NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1672, 12 February 1913, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The "union of hearts" in South Africa—that favourite rhetorical resource of British Radicals—docs not appear to be quite so real as is commonly supposed.. .General de Wet, at any rate, is repudiating his Radical friends in a most* heartless fashion. No- union of hearts for him, "England," so he has told his friends, according to a cable mes-sage-to-day, "had no need to take money for her Navy from the ruined people of. South Africa, which bad too many widows and orphans, and needed • railways." Nearer homo we aro seeing some vigorous workings of this spirit, but it takcß a De Wet to speak right out. Ho; began his present , stage of very plain speaking on December 28, at a Hertzog demonstration in Princo's Park, Pretoria. General Hertzog, ho said, was "the man wanted by South Africa." The demonstration, very appropriately, took place in front of Mr. Kruger's statue, arid Reuter reports that "General de Wet spoke from a manure heap, and-started his speech by saying that Jie preferred to bo amid his people on a manure heap rather than on the most brilliant platform among ' foreigners." Subsequently General Hertzog, who had said quite sufficient in the past year to stir up the deepest racial feelings of his fellbw-Boers, spoke with his tongue in his cheek of his loyalty and the loyalty of his friends. But* as the Morning Post pointed out;, '•the talk of being 'very loyal to the Empire' means nothing, since one of General Hertzog's causes of quarrel, with General Botha is the former's hostility to the scheme for strengthening the naval forces of the Empire. There is trouble ahead in South Africa, and tho Morning Post has ft suggestive and fruitful comment:-—

The whole position show's that racialism is still an active and dangerous force in South Africa, and that racial union is a 9 far away as ever. This is the more discouraging as the present Constitution, apart from the franchise, Was not forced upon tho minority, as the Homo Rule Hill is being forced upon Irelaud, but was framed by the co-operation of the two ■white races. Home Rule in Ireland is bound lo produce racial Strife, because the minority was not even consulted, and can never consent to bo perpetually governed by another 1 race; but the position in South Africa, where tho races were more equally divided and seoincd for a time willing to co-operate, looked moro hopeful.

' The Christchurch Evening News has an interesting little, juxtaposition of extracts from a local Opposition organ. Replying to some observations of ours, the Opposition paper declared that it was "a paltry trick" to "magnify Mr. SempLe and Mr. Mills into the whole edifice" of the Labour party. Mr. Mills and Mr. Semple, it said, were not the Labour party, "neither the head nor the i feet''of it, "nor even a very large part oi ; tho body." On tho preceding day it had printed a cable message recording Mr. Keir Hamiik's receipt of' "a cablegram from the Labour party," attacking Mr. Allen. On the following day it printed a paragraph of its own, saying that the message to Mn. Keir Bardie from the Labour party "was prepared in the National Pence Society's rooms, and was sinned by

Professor W. T. Mills and Mr. R. Sejiple." So that Mn. Semplb and the "Professor" arc the Labour party after all—the hair and the hoofs and the hide and all of it.

The Commonwealth Government, wo were informed the other day, is negotiating for the appointment of Vice-Admiral Sin Percy Scott, K.C.8., K.C.V.0., as Admiral Commanding the Australian Navy. If these overtures are successful, Australia will indeed be fortunate, for Sin Percy Scott is one of the distinguished men of the Empire, and it is very doubtful whether the Imperial Government will consent to what really would be a very heavy sacrifice for the Home Navy." VICEAdmiral Sin Percy ' Scott is mow about 60' years of age, and has had his share of active campaigning. His greatest services to tho Empire generally, and to the Navy particularly, have been in connection with his efforts t6 raise the standard of gunnery efficiency in the . Royal Navy, and to convince his somewhat conservative chiefs at tho Admiralty that there is a distinction, with a material difference, between '.'quickfiring" and "quick-hitting," In 1808, when captain of tho Scylla, he introduced his own telescopic sights, and instructed his gunners with a "loading teacher" and a "dottcr"-rtho principle and construction of tho latter was a care-fully-guarded secret—and astonish' ed the Navy with results in classfiring, that had hitherto been believed to have been impossible. But his greatest success has. since been achieved with his. "fire-director," by which a remarkable concentration of fire has beon mado possible. It is not too much to say that Sir Percy Scott's fire-director has added Boveral keels to the British Navy. His strong and vigorous personality, keen enthusiasm in regard to his ideals, has brought him into 6coasional conflict with his superiors, but the Admiralty has preferred'to adjust its policy rather than part with tho disturber of. its convictions, and the gunnery efficiency of tho Navy is now at a \'ery high standard, .duo largely to the systematic training advocated by' Sir • Percy SCott. Ho was created a baronet at tho New Year. His appointment to tho command, of the Commonwealth Navy would be an excellent tonic for the Australian bluejackets, but that consummation is still in tho region of doubt,

. Although nobody ever honestly < entertained the smallest, doubt that Mn. James Allen's welcome renewal in London of his local references to the expeditionary force which it" is) hoped New Zealand will provide for' the Empiro in the. time of crisis did not contemplate 'anything but voluntary service, it is .'.'just as well' to have his own account of what he said.' We givo this account to-day, Those very foolish people who have sought to make some political capital by misrepresenting and distorting the Minister's mont-will now doubtless accuse Mn, Allen of downright untruthfulness, but' of course they cannot bo expected to admit that they blundered grievously, in thoir anxiety to please tho; .'lied.-.:federation/ Mr. -Allen;.,. we are glad. to see, aims at perfecting ,6uV., defence lnachinp. eo that when volunteers offer themselves for Service-' abroad -there will be ho' delay: Wd printed' yesterday , an excellent letter from a correspondent signing himself; < "Modofato Labour," in which ond, and not the least important,' of the jiierits"of Mn, Allen's aim. is stressed; v This is," the avoidance of the waste'and jobbery" which a Government. which has not prepared for emergencies cannot avert when the, occasion arises for raising a volunteer force for abroad, Wo may be permitted to observe, that tho, attitude of the anti-Reformers towards Mr. Allen's statement, discreditable and foolish as it iB, is typical of their whole attitude.' Yesterday, for example, one of their organs assorted that the order of reference of 'the, Public Trust Offices' Commission had not been made public. Yet this same paper printed a summary of the order of reference rr.onthß ago.'. One wonders what end, save their own destruction and discredit, these unwise enemies of political reform think they 'are serving, , '