NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1592, 8 November 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Amongst the cable messages relating to the Svar is one reporting a momentous statement by Sir Edward Grey. He told the Hotise of Commons that tho Porte had appealed to the Powers to secure a suspension of hostilities, and that the had been exchanging opinions. If it had not been that M. Poincare has affirmed the impossibility of an armistice, Sir Edward Gkby's statement would appear to threaten the hopes of the Balkan allies. As_ it is the main weight of the Foreign Secretary's 'statement lies in his furtherremark that "no one could question the Balkan allies' right to formulate their own terms of peace." This remarkable statement would appear to indicate that, in the event of a com* plete triumph over Turkey, the allies need fear no armed intervention by the Powers; for, if Britain is not going to use, or threaten, force, then nobody dare do so. The allies, in washing up the business; will accordingly have nothing to trouble them excepting the peaceful bargaining of the Powers, every one of which has its own interests to protect, and its own terms to offer. _ Already Gcfmany, through Austria, is appearing as the menace to peaceful negotiations; but it is said that the Emperor of Austria is determined that there shall be no more wars for his country while ho lives, . ohoul.d the .'allies take Constantinople, and they

have much to do yet before they could do that, a situation of as much peril as interest will be created.

The steady progress of the Homo; Rulo Bill through the House of Commons masks a situation of increasing peril for the Government. :'fhe London Tablet, the leading organ of Catholic opinion outside Italy, has no doubt of the male fides of the Government and not much hope that under Liberalism as it works just now Ireland will seenro peace and contentment. This admirable journal points out that Home Rule is being treated as a mere boator-up for Mn. Lloyd-George's general policies, and is being denied full and fair treatment and discussion. It synmafchises with, and approves, those who urga that Home lluk must be opposed because it has never been properly submitted to the people; and it refers with approval to a remarkable letter written uy Lord Duniuven to Mit. William O'Brien. Lord Dunraven, a Home Ruler, declared that Home B,ule could hardly fail to jeopardise the future of Ireland and the solidarity of the two islands if it proceeded from one British party alone, and he recommended "a conference _ seating all parties" to consider . a measure of federal Home Rule. Ho cites the Verecniging Conference, and, much more to the point, the Land Conference of 1902; which ended So-well for the prospects of Irish land settlement. It is to Mr. Dillon's failure to receive an invitation to that Conference that most people, agreeing here with Mr. William 6 Brjen, ascribe the intense bitterness of the member for Mayo, and his eagerness to wreck everything that looks like helping towards peace and goodwill. Lord DunßaveN touches on the religious difficulty in these terms: ''For years absolute power over the nomination of members of Parliament and complete control over the Nationalist party has been exercised by a secret society whose membership is, by the first rule of the society ,_ restricted to persons of ono religious persuasion—Catholicism. Its_ authority lias been. exercised without the semblance even of tolerance and fair play. ■ • Those are the 'facts, and Protestants in • the North fear that an Irish Parliament would be subject to the same secret and irresponsible power." Mil. William. O'Brien,' a passionate champion of .Home Riile> and a devout Catholic, has said the same thing. Even the Tablet, careful as it is to maintain the duty of the Catholic .press; does not censure Lord Dunraven at all. It mildly disagrees with him, merely. This is significant, and we like to think it is hopeful. Mb. Q'Brien ib doing his best to separate Home Rule from Lloyd-Georgism, and we wish him all fortune. If a Home Rule plan were arranged at such a conference as Lord, Dunraven suggests, the British people, tinder a Unionist Government, would be glad to forget all the past, and a good and happy solution of the problem, satisfactory toeveryono but. Mr. Dillon and; Mr. Devlin, would be found.

'. An miedifying incident occurred in tlie early hours of yesterday morning during the. discussion on the report of the Public Accounts Committee. Mb.' R. W. SsiiTii, member for Waiffiorino, who disagreed with tho finding of the Committee concerning the action of. the Advances! Board, and who was in a very excited state declared that no Judge of the Supreme Court would on the evidence adduced endorse the Committee's findings; and'to' show his confidence in. his opinion he challenged any member of the Committee to'. "put up" £50 on the issue. Mb.. Smiti? went bo far as to write onta: cheque for that amount and hand- it to Mt. Speaker, explaining- at the same time that the loser of this wager would have to hand-over his cheque to some charitable institution. Mr. Smith may have been in earnest over his quite ridiculous challenge. ■ He may really have believed that a Judge of the Supreme Court would be found ready to set aside the ordinary duties of his Office in order to settle a wager made on the floor of Parliament The absurdity,of this idea, however, does not concern lis so ,'mucb 'as the fact that Mr. Speaker did not consider it worth while administeringthe rebuke which the member for Waimarino so richly deserved when ho took his cheque up to Mr. Speaker, and, handing it to him, made him stakeholder. Presumably. Sib Arthur Guinness regarded the thing as too ridiculous to be taken seriously, but Parliament certainly is noUikely to be elevated in the' eyes of either the public or of members themselves when such behaviour is tolerated on the floor of the House.,

Tub personal attacks made on the Minister of finance in the House of Representatives oil' Wednesday night and in the earl/ hours of Thursday morning, for his_ Outspokenness concerning the administration of the State Advances Board, nsed cause Me. Aiaen very little concern. Probably the actions of no member of. the Ministry will meet with more general approval than those of the Minister of Finance in endeavouring to place the various financial Departments of the State on a better and sounder footing. Mb. AHES has a heavy task ahead of him, but he has the Courage to face it, and he con rely On the sympathy and support of the public in the performance of his duty, Already by his plain speaking arid by his grasp of affairs he has won the confidence and respect of the great bulk of the members of the .House; and those who really have the interests of the country at heart may well feel .gratified that the control of the finances of the Dominion should have fallen into his hands at the present juncture.

We eantiot compliment the Government on the.manner in which they are behaving in connection with Cook Island matters. The attitude of the Minister in charge of that Department is not likely to stimulate confidence either in his own administration or in the Government he belongs to, and Mr. . Masse? is overlbhg in realising this. fack Mil. Estcott yesterday asked a quite reasonable question concerning the Cook Islands Department, ; &»<T tho Minister, as on a previous occasion, showed a lamentable want 01 tact and clumsily attempted all evasive answer. Later he made an offensive reference to "second-class information" and but for the late stage of the session there Would certainly have ,been trouble. It is quite time that the Pkuie Minister interested himself personally in Cook Island matters; unless he docs so> his Government may have some awkward questions to answer later on.