NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1808, 22 July 1913, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It is only now that wo can get some idea of the monetary cost to the miners and the people generally at Waihi and the West Coast of the blind adherence of the LabourSocialists to the mandates of the ''Red Federation." Mr. Webb, who is now one of the contestants for the 'Grey seat, _ and Mr. Sejiple wcro prominent in respect to these strikes, and promised again and again to stagger the country, but finished by staggering under defeat. The Post' Officc Savings Bank returns tell the talo. The table appended gives the amount of the deposits and withdrawals and the excess of the one' 'over the other in the three postal' districts for the year 1911: — With- Excess of Doposits. drawals. Deposits. * £ £ Ureymouth .... 218,786 211,151 7,032 Ilokitika 39,890 37,697 2,193 Thames 318,988 274,468 41,520 577,661 523,319 ,51,345 jWhen we examine the figures for '1912 wo find quite a different set of conditions, as the following will Bhow: — Excess of With- WithDeposits. drawals. drawals. £ £ £ Greymouth 181,9G5 206,736 24,771 Hokitika 43,793 -15,207 1,469 Thames 297,597 309,152 11,555 523,360 561,155 37,795 Last year, the year of the strikes, these three postal districts show an excess of withdrawals over doposits of £37,795. Had there been no strike it is very probable that the savings of the people would have at least equalled those of 1911, so that the loss to the districts on this showing is about £89.140. Syndicalism, as engineered by Messrs. Webb, Sejiple and Co., is certainly very costly.

Sojie valuable information as to the urgent need for definite action by the Education authorities with the object of providing expert attention to the teeth of the children attending the State Schools of New Zealand has bcen_ given in the interviews with leading dentists which have appeared in recent issues of The Dominion. The matter has such a vital bearing on the health of the community that it should not be nccessary for the Government to spend any great time in making up its mind that any expenditure which may bo entailed in giving effect to the experimental steps suggested by the Dental Association would be money well spent. Me. Young, the member for Waikato, referred to the seriousness of the matter in a speech in Parliament a few days ago, and it is to bo hoped that he, and other members who- rccognise the need for action, will not allow the Government to lose sight of the urgency and importance of making a beginning in the direction recommended. The Hon. James Allen has already expressed the opinion that something should be done. A question in Parliament might elicit a more definite statement as to the intentions of 'the Government.

The unedifying exhibition of political buffoonery which constituted tho greater part of Mr. Vigor Brown's contribution to the Ad-dress-in-Eeply debate last week appears to have struck a responsive chord in the breast of the local antiBeform journal. It reproduces daily some choice extract from the columns of clumsy jokelets and purposely indefinite suggestions prejudicial t-o the Government . with which Mr. Brown regaled Parliament, and builds up round it a) mass of mean and petty insinuations quite in keeping with its approved methods of foul fighting. Mr. Brown, for instance, hears a rumour that two •Judges are t<? retire next year, and wags his head knowingly over the proposal to increase Judges' salaries, and according to his anti-Beform press admirer, speculates as to whether the Hon. H. D. Bell or the Hon. A. L. Herdman would get the Chief Justiceship. Then the antiReform journal takes up its cue and expands the story in its own inimitably mean fashion. Does Mr. Brown realise that his statements amount to the suggestion of a Cabinet conspiracy 1 it asks. And it pretends _ to seriously discuss the situation which the vivid imagination of the member ' for Napier has created and which its own complete ignorance of what is fair and nonest in political warfare has encouraged it to embellish. It has not the courage to openly make the allegation underlying its comments _ because it knows the whole story is a fabrication; and so it creeps up behind the backs of its opponents and stabs with insinuation and suggestion trusting there may be some who will believe its wretched slanders.

There seems to be a good deal of uncertainty in England as to the position of the nation with regard to aeroplanes and airships. A few months ago tho Secretary of State for War (Colonel Seely) made a very optimistic statement on the subject, which did not appear to carry conviction. Ho has again referred to the matter in a speech at Liverpool, in which he declared, according to a cablegram published in another column, that Britain is holding her own in the air as she has done on land and sea. It is to bo hoped that Colonel Seely's optimism is firmly based on accomplished facts, for there has been an uneasy feeling abroad that Britain has not been keeping pace with other countries in this matter of aircraft. In tho House of Commons on June 5 Mr. Joynson-Hicks stated that there was very grave public anxiety on the question, and asked whether the 120 machines which the Flying Corps was supposed to possess were ready to go to war. _ Mr. A. Lee also, expressed dissatisfaction as regards the adequacy of the Government's programme for aerial defence. In. reply to these and other criticisms, Colonel Seely declared that Britain now had over 120 aeroplanes, 14G pilots (of whom 83 were first-class pilots and had passed a more exacting test than the French test or the Royal Aero Club test), a first-class Flying School which was passing through pilots at the rate of 60 or 70 a year for the Military AVing alone, and a very large staff of trained aeroplane mechanics. As regards military airships, he assured the House that although their number was small their efficiency was great. A strong foundation had been laid on which to build in the future. In the matter of aeroplanes and aeroplane engines and all matters connected with them the policy of the Government was to get all that they required within the United Kingdom so soon as they possibly could. They did net pretend to have the great aeraolano establishments of France,,

but as compared with other countries their position was not unfavourable, |for whereas a year ago Britain was Inowhero, it was now certainly (amongst the first three, and possibly the first two in the provision of skilled pilots and proper machines ,and organisation for training. They were making great advances. It would be possible to advance further and to secure that Britain 'should hold her own in the air. The above statement loft the critics still .'Unsatisfied, and the Morniii// I'oat declared that Colonel Seely's fpeech was "singularly unconvincing." As regards the boasted progress during the past year, it has to ;te borne in mind that previous to 1912 Britain had done practically nothing to prepare herself to meet ( the new menace in the air. "The jpoint is," says the l'ost, "whether the 'task of making up for lost time is Snow being taken up with sufficient 'energy and enterprise."