NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1832, 19 August 1913, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The deputation of women which waited upon the Prime Minister yesterday to ' ask for legislation dealing with certain social evils found Mr. Massey'sympathetic, and he promised to submit the proposals to Cabinet with the recommendation that, if possible,_ something should bo done this session in some of the directions indicated. In view of the heavy programme already announced for the present session, it is not easy to see how Parliament can possibly hope to attempt the task of attacking all the evils referred to by tho deputation, but it might be possible to secure the assent'of the House to tie proposal to raise the age of consent, and additional powers might be given to magistrates for compelling a negligent husband to-maintain his wife and family. ' It is also of the utmost importance that more effective steps should be taken for tho care of ■feeble-minded girls, who ought to be placed under permanent control, both for their own sakes and_ for the sake of the community. It is, however, imperative that' legislation of the character suggested by the deputation should not be rushed through Parliament, but should be very carefully considered from every point of view. The indirect, as well as tho direct, consequences of any change in the law must not bo lost sight of, for the danger of creating more serious evils than those which may be remedied is a very real one.

The suggestion has been made that it would lie a good thing to- close down the Financial Delaato and press forward with .they legislative work of the session. ' This is a little unfair to the Opposition. Up to the present they have not shown any signs of that terrific onslaught on the Government's administration and policy which the country had been led to believe was in preparation. So far only three of the recognised leaders of the party have spoken (although' Messes. Myers and Laurenson must also presumably rank as frontbenchers), and one of the three, Mil. HaKan, was plainly caught unprepared. The member for Invercargill had expected that Mr. Seddon would take iip the debate on Friday afternoon, ho having moved the adjournment, but when the time came the member for Westland declined to step into the breach; and to save the debate from collapsing, Mr. Hanan gallantly sacrificed himself, and spoke on tho spur of the moment. In view of the fact that the party is supposed to be engaged in "sizing up" tne possible leaders.it has at its disposal, this forcing of Mr. Hanan to take the floor when he was unprepared was most unkind, and it would almost seem that one or other of his more wily rivals had cleverly worked a point against him. However, be that as it may, there still remain a good many members of the Opposition sections of the House who have not spoken, and they will not be likely to fall in with any proposal, to close down and get on with the business of Parliament. It is impossible to conceive members like Mr. L. M. Isitt, Mr. Atmore, Mr. Wilfoud, and Mr. Witty missing an opportunity to talk,, to say nothing of Sir Joseph Ward, who despite the fact that he has hung fire rather 'disappointingly in the matter of the leadership of' the party is still looked to by some as likely to ultimately take up the burden. Instead of closing down, we should not be at all surprised to find the Opposition endeavouring to awaken interest in the debate by moving an amendment in the form of a want of confidence motion. It appears to be the_ only possible means left to them if they hope to live up to the fire-eating role for which they have been cast by their friends.

The inventive faculty of the local Anti-lieform journal, though quite as activo as ever, appears to lack inspiration just now. The latest effort is in the role of Paul Pry, and conjures up a vision of its sleuth-hounds trailing at the heels of Ministers and members of the Government party, curiously scanning their countenances for signs of physical violence or mental disturbance. In all seriousness it informed its readers yesterday that it was "ouvront tall? (useful phrnw) that & little whila <uso ono of tho Minis-

tcrs left a Cabinet meeting in a rage, slamming the door behind him/' How horrible! Fancy a Cabinet Minister slamming a door behind him! Still more dreadful, however, was the story of a difference of opinion between two members of the rank and file of the Heform party. One member, it was reported, had told another that he would have his nose wrung, _ to which, according to the veracious chronicler, the member so threatened replied that he was as good a man as the other. In yet a third case two Reform members are accused oi. having had "a heated argument in the lobby." All these dreadful happenings are recorded with due imprcssivencss under "scare" headlines, in a prominent place in the columns of our morning contemporary. The dust-bin and the garbage heap having failed to provide it with suitable missiles with which to have its daily lling at Ministers, it falls back on an old ally, Current Talk, alias Rumour Has It, for a supply of ammunition. The Prime Minister and the Chief Government Whip, when questioned regarding the story, made it very clear that Mr. Current Talk is a most untruthful person. There was "not an atom of truth in that part relating to the Cabinet," Mr. Massey said, while _ Mr. GilTHßifi gave an emphatic denial of tho truth of the. statements respecting members of the party. It remained, however, for the member for Mataura to sum up the story with which he was supposed to havfl been associated, with that forceful emphasis which the circumstances warranted. "The whole story," ho said, "is an unmitigated lie." There are times when one realises what an admirable thing it is to have amongst us men who, like Mr. Anderson, do not hesitate to_ call a spade a spade when the occasion demands it.

The Anglican Syiiod of theDiocese of Auckland will meet tomorrow for the election of a Bishop in succession to Dn. Crossley, who resigned a few months ago. This, will bo the third election within a period of about ten years. A correspondent in an Auckland paper suggests that the position should bs offered to the Bishop of .Waiapu (Dr. Averill), but it is very unfair to Bishop Averill to suggest his election in this public way before tho Synod meets, and he would bo tho last man to approve of such- a courso. It is understood that quite a number of nominations "have been received by the Standing Committee, and these are said to include a New Zealand Bishop, an Australian Bishop, a well-known Auckland clergyman, and clergymen at work in other parts of the Dominion. Tho Synod may, if it thinks' fit, delegate its power of election to a Bishop or Bishops in England, but for various reasons this courso has not often been adopted of recent years.' A good deal has 'been said recently about Bishops ' beirifj overworked, and it is quite certain that in big dioceses like Auckland and Wellington a Bishop has a very strenuous time, oven if he confines his attention to purely episcopal work. Some Bishops, however, arc not content to leave the business and financial affairs of t'ne Church as far as possible to the care of laymen, notwithstanding the fact that some of the best business men in the country are ready and willing to give their time and thought to these duties. This attempt to do the things that laymen ought to do, as well as attending to their own special duties, is one of the reasons why some of the Bishops are overworked, and tho remedy lies to a large extent in thoir own hands. There is, however, urgent need for the creation of a Taranaki diocese, which would lighten the burdens of the Bishops of Auckland and Wellington.