NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1706, 25 March 1913, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It must" be very gratifying to the promoters who undertook the heavy .task of setting in motion the Carnival movement, to look back on the success which has crowned their efforts, Those who took up tho v wbrk. : at the outset were faced with a discouraging indifference on the part of many who would have been thought likely to interest themselves in such an undertaking, for the benefit of the city, and for a time progress was slow. The enthusiasm of the committees, however, was proof against all discouragement, and the ultimate success was thoroughly well deserved. The greatest risk which had. to be : faced was the possibility of bad weather setting in, and as Easter weather is proverbially bad, here, it was not a risk to bo treated lightly. As a. matter of fact, a great people who are in full' sympathy with the Carnival idea hold the. view that Easter-time is too late in the year for such an occasion. It ■ has been suggested' that the- Carnivalshould be made an annual affair, and should- take place in conjunction with the Anniversary Day celebrations in January of each year. Three days' racing are held at that time, and the balance of.,the wdek could easily be filled in with various forms of entertainment which would attract a large ( gathering of visitors to the city, and mako the event an occasion to be looked forward to. .

The Socialists and federationists ; who are gradually coming to the front,- and claiming to speak in the name of organised labour, are seeking to drag; at their heels all classes 6f_ trades unionism, in an effort to , cripple the Dominion's national schome of defence! An attempt is being made by a. section of these Labour-Socialist leaders, who 1 profess to act in the interests of Labour, to form a "Passive Eesisters! Union," or, in other words, an organisation to financially assist, rthose who are prepared to, shirk their obligation to do their share as citizens towards the. defence of their country. The hardearned money of the workers is to be used to subsidise the shirkers. It is one, of those foolish, movements which not only'do so mufch to discredit organised labour in the eyes of those outside its, ranks,, but must also fill with, majority of those trades unionists themselves who realise the insult that is thus being placed': on. the workers by seeking to brand _ them as' a body lacking ,in' patriotism and national spirit.. The Labour-Socialist element,in the ranks, of Labour talks of the "existent outrageous provisions, of a conscription imposed, it is to be feared; in behalf of vested interests, and the: present system, of exploitation." This is tlie sort; of rubbish with which these men seek to obscure the plain fact, that they are asking the trades unionists of the country—the workers; to give, the title they claim as. their own—to, brand: themselves as- the shirkers: labour has .much for whi,chit can legitimately fight in the arena of politics,- anil, also in the field of but. it- is not being benefited. in either of these directions by the tactics, of its leaders,, who are. , pandering to, the Socialists, and antimilitarists, and: neglecting, the true interests of trades unionism'.

: The London Financial News, in discussing New. Zealand's latest loan, and James, Allen's preliminary announcements it} connection therewith, raised a somewhat unusual question. It was very sympathetic, but :ifc wanted a little information concerning one portion of the country's revenue, and the possible effect of the Prohibition m'ovement on. that revenue. Here are the exact words of the News on the point:,— As very little has been heard- lately of the Prohibition campaign in New Zealand, perhaps it may be taken for granted that this attempt) to reduce the. revenue, of tho. Dominion by - about .£2,000,0(10' ayear- has been abandoned. It may, however, be worth the while- of the New Zealand: Government to make some definite statement on the subject during tho currency of tho loan, negotiations. "When, wo previously referred to tho matter it was: suggested, ■ by certain frantic Prohibitionist agitators in New Zealand, that '"Clio Financial News" was controlled by brewers,, and: itliat its altitude. in. tho matter of Prohibition'was. dictated by tlieso gentlemen. Penhaps it is superfluous for us to say that "The Financial News" is not, and never lias been, owned, controlled, or influenced in tlio. slightest degree. by any. brewer.. Nor have, wo the most remote concern with tho respective merits of Prohibition and the converse policy. Our point simply is that where a British colony is borrowing largely in this market tho public has tho right to know whether ib proposes to penalise a largo existing industry and to. destroy a. source of considerable, revenue,' nnd, if so, in what manner the abandoned, incomo is to be replaced. If Now Zealand—olio of tlio pluckiest and' most deserving of alii tlio overseas Dominions—can. mako this matter clear, tho- British investor |Will seek no. further- concern, with her internal policy. Hiiving regard: to- tlio. frankness with, which New Zealand has always treated the investing public, it: seems fairly safo to assume that sonic statement will be miaile. As a matter of fact, no statement on .the subject appearr, to have boon made by Mu. Allen or anybody else.

Should Prohibition bo carried, tho loss of revenue which will follow must, of course, be made up in some other way. It is somewhat surprising, however, to find a paper such as the Financial A'ews raising this point on tho eve of the flotation of ;r loan. No doubt it will be made the most of at the next Prohibition poll.