NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1841, 29 August 1913, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The Anglican Diocese of Auckland, which has fallen rather unsettled state owing to the fesignation of two bishops within a comparatively short period of time, is fortunate in securing so able and experienced a head as the Bishop of VVaiapu (Dr. Averill), who has now signified his willingness to accept the bishopric. Dr. Averill is a, strong, active man, who is still in the prime of life,-and he is thoroughly acquainted with all phases of church work. His practical knowledge of the duties of a parish clergyman will enable him to give real help and encouragement to his clergy, while his sound judgment and direct commonsense are sure to inspire .confidence among the laity. His Synod 'addresses and other public utterances show that he has kept well abreast of the main currents of modern thought, and that he can be relied upon to 1 give a clear and helpful lead whenever he may feel called upon to deal with the pressing religious, moral, and social problems 'of the day. In Auckland the schools of thought in the Anglican Church are more sharply divided than in the other New Zealand diooeses; but Dr. Averill is not a keen party man,.and can be relied upon to hold the balance fairly and to do justice to all parties—' High, Low, and Broad. He will have, the willing Assistance of some of the best business men in Auckland in dealing with the financial affairs of the diocese, and by making the fullest use of lay help of this' character ho _ will minimise the risk of another episcopal' breakdown. The finance and property of the Church ought to be managed by laymen, and a bishop should as far as possible devoto his time and energies to the spiritual work of the diocese, Dr. Averill's acceptance of the Auckland bishopric will necessitate the election of a successor for the- See of Waiapu, and the Synod should find no difficulty in securing a suitable man for the position without going outside the Dominion.

The threat rradc by the member for Awarua that he and other wealthy racn would leave the country if New Zealand allied itself to Canada'or Australia in a, local navy scheme strikes us as beiiig rather, indiscreet. He would have been much better advised had he rested satisfied with informing the House , of the "men of means, and property" who had told him of their dread intention without including himself in their ranks. It could not ha overpalatable to those of his would-be followers who are so anxiously angling for the support of the Labour Socialists. Possibly, however, Sin Joseph Ward merely gave utterance to hia threat in order to harden up the fragments of "Liberalism" scattered over the Opposition benches. They have shown themselves so utterly helpless without him, however, and are obviously so ready to humble themselves at his feet, that it was almost wanton cruelty to harrow their feelings further with the prospect of him leaving them altogether.

Our Parliamentary visitors from the Motherland were unfortunate in striking a dull afternoon in the House uf Representatives yesterday. It would bo a pity to think that they should form an estimate of the debating strength of the Mew Zealand Parliament on the poor stuff with which the afternoon was wasted. The wearisome monotony of the member for Wiiirau was one of the blots on the afternoon's proceedings, while the member for Humnui distinguished him&elf b£ a descent into Pjeltjr jjartj

gibes that no doubt duly impressed the visitors with the statesmanlike talent running to waste on the Opposition benches. The member for .In; Southern Maori district .set an excellent examnle to his associates in Opposition. He was frankly outspoken in his criticism of the Government, hilt he was able to criticise and tu. condemn without finding it necessary to support his attack with frequent suggestions of bad faith and evil intentions. .His speech, and that of Mr. Ngata, the member for the Eastern Maori District, should have convinced the Parliamentary visitors present that the younger generation of the Natives of New Zealand are well qualified, to hold their own "with the white population iu management of their affairs.

The position in China seems to be going from bad to worse,' and no one can imagine what the end of the present upheaval will be. Rccent events show that the national characteristics t a people cannot be changed merely by a change in the form of government, No doubt the Chinese suffered nutch at the hands of the Manchus, but the deplorable state of affairs depicted in recent cablegrams proves that the new regime has fallen far short of expectations. The Daily Chronicle states that "the sum total of human misery in, China since the fall of the Manchus is staggering."' The' nation has got out of the frying-pan only to fall into the fire. Some people seem to think that the sovereign remedy for all social and political evils in an'y country is the establishment of Parliamentary government, no matter whether the nation is fitted to make proper use of representative institutions or not. The experience of China since the'revolution, and the state of chaos which has resulted from the working of the new political machine, go to show that good government, peace and prosperity do not automatically follow the removal of pigtails, the adoption of top hats and frock coats, and the establishment of a Parliament on the most approved European lines. The change from Manchu despotism to the new regime was too great for a naturally conservative race like the Chinese to make at a bound, and the attempt has landed the country in disaster. Sun Yat Sen. and his friends have for the present lost their chance, and it remains to be seen whether the astute Yuan Shih-Kai will be able to bring order out of the existing chaos.