NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1714, 3 April 1913, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Most of our readers, we should say, have read, a good many testimonials from English and American visitors to the excellence cf the New Zealand press. This, we suspect'is due, not so much to the merits of the New Zealand newspapers—although most of them do their best—as to our delightful difference from American papers in several particulars. For one, thing, there arc the headlines. Professor Lowes, of the University of Washington, in a recent letter to the New York' Post, quotes an amazing and. precious batch of headlines lately collected by him from the newspapers of one of the largest American cities. Before giving a few examples, we should explain that the rule in Amcrica is, where possible, to make thc_ main headline of any item or article a full ■ line, containing as much as possible in the way of intimation and suggestion. What would a New Zealand reader make of such, a, headline as this?—'"Tb pen for Killing over one cent." It is tho heading to a Court report, one Stanley AVesnewski being sent to the _ penitentiary (the "pen") for killing another man in a dispute over a cent. "Light clerks Macbeth supes" merely means 'that some electric lighting company's employees acted as supers in a performance of "Macbeth," "llaps Tear-Making Rites" is the torso summary of a clergyman's denunciation of "'the old idea of having the funeral an intentionally tear-producing affair." And "Grips Convict Toil Poser" is an American Tabloid which we ought to have thought of as a heading for the summary of Mr. Herdjian's tackling of tho problem of convict labour. "Crop Sage who Advises Buy Direct from Farm" in clear enough when it is remqmbered that a "crop sage" is tho expert on crops, who is tho Secretary for . Agriculture. "Titled Touts to get Frosty Glare," "Cites .Tap Christ Hatred," "liaccs Continent with Death"—these are simple enough. But less simple, and moro magnificent, is "Bible Revisionists Combing Europe," which is translated in a sub-heading as meaning "Fapal Commission has Envoys Searching Libraries of Many Nations." And if an inebriate pours a can of-paint over his wife, and is gaoled therefor, the American subeditor simply writes up the head-, ing: "Jug of AVine Oan of Paint and Thou Leads to Jail." If tho American\ method wero compulsory here, Mr. D M'Laren's strange outbreak against Councillor M'Kenzif, would havo required tho headline, "Style Sharp Bucks at Deuce." A sub-heading would perhaps have added: "Mayor as Culture Expert Objects to 'What the Duecc?' " The violent struggle of the American sulH.'dil'.irfor terseness, (.<> which metaphor is an assistance, is perhaps oue of the creative forces of Anwri-

t can slang; for, as Professor Lowes points out, newspaper headlines are i more widely read in Amcrica than | anything else in print; j A few weeks ago two British Bluc- , books were issued which emphasise I very strongly the necessity that the Civil Service should be placed be- , yond the reach of intriguing poii- , ticians. It is 0110 of the best-estab- . lished facte of politics that if the , party in power—whatever party it , may bo—possesses a practically" unlimited control over appointments to State posts, that control will be used to a greater or less extent.for that party's advantage. Some months back a great "■ number of pretty obvious "jobs" were exposed by Unionist critics, and a Unionist member moved for a return of all the persons appointed without competitive examination to posts in the Public Service by the present British Government. The motion was agreed to after amendment so as to secure a similar return covering tho life of tho last Unionist Administration. The Government evidently believed that it could thus give its opponents a Roland for their Oliver. The Liberals' term of office had lasted seven years, and the period of Unionist rule brought up for review had lasted ten years. Yet the volume giving particulars of the 'appointments by the Liberals occupied 295 pages, and the other volumo only 199. Altogether the appointments without competitive examination which the Liberals made numbered over 7000, and those made by the Unionists less than 5000. In other words these appointments under the Liberals numbered 1000 per annum, and under the Unionists less than 500 per annttnn Although the most obvious conclusion from these figures 'is the greater zest with which Radicals stuff the services, the most important lesson to be drawn froni them is the necessity that no party at all should possess such enormous powers of patronage—at the public's expense. Tiie recent refusal to permit two intending immigrants to land in tho Dominion on the ground that they were consumptive has prompted a Christohurch journal to raise the question of whether it is not desirable to minimise as far !as possible such eases of hardship by providing for medical inspection' of immigrants at the of departure. 'Surely," the paper referred to remarks, "it would be possible to have the medical inspection n;ade at the port of departure, not in New Zealandj at the end of the long voyage, when the bitterness of disappointment must be increased a hundredfold." There is a good deal to be said in favour of the suggestion, which, by the way, is not a new one. Dr. Mason, we believe, did for 'a time some years ago carry out an inspection of would-be. immigrants at London, but for some rriason the , system was riot adhered to. No doubt the captains of vessels, knowing tho risks they.run. of having to carry back to England such passengers as may not pass the medical examination here, exercise some care in the matter, but obviously they can only deal with cases in an advanced stage of disease. The Government might well givo this question their 1 consideration—a. medical officer with a knowledge of' New Zealand conditions,, stationed at the Immigration Department in London, might serve a very useful .purpose in deterring undesirables (physically or mentally) from immigrating to the Dominion. The fact that recent enrolment has been so heavy that, despite the sweeping purging of the city's municipal roll, the. number of names on it for the forthcoming elections will constitute a record, may be taken as a good sign. If citizens are sufficiently interested to go to the trouble to see that their names are placed on the roll, it may be regarded as fairly certain that they will exercise their vote when the time comes. Of course in a great many cases the enrolment has been carried out by personal canvass, but on the whole tliere. appears to have been a greater interest than usual in tho coming jxratest. This is not so much a question of interest in the fortunes of the individuals who are offering themselves' as candidates, as concern for or against the attempt of the Labour-Socialists to securo tho management of the city's affairs. There are, for instance, a great many people ;who have little sympathy_ with Mit." Luke .as. an individual in his candidature for the Mayoralty; but who will vote for him nevertheless as a matter of plain duty, because he stands as a citizen's candidate, and not as a class candidate. Citizens cannot afford to ignore the clcarl,y-expressed determination of the Labour-Socialists to endeavour to sweep the polls. They have their Mayoral candidate, and they have candidates for the whole of the scats on the City Council. They aro urging their followers' to ' "vote the whole ticket," that is to say, they want to win the whole of | the seats and secure complete and : unbridled control. Their only hope of doing this is that citizens gener- : ally may not bestir themselves and 1 may neglect to record their votes. 1 Every citizen should from to-day on- i ward until election day make it his c business to keep alive the interest of ' his neighbours in the issues involved, ' and to bo certain that all thoso with '■ whom they como into contact and i who are entitled to vote, are not per- ; initted to overlook''their duty on ■ polling day. ' ' '