NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1417, 18 April 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The Prime Minister, in his capacity as Minister for Agriculture, is displaying some anxiety to provide a'means of instruction in farming pursuits for youths who desire to go on the land. It is proposed to provide accommodation at the Wcreroa State Farm for a certain number of youths, who will presumably be trained on lines that will prove useful to them as farm workers or settlers. The details of the scheme have not been published, but Mr. Mackenzie's intentions appear to be good, and it is quite possible that tho insults may warrant the step takijn.' Any reasonable effort to encourage the youth of the community to direct their attention to fanning is to be commcndcd, and while the Prime Minister's scheme may be a small tiling in itself, so far as checking the drift to the citics is concerned, it is something in the right direction. It is not much use, however, training up a race of farmers unless opportunity is afforded them of taking up land, and a more active policy of opening up Crown and Native lands must be pursued if tb.c demand is to be satisfied. A few days ago a Canterbury deputation of agricultural implement manufacturers, in pressing their request for a reciprocal tariff treaty with Australia, directed attention to the fact that a large number of our settlers wore finding their way to Australia and taking up land there. The reason for this is not far to seek. The land policy of the present Government nas not yet been announced. We have had vague statements on the subject. We are told that territory and not tenure is the vital issue, but that is all. Mr. Mackenzie perhaps will go a step farther and say what he intends to do to make settlement on the land in New Zealand not only possible but attractive.

Nobody will grudge Sin Joseph Ward the cordiality displayed by his admirers in making his journey to Invercargill a pleasant one, but some of our "Liberal" friends have been using tho opportunity to take some liberties with fact. There is a great difference between pondered newspaper comment and tho enthusiastic exaggerations of friends. For example, nobody will wish to quarrel with the Christcliurch gentleman who declared on Monday that Sin Joseph Waiid was of the same rank and calibre as Gladstone and Disraeli (which is very considerably above Asquith and Balfouii). That is rathor overdoing it, but it is harmless and forgiveable. But the Christchurch organ of the Government goes beyond the bounds when it embeds in its eulogy of _ the late Prime Minister the following statement

His retirement was conceived in the magnanimous spirit that has inspired nil liis publio actions, and perhaps was justified by the peculiar difficulties that were threatening his party.

We nre accustomed to see facts handled very strangely by the "Liberal" press, but we do confess that we were surprised to meet with the suggestion that the ex-Prime Minister's resignation was simply an act of magnanimity. The facts, as everyone really knows, are that _if Sir Joseph Ward had not resigned he would have been to-day a private member in Opposition. His resignation was part of the price of escaping from the "peculiar difficulties," 'these "difficulties" being the exists ence in the House of a majority elected and pledged to turn the Government out of office. If it remembers nothing else the public will remember these "peculiar difficulties" and the means by which they were for the moment surmounted.

The strike of prisoners in the Lyttclton Gaol may bo regarded as a sign of the times, but it has a serious side which should not be ignored. The cause of the discontent which appears to prevail has not been made clear, but the reason given is quite too trivial to be taken as a .ground for treating the matter lightly. The practice of searching prisoners cmployed outside the gaol to ascertain whether they had secreted about their clothing any articles which might have been hidden by friends or confederates at prearranged spots where the men are taken each day to work is only a reasonable precaution. It is well known that ingenious methods of communicating with prisoners are practised, and prison discipline broken through by the conveyance of tobacco,_ etc., by means of "plants" in the vicinity of prison works, and it is the business of the prison authorities to put a stop to this sort of thing as far as possible. In recent times the tendency has been rather in the direction of "coddling" the criminal under the pleasant sounding title of prison reform. In eases no doubt this has had good results, but the "reform" idea can be overdone. When prisoners feel that they are justified in striking apparently for no other reason than that the officials entrusted with their safe custody and the preservation of prison discipline, inaist on taking reasonable precautions against a serious breach of prison rules, it is quite time that steps were taken to make it clear that the gaols of the country are something other than a quint retreat for respected citizens to spend their leisure hours.

Nomination's Tor the city Mayor iiltv closed yesterday, and il. is now certain that tlio four candidates pre vinii.s!v aniioiwod will no to ilip pnll Mn. M'Lakes, as the Labour candi

date, will have an advantage over his three opponents, Messrs. Smith, Wright, and Hiss, inasmuch as he may be expected to secure the' bulk of the vole of Labour, whereas his opponents will split the votes of the rest of the community between them. We remarked on a previous occasion that it was undesirable that the oflicc of Mayor should be filled by any person representing a class interest. The Mayor of the city should be the representative of all classes, not tho nominee of a sectional interest. It is true that Jin. M'Laiien* claims that his nomination at the hands of Labour does not mean that he will set aside his regard for the interests of other sections of the community, and we quite believe that he really means what he says. But it is idle to ignore facts, and the fact that cannot be overlooked in this case is that Mr. M'Lahf.n is standing as the Labour candidate, and hopes to win the Mayoralty as the Labour candidate. This being so, it must be plain that he will enter on his duties, if successful, with a distinct bias. It is in the interests of the city and of all citizens, Labour supporters, or otherwise, that the Mayor should be a man who views his responsibilities from the broad standpoint of the welfare of the community as a whole. He has no right to regard any one class or any one interest with any more favour than another. It should be his concern to weigh all his actions with the one purpose in view—the well-being of the community as a whole. A class nominee cannot be expected to do this, however much he may desire it. He enters on his task biased—insensibly, perhaps— hut biased all the same. Mr. M'Laren is painstaking and hardworking, and has had a fairly long experience of council work, but he is hardly cut out for the office of Mayor.