NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1821, 6 August 1913, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Very properly the annual report of the Commissioner of Police laid before Parliament yesterday pays tribute to the excellent conduct of those members of the Force who showed such tact and judgment in handling the very difficult situation created at Waihi by the miners' strike. The country has good reason to be thankful for the manner in which tho police succccded in preventing what at one time threatened to develop into a general outbreak of lawlessness. It is interesting to 'note that in the reports of some of the Superintendents and Inspectors which accompany Commissioner Cullen's report, refcrencc is made to the new Police Regulations. Superintendent Ellison, for instance, says: "I desire t-o mention that the Police Regulations recently published, and the general tendency to improve the Police Service, which has been apparent for the past six or nine months, should have a bcncficial effect on the Police Force in general." Superintendent Kif.ly, of Christchurch, expresses the opinion that "the new Regulations will have a good effect upon the younger members of the Service, who show occasionally a tendency to lapse into carelessness when on duty. It is in the best interests of the Service that the men as a body should endeavour to maintain a high standard of good conduct and efficiency, and the new Regulations contain all the instructions necessary for their guidance. The old Regulations were obsolete and useless for modern requirements and should have been discarded years ago." Superintendent Dwyer, of Duncdin, says that "the increase in pay and recent promotions in the Force have given better heart and encouragement to the rank and file, and have brought about a better state of contentment in the Service." These opinions from officers of long experience in the Force are of particular interest just now. and go to show the improvement which has taken placc not only in the conditions of employment iri the Force* but in prospects for an increased efficiency.

Both Government and Opposition went out of their way a good deal yesterday to emphasise the importance of keeping the local bodies of the country well supplied with loan monev. The occasion was the second reading of a Bill before the House of Representatives consolidating and amending the Local Bodies' Loans Act, tiio idea on the, part of the Uoverninetit being to extend the assistance at present granted by enabling the bigger local bodies, or groups of the smaller local bodies, to borrow with the guarantee of the Stale behind them. Tho idea has something to commend it, aa Opposition members admitted, but tho tendency of

members in discussing the question appeared to bo to concentrate unduly un l-h'j necessity for increasing the borrowing facilities of the local bodies. ft is of course essential Lliat local bodii's, if they are to meet the requirements of a young and progressive community, must borrow; and it is most desirable that they should be enabled to borrow on tin; most advantageous terms possible. No one would venture to dispute such obvious statements of fact. .But we should have'been better pleased with the debate had more emphasis been laid on the necessity for restricting the craze fur luxuries in the way of municipal conveniences. A little while ago demands were being made from all parts of the country for electric tramways, and in a great many eases, these were years ahead of what the locality actually required or could afford. There is so much development work in the way of roads and bridges in the counties, and of sanitation and water supply, etc., in the towns and boroughs', that is urgently needed, that the country cannot afford to divert any of the money available for local bodies into unprofitable channels. It is plainly a case in which necessities should come before luxuries.

Professor Staur, of the University of Chicago, is a very daring man, for he not only denies the right of women to_ intrude themselves into masculine occupations, but also contends that they should be pushed back into the "position of inferiority to which they rightly belong." It is probably true that there is a tendency among a certain type of women to press themselves forward in a manner which must in the end prove not only harmful to the sex but also to the race; but it is a great mistake to characterise their natural sphere as one of inferiority. Woman's, place in the world is different to that allotted to man, but not inferior. Its importance cannot be over-estimated. In her own realm woman is man's superior; she only becomes inferior when she wanders out of her course and tries to do things for which she is not naturally fitted. In spite of many provocations it would be disastrous for men to follow the example of certain militant Suffragettes _ and engage in a ecx war, and it is foolish to talk about treating women as inferior beings. Judging by the cabled report of his speech Professok Stark weakens his strong points by suggesting a return to a state of affairs as regards the position of women which the progress of civilisation has left behind. The fact that should be emphasised is that women can best serve the raco by doing the duties which Nature has specially fitted them to These duties are not one whit inferior to those of men.

Tjie member for Awarua had hardly been half an hour in the House of Representatives yesterday after his long vacation abroad before he had entered into the fray of party politics. It is true that thcl'e was much less of party spirit in his speech than is customary with him, but it is a hopeful sign for the leaderlcss gentlemen in Opposition that he should have displayed such early interest in the proceedings of the House. There is little likelihood apparently of Sir Joseph Wakd rushing in hastily to take charge of his old party, and from his- own point of view it is perhaps not a bad plan to keep his late followers on tenterhooks as to his intentions. Some of them at least' were ready enough to let him go, and now that they have shown they cannot find amongst themselves any other leader in whom the party has any confidence, he can afford to take his own time in letting then: know what he intends to do. Still, the signs point very strongly to Sir - Joseph Wakd ultimately yielding to the wishes of his friends.

Though New Zealand is still a young country when compared with the nations of the Old World one can already sec the beginning of those religious, educational, and social traditions which exorcise a wholesome influence on a. people by emphasising the continuity of their national life. Jubilee celebrations are now becoming • comparatively frequent in the Dominion, and the coming Map.sden commemoration reminds us that we arc approaching the time for centenaries. An interesting example of this laudable desire to link tho present with the past is just now finding expression in the celebration of the jubilee of the Otago Boys' High School, one of the most successful educational institutions in New Zealand. Many men now holding high positions in the Dominion look back with pride and pleasure to the days which they spent at this school, and numbers of them were present at the reunion which has been in every way worthy of the occasion, while others in all parts of the country will read the accounts of the gathering with the greatest interest. The sentimental and historic aspccts of the celebration were of course much in evidence, but the practical side was not altogether overlooked, for it was decided that a fund should be raised to provide prizes for the school. The idea was taken up enthusiastically, a sum of £-203 being subscribed in the room, and no doubt this amount will be materially increased by subscriptions fron: old boys who were unable to be present. Judging by its past and its present prosperity the Otago Boys' High School should have a splendid- future. Of such institutions every New Zealander has a right to be proud.