NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1766, 3 June 1913, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Details of the polling at the Fedora! elections are not yet sufficiently forward to enable a reasonably safo estimate to be made of the chances of parties, but the prospects of the Liberals appear to havo slightly improved. In New South Wales particularly there seems to be a turn of the tide against Labour. The voting for the .Senate, or Upper House, gives a clearer indication of things than the information available at timo of writing in connection with the House of Representatives. For the Senate each State, regardless of population, returns six Senators, who are electod for a term of six years. Tho whole of the Senators for each State are not elected at the one time, only three retiring at each election'of tlio House of Representatives. Thus on the present occasion there are only three vacancies in each of the States for scats in the Senate.. The whole of the electorates in each State are grouped, and form one largo constituency; so that candidates for the Senate havo to rely largely on the organisation of the party to which they belong to cover the ground. The contest thus becomes almost entirely a party one, and an independent candidate, unless he is indeed well known, has little chance of success against the organisation behind the "ticket" candidates. The voting so far available shows that Labour holds a good lead in four out of the six States, while the Liberals arc ahead in New South Wales and Tasmania. This means a decided loss of ground to tho Liberals, who previously held seats, now seemingly going to Laboui 1 , in Queensland (3), Victoria '1), and South Australia (2). Our late cable news, which arrives after this page has gone to press, may throw further light on the situation.

The birth-rate for England and Wales continues to decline. A cablegram, which we publish in another column, states that the rate for tho three months ended May 31 was 23.8 per thousand. The following figures (commencing with the year 1895) show how pronounced the decline has been: — Rate per 1000. 1835 29.4 130# 28.2 1905 20.0 1000 20.S 11)07 2G.3 100,S 26.6 191)!) 25.7 1010 25.0 1911 2t.<t The complete official figures for 1912 are not yet available, hut the quarterly returns indicate that there will he a further decline on the figures for 1911. A writer in the Times recently stated that "the average number of children in well-to-do and wealthy families a . hundred years ago was, perhaps, between six and twelve; it does not nowadays probably exceed two or three. The birthrate has fallen most rapidly during tho last 40 years. Tho full is now

observable among all classes of our people, with the exception _of the physiologically ill-bred residuum." The decline in the birth-rate is, of course, not confined to England and Wales, the same tendency in varying degrees being noticeable in nearly all civilised countries. Ireland's rale for many years has kept steadily at about 2:j.3; in Franco the rate has dropped from 23.1 for the period ISBG-1890 to 19.7 in 1910; and in Germany from 36.5 in 138G-1890 to 32.1 in 1903. The New Zealand figures show a fall from 2!).< Min 1890 to 25.97 in 1911.

A telegram which we received last evening from Timaru reads: "Union Company still to-day employing only Federntionists on the wharves." This would seem to indicate that the fino words of Sir Jaiier Mii,ls of a few days ago concerning the determination of the Union Steam Ship Company to maintain tho rights of free labour then being employed at Timaru have not reached the cars of tho company's officials at the port named. The Timaru Herald of Saturday last had something to say on this point. Sir Jajies Mills, it remarked, had given the a.ssuranco that his Company had never proposed to make concessions to the Federation of labour which would be against the interests of the free workers and the public. And he added:

"That no arrangements were nossiblo other than that tho position at Timaru should bo accepted as it is, the right of • free labour at present employed to bo respected, tlio waterside -workers to dlsclinrgo and load cargoes irrespective of their having been handled by free labour, either on the trucks or elsewhere, and above all that a substantial monetary guarantee should bo given that any agreement made should bo observed in future."

This declaration the Herald regards as perfectly satisfactory,

but, it proceeds to add, there is still a strange divergence between the company's policy and its practice. It has slated that "the rights of free labour at present employed must bo respected," yet nil the time it is giving preference ovor that free labour to the men who claim tho right to leave off working just as often as they choose, and who are being assisted to maintain a partial strike by tho preference, extended to them by one company. Tlio Union Company lias laid down excellent principles, but it will do something still more satisfactory to tho public when it begins to give effect to them by treating the free workers at Timaru 111 accordance with .its own prescription of tho treatment duo to tliem.

Our contemporary being on the spot must lie assumed to know the facts of the position as to the treatment of free labour at Timaru by the Union Company's officials. And if the facts are as stated the behaviour of the Union Company calls for explanation, The attitude of this Company throughout the turmoil caused by tho rumoured agreement between the shipping companies and the Federation of Labour has not been such as to win it any marked degree of public favour. On tho contrary the impression has _ grown up that it has been over-anxious to secure an agreement with tKe Fedcrationists, and has not troubled to concern itself as to the possible injury such an arrangement may do to others. • The company would be well advised if it took steps to dispel this impression, and deeds are always moro convincing than words.

The Scottish Home Rule Bill, which, as announced in yesterday's 'issue, has been read a second time in the House of Commons, provides that the number of members in the Soottish Parliament should bo 140, and that its powors should be similar to those it is proposed to confer on the Irish Parliament, with the exception of Post Office control and the variation of Customs and Excise, and with the addition of the administration of old age pensions, national insurance,_ and labour exchanges. Power is taken to vary Imperial taxes (except Customs and Excise), and the payment is required of an annual sum from the Imperial to the Scottish Exchequer to defray the cost of Scottish services. It is proposed that the King should bo represented in Scotland by a Lord High Commissioner, to be advised by the Executive Committee of the' Scottish Privy Council, and tho Judicial Committee of the same body is substituted for tho House of Lords as tho final Court of Appeal. The representation of Scotland in_ tho Imperial Parliament is to consist of 72 members as at present. A memorandum to the Bill states that it "represents a further instalment of the policy of devolution initiated by the Government of Ireland Bill." There is much to be said in favour of Mr. Balfour's opinion that the passing of tho measure would cause great injury to Scotland, and that a Federal system of four provinces, of which England would bo one, would be absurdly lopsided and top-heavy. A recent article in The. Round Table on tho Union of England and Scotland concludes by stating that in 1707, the year in which the union took place, it must havo seemed that the sacrifices demanded of Scotland were disproportionately great. "She was surrendering apparently her sovereignty, her ancient constitution, even her national identity, and bartering them for free trade with England. Time alone could show i that she was exchanging the citizenship of a petty and inevitably subordinate kingdom - for full and unquestioned partnership in a magnificent Imperial heritage." The advocates of Homo .Rule are accustomed to point to the existence of independent colonial Parliaments in support of their proposals; but it has' been pointed out by Mr. Balfour and others that in Canada and Australia it has been found necessary for separate States to come together and form a Federal Government, whereas tho Home Rule all-round scheme is a movement in the opposite direction, namely, from a Federal Government to separate States. In other words, it is dismemberment.

The members of the Chamber of Commerce who accompanied the Minister for Public Works on his tour through the Wnirarapa and East Coast districts were apparently greatly impressed with the possibilities for development, provided better ireans of communication were established. Like most of the others who made the trip, however, they appear to have found it impossible to arrive at any decision as between the conflicting schemes of railway construction advocated, and in their report to the Chamber contented themselves with a very positive assertion that something should be done as soon as possible. Mr. Macintosh stressed particularly the necessity for pushing forward the ltimutaka deviation, and while on this question also there arc differences of opinion as to route, there is only ono view as to the advantages which must follow from an undertaking which will give better and cheaper access to the large stretch of fertile country which lies beyond tho Rimutaka Itango. Now

Unit iictive interest has onco 'more Ihmmi aroused 011 the question the country settlors and the OlKimberH of Commerce and public bodies concerned sliould not niis.s any opportunity of pressing its clainiß to consideration before Ministers and Parliament.