NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1441, 16 May 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The election which takes - place tomorrow to fill tho vacancy on the City Council caused by the elevation of Me. D. M'Laren to the office of Mayor, does not seem likely to produce a large poll. Mb. Tbegbab, the Labour candidate, has been addressing meetings here and there, mainly on the lines of the views held by organised labour on municipal questions, and appears to have met with very fair success.' Mk. W. J. Thompson and Mk. Fullford, his rivals, have been working more quietly. The contest will really lie between Messrs. Tregear and Thompson. Ths latter-has already served on tue City Council, and proved himself a sound and cautious administrator. He has not the "fireworks" of his opponent, but the Council table and the Committee room really do not lend themselves to anything more than plain, straightforward business methods." Of course those who support Labour will vote for Mn. Tbeoear simply because he is the Labour candidate, and irrespective of any qualifications he may possess for the position. In this their candidate possesses an advantage: although we no not wish to suggest that Mr. Tregear has no claims to consideration on his own merits. That would not bo correct. It is a little difficult, perhaps, to picture Mn. Treqear descending from the clouds to the drab, humdrum business of city councillordom. More unlikely things have happened, but at the present juncture the city would probably be better served by the election of Mr. Thompson.

One of the pleasures, these days, is seeing; the perverse way in which the English monarchical system confounds, in its practical working, the noisy crowd of advanced Radicals who lump-all Kings together as a pack of poisonous parasites on the suffering body of Humanity. JNob only are decent Kings and Princes much liked by ordinary people; they are also most annoyingly useful persons. The April visit of the Prince of Wales to Paris is a case in point. It furnished the London papers with matter for many delightful articles, Sleasingly free from gush. Even the adical newspapers were natural and kindly. The Manchester Guardian, for example, gave prominence to a striking little paragraph from a Paris correspondent. "Nothing, this correspondent, said, "could have pleased the French so much, nothing could incline them so forcibly to think well of King George, nothing is so likely to strengthen the entente with England as the sending the young Pkincb of Wales to Paris. To begin with, this measure is looked on as a decided proof of good sense. The Prince comes to learn French— that is the phrase on everyone's Jips, They do not talk of his coming to see Paris, to visit France, to further his general education, but to learn French. The first duty, educationally 'speaking, of a future King of England is to master the French tongue." PniNCE Edward's best recommendation, however, has obviously been his relation to King Edward: "The Prince is King Edwakd's grandson—everyone is ready to welcome him." We wonder what the modern descendants of bind-their-Kings-in-chains-and-their-nqbles-with-links-of-iron would substitute for the diplomacy of the presence, of a decent King and his heirs 1

Phobably a good many of the publip have been wondering what is behind the persistent effort on the part of Ministers and their friends to create the idea that the probabilities point to a dissolution. Sir Joseph Ward in Australia is prophesying dissolution and a fresh election within twelve months; the Prime Minister at Gisbornc and elsewhere declares his belief that the defeat of his Ministry can only lead to dissolution ; while members of the Ministry are saying the same sort of thing all over the country, and shouting their eagerness to face the electors" All the same they arc not very eager to do so, and even if they were they are not likely to have the opportunity. The talk they are indulging in is all part of a plan of campaign to drive back into the fold those members of the party_ who are drifting away in disgust with recent happenings, "Unless you keep us in office," they are told in effect, "you will have to face the costs and the risk of a fresh election." It is possible, of course, that there are members foolish enough and timid enough to be terrorised by such a threat, but it is difficult to believe that they can be so ignorant of the situation as to overlook the fact that the Mackenztk party, if beaten, as it will be, is helpless to force a dissolution. No doiun Sir Joseph Wahd would like an upheaval of alniost any kind. He stands to lose nothing now, and any mixing iir> of parties would probably l)«' seized on by him to try and "push himself into tho forefront again. His position at the present time is a little curious. He cannot play fast and loose with the Home authorities in the matter of his appointment to the Imperial Commission. When is he going to take up his duties ? The other overseas members of Ihn Commission apparently are on their way to London, or are sufficiently near to 1)0 able to reach London in'time for tho opening of the proceedings, vSo far, however, no intimation has been given as to when the New Zealand delegate will leave. If Sir, Joseph Ward cannot tear himself nwnv from the Dominion, perhaps someone else could Iw found to represent Now Zon.. laud. i