests, so that the Lord Chamberlain would have no power to stop it. Within a few hours of the publication of this announcement nearly all the seats for the first two performances were booked. Apart altogether from the merits of the piece—though we may mention that the 24 including Messrs. William Archer, W. L. Courtney, Frederic Harrisox, W. H. Hudson, and Henry James, pronounced it "worthy work and such as a stage of high aims should ever be ready to welcome"— the incident must serve a useful purpose by emphasising the fact that "the dramatist's is the only calling on British soil that is not free."

An important question of which we hoar something at every general election was recently discussed between the British Prime Minister and a deputation from tho Trades Union Congress. The deputation asked that minor officials of the Post Office should be allowed to serve on election committees, speak at political meetings, and work in the interests of candidates. Mr. Asquith did not- hold out any hope of the request being granted.

It is impossible (ho said) to justify discrimination in this respect between members of tho postal service, and members of :iH (he other Departments of tho Civil Service. There are democratic countries in which Civil Servants are not allowed to participate Jit all in elections, anil are deprived of the l'arliamentary franchise. l:'or belter or i'oi , worse we have resolved that the fact that a man is employed by the State should not disqualify him from the franchise.. I think evorybotly agrees there must bo some limitation upon the public controversial action of Civil Servants as compared with those of the men who are not employed by the State. It is not easy to draw tho boundary lino which must to some extent circumscribe and differentiate tho political position of Civil Servants from that of ordinary citizens. The rule, as I understand it, is that a postal servant is not precluded from voting , at an election, but he may not serve on a committee having for its object the promotion of tho election of any particular candidate,' and he may not support or oppose any candidate or party either by public speaking or writing.

That, of course, is also the New Zealand rule, and we think it would be very unwise to relax it. People enter the Civil Service or remain in it of their own choice, and its advantages presumably compensate for its deprivations. The advantages would, however, be greater and the compensations for political silence more adequate if the Civil Service wore so controlled as to make it perfectly evident that all appointments and promotions would depend entirely on merit, and not at all on party sympathies.

It was rather curious that a very few days after Mn. Bertrand Stewart was sentenced in Germany as ,i British spy, Heinricjh Grosse, a German, was sentenced scarcely less severely for committing a similar offence in England. In this instance, there was, of course, no secrecy about the trial, and there was no doubt about Grosse's offence. Mr. Justice Darlixg, in passing a sentence of three years' penal servitude, improved the occasion with ft homily on _ spying—a practice which, he said, did irreparable harm and might lead to war. "Therefore, severe punishment, the only deterrent, must be awarded to all spies, to the greater good of all nations alike." He added that the habit of spying caused so much illfeeling that it should, if possible, be stamped out altogether. These comments do not seem to have won general approval, and the Westminster Gazette wrote very sensibly: "It is common knowledßi: that every nation feels bound to obtain secret intelligence about the naval and military preparations of other countries, and we do not think it wise for any one country to give itself airs in this .matter'. It is sufficient to say that if a spy is caught he must be content to pay the penalty." Since this incident we havo had the cabled reports of the introduction of the Navy Estimates, with Mr. CnimciiiMi's declaration in favour of a fuller exchange of information as to intended construction. If this bears fruit, there will.be less need for secret service, because each nation will get without trouble nnrt of what the spies work to obtain—and usually do obtain. Still, so long as iho.ro arc armament,-; there will doubtless ho secrecy ?s to new details, iind mi d»sn'n of judicial severity will entirclv stop the practice of spying, wbieb, however irritatine. is iiii.'ivlv incidental to (be competition iu military and naval power.

We arc pflad in note I hah Uir dispracefnl nutViveak of a crowd at Napier Up.' other evening has not been allowed to pass without sonic of tin- niiiinii'iit , that was needed. We refer to what occurred in that usmilly orderly town last Saturday night, wlifii a diijlj of many hundreds u;a(h--oi'l'i.l iTiiiiid twn anti-inilil.ii°ist sisesilc;ts. and. imt euyitenl with insiiil iiii; l.lii'iii and denying ihein a hearing, followed Ilium from point 1.0 point, Hud altor oue of them had madu hia.

escape, hounded the other through the town, yelling and threatening, so that (lie policn deemed it necessary to escort him and protect him from the imminent danger of personal violence. Notwithstanding their, presence, he was roughly handled by the crowd. We entirely agree with the Wai rani pa Daily Times. which characterises the incident as "a brutal man-hunt," and "a most disgraceful exhibition of how in a civilised community the, primitive passions of a mob may be let loose and allowed to run to the extremes of persecution and intolerance." The poor, hunted victim took refuge in a shop, but was haled out again and thrown, to his tormentors. At another shop he pleaded for refuge, but the proprietor, not venturing to thwart the mob, refused his desperate request. Finally, he rushed into a stable, and was assisted by a sergeant of police to escape through a window p.t the back. The crowd, baulked of their quarry, waited in the street outside the stable for another hour and a half before dispersing. One incident of this deplorable scene concerns a public man. Just when the hunted inr.u had bolted into a shop, the member for Napier came into "the street, and the case was explained to him from the point of view of the mob. The Napier Tchr/raph thus continues the narrative: —

"This is no placo for him," paid Mr Brown. "Where is he? Throw him out.'

This, however, was easier said than done. There was no design of the fugitive anywhere. Shopmen hurried lo and fro, searching behind cu.sk and barrel?, hut (here was no sign of the Hastings reformer. Siiddpuly, Mr. Broun oUervcd a movement: on the .stairs, and hurrying to the landing, found the anti-militarist crouching in the dark. In his hand was n broomstick, which he had evidently picked ny in his passage through the shop. Jlr. liron-u ordered him oil' the promises. Instead of obeying, Stevenson scurried up a step or two higher. This was too much for the temper of Mr. Brown. Seizing him by the collar of the coat ho bundled him down the stairs, through tiie shop, nnd out into the crowd, with the remark. "That's the place far you, my man." The crowd greeted file throwing out exploit with vociferous cheers. They wanted Stevenson—they had got him. They were happy again.

We can hardly think that is.the sort of thing to make any member of Parliament respected by his constituents. The Defence Act has always had our warmest support but wo condemn, as every fair-minded person will condemn, any attempt to stop the mouths of those who differ from us by violence or intimidation,