NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1894, 31 October 1913, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

There appears to be good reasons for hoping that, a settlement of the Panama Canal tolls question ia' now in sight. In another column we publish a cablegram stating _ that President Wilson has , practically decided to nullify tho fivo per cent, shipping preferential clause, tho At>-torney-General having decided that discount cannot be granted to American vessels without a similar concession being given to ships of other nations. Some timo ago the British Government protested against the proposed preferential treatment _to American vessels, and many leading American authorities hold that the United States is morally bound to admit foreign ships through the Canal on tho same terms as American vessels. Mb. Fairbanks, a politician of high standing, recently explained the position with great clearness as far as the Canal negotiations are concerned. He said that the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, which the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty abrogated, specifically stated that the Canal should be open to the subjects of the United States and Great Britain, on equal terms, whilst the Hay-Paunce-fote Treaty declared that there should be no discrimination against any nation. If the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty had intended to exempt Americans, they would riot have followed so closcly the phraseology of tho Clayton- Bumver Treaty. When tho HayPauncefote Treaty was before the Senate the -question of reserving privileges for the Americans was fully considered. Senator Baud offered an amendment reserving the right of preferential treatment, which was defeated decisively, on the ground that it was in violation of the principles first promulgated by the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty and then incorporated in the Hay-Paunce-fote Treaty. All this went to show that the existing Treaty was written,, ratified, and exchanged with full knowledge on the part of the United States Government of its true meaning. Should they now read into it an exception not intended when the Treaty was negotiated, or should they stand by what they had said, and intended to say? The viow expressed by Mr. Fairbanks is supported by the best Eection of American public opinion, and it was stated some time ago that the President had intimated to tho British Ambassador that a- settlement of the tolls question favourable to Great Britain- would bo arrived at. The delay that has taken place has been due, it is generally understood, to a desire to pass the Tariff Bill heforo bringing the Canal difficulty to the front. The probable nullifying of the 'preferential clause will give general satisfaction to Britain and the overseas Dominions.

The Synod of the diocese of Melbourne has given a lead to the Anglican world by granting women the right to vote tor lay representatives on the Diocesan Synod, The Archbishop of . Melbourne (Dr. Cmrke) stated during the discussion that he could not call to mind any other part of the Anglican Communion in which women had been given the right to vote; but the Sydney Morning Herald points out that in the six dioceses in New South Wales women havo voted in synod elections for many years. • Archdeacon Boyoe, in tlio provincial svnod of 1895, when a new constitution was under consideration, proposed an amendment to give women votes, which was, after much debate, carried. The majority was very small but effective. The new constitutions required an Act of Parliament to make them law. and that was passed in 1902.. Several of the New Zealand dioceses have passed resolutions in favour of women being allowed to vote at parish meetings, but a Bill would have to bo passed by the General Synod to give effect to the proposal, and so far the majority of tnat body has been hostile to the chango. The mover of the resolution in the Melbourne Synod declared that women had shown that in nearly every avenue of life they had as keen a grasp of intellectual matters as men, and he stated that the Bishop of Oxford (Da. Gore) had said that but for the women he would have to curtail a large portion of his diocesan work. One of tho speakers was of opinion that women should havo the right to sit in Synod as well as the right to vote for lay representatives, but this suggestion was not pressed. Tho Archbishop thought that the carrying of the proposal would be a great and new departure in Church life, and one which would have its influence over the whole life of the community. The second reading of tho Bill was carried by a majority of 07 clergy and I 56 laity, only 6 clergy and 2 laity voting against it. The movement in favour of giving women tho right ] to vote at parish meetings is certainly gaining in strength in Sew Zealand. There is much to be said in favour of the change and very little against it. The General Synod is accustomed to move in a very leisurely manner, but it will probably, before many years' go by, follow the example of the Synod of the Diocese of Melbourne.

At the present moment, when reckless and irresponsible persons are making threats of a general strike in New Zealand, the references made to this obsolete industrial weapon at tho conference of German Socialists recently hold at Jena, are of special interest. The discussion and the vote showed that the great majority of the delegates were of opinion "that more can be gained by quiet work than by revolutionary methods. The correspondent of tho Morning Post states that the trade unions in particular will have nothing t-o do with revolution, and the working men who spokfl during tha debate showed how cloarlv. tW. realised wlia!" a dftusoi-

oils experiment a general strike in Germany would bo. Moreover, as Dr. David remarked, "After all, although we have four and a half million voters behind us, our opponents have eight millions behind them, and of these eight million voters at least six millions belong to the working class." Dr. Eduard Bernstein recalled the result of the general strike in Sweden in the year 1909. Before tho strike, ho said, tho trade unions had a membership of 180,000. After it they had less than half that number —between 80,000 and 90,000. Herr Gustav Bauer, who spoke for tho trade unions, contended that the question of insurance against unemployment was far moro important than that of a general strike. Dit. David expressed the opinion that "a general strike in Prussia dui'mg the next few years, inaugurated for the purpose of forcing the Government to extend the franchise, would result in a terrible catastropho for modern workmen," and he added that a mass striko was impossible at tho present time because the mas-sea were against it. Similar opinions are held by many of the most level-headed British labour leaders. Mr, James Sexton. secretary of tho National Union of Dock Labourers, recently expressed the view that trades unionism should be conducted "by tho saner methods of reason and argument, and that tho weapon of the striko should not bo so lightly resorted to, and never without having exhausted the methods of argument and reason." One of the" main objects of tho Arbitration Bill introduced by Mr. Massey is to insist upon a breathing space during which these "saner methods" may have a chance of bringing about a settlement before such extreme measures as lockouts and' strikes are adopted.

"The Premier has claimed that the people are behind him. Why not test it?" There is sound common sense in these words uttered by Mb. Bqxap, Law, Leader of tlio British Unionists, in the course of his speech at Wallsend) a, summary of which appears in our cable columns. This, of course, would mean a general election on the Home Rule Bill; and there seems to be a growing feeling that a measure of sucli great importance ought not to be passed without a, direct and unmistakable mandate of the people. Such a mandate has not yet been given. The Times thinks that recent speeches of Liberal leaders indicate that the Government recognises that tho opposition of Ulster must be seriously considered, and, if possible, placated; but neither Mr. Asquith nor any of his colleagues has so far disclosed what concessions they are prepared to make. They have only given some vague hints of tho possible exclusion of Ulster from tho jurisdiction of the Dublin Parliament. It would be interesting to have a definite statement from Me. Redmond regarding the Nationalist attitude on' this point.. It is now stated that- men are being enrolled in Canada t'o fight on behalf of Ulster. It is impossible to say how much truth there is in this rumour, but in any case it affords a good indication of the keen interest which is being taken in the Honio Rule problem in the overseas Dominions. j