NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1961, 19 January 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

:; :"v ■'-:■ ■<"• ; -'■■^.' c ..'.-; , i '■■V. , ..- , . '■:£■' t.-;* .• \ "■' L?-.:,, ; h ':V''-.I ■■ .■■■-..•■■ ■ / v.': , 'r : '"■■- f i ;^, . ''■'; .'-'V''■?.'■■'■' '■ ■' v ;.■■' Itf.ari;interview 1 -' 'which we'.'publish in another ■.column. Dr./' \V... F. Apeney, one of ths loaders of English Congregationalism, who is at present on a ..visit-to New Zealand,., makes some- very sensible remarks on- the attitude of the..Church as regards social problems. ' He states that the Churches are, keenly alive ■ to these questions, and arc trying,to fit their members to face. them, in the right spirit. ' It is; not the duty of tho Church, he says,', to deal with these problems from the economic point of view, but to show where they are urgent and where justice and humanity must come in. The Church ought not to be.allied.to any one party. This view of the situation will not, of course, satisfy, those ardent' partisans who 'think ~that: the clergy should come ■ into the ■ arena of party, and ; contend ,for particular .political :" programmes; but even '' .such'.. an , .;, advanced social reformer as Mr. , Ramsay MacDonald admits the folly of such expectations. He has no admiration for politics in the pulpit. .In his opinion ''the political pulpit is a poor, uninspiring, earthly thing' of the passions and the appetites."...What- he does expect.is,that the Church should "keep pure and fresh the spiritual wells,from which the political rivers flow, so that the- . idealism which guides civic conduct may be clear, and ,tlie morality which challenges iniquity may be. unpolluted." ~ In other words, it is the busies of the Church to lay stress upon those great ethical principles which should form tho basis of all conduct—personal, social, and political. ■. It has also a right to demand, that men should study tho pressing questions of the day so that they may exercise their duties as citizens and electors, with knowledge and intelligence, as well as good intentions.. A clergyman as such has no special qualifications for solving social atid political problems, and the detailed application of moral principals to specfic political questions must he left to the judgment of each, individual.;: >;-■/ ■; '$£\ ■-.- Not the least embarrassing problem by which the members of the British Liberal Cabinet are faced is that of reconciling .the conflicting views of their own supporters on the subject of armaments. Indeed,;tho difference of opinion exists inithe Cabinet itself, .for tho Radical;faction which is.clamouring for a :reduction in tho'.experidituro 0n.,-ships of war is led by.the Chancellor of the Exchequer ; ■.Lloyd-George). There is no doubt that Mr.'Wmstox Churgiiill (First Lord of the Admiralty)., would elect,..■■ if-, given -a,.free hand,-to maintain, the 'Navy ->atsthc requisite pitch of .his position ■ is complicated- by Ithet-at-tacks to which he is constantly being subjected by some' of-^the newspapers which support,, his party;?;and by: a section of its members.;. Possibly this pressure accounted for-.:.his'■ .recent "naval holiday" proposal,,which,was so unfavourably received on The Continent. J 'ln.',, any case,"'disaffection exists, and it is likely to be a big factor in the political, developments .of tho near futures-Some of the Radical newspapers hayeV'lefc themselves go", very .freely invcriticism of the- First Lordf , v .:Xews t'and. XcsrferVstated'in , ' an".editorial recently thatii'MßiXHirßCHai-'sJorecast of ;the i ;NaValjEs^:

breaking' ■^Rp:W^!?jiKithis3inatt(n^iiljcrfil ; ;iiiomljMsi;%|!i^niakfl?it i ol(;.ai ; S'lptli(V \P.oycrjnrK:iiVsU)atothoy^JiaVcSi ; cachctlf iljc;4,inijtsjpficomp i laccnt:.'siirre'n'd<3iv'ta (ttio;j!j(jmands|qf?:ourg,Wnr ;PDliticalS;o'pporicnl:s?of/tiie ;;: 'Govcrn-' ;mcntja.rc'iforecasting a'; party, revolt :and::ajsplit:iori'Ulte question oVanfc; raonis, : and although some of the.pro-.tcßtiHg;Liborals'aver-that they can ■.!..' d iff e r,, jw i thou t,,' disa g rec in g, "a> there is-iio■'•doubt' , that'!the'situation is' be-: the .^moment;' , ; 'however,' thelmorVmoderatevseetion: ol.ihc, Liberal .Party;, which upholds the ;;acceptod "standards *of '■■} nav.il power,&£eeinsVto have ■< gained..o.the., ascendancy;. ?■;Lord Haldaxe, speak-, ing at IToxton a day or two ago, was able to assure his auditors that the I Liberals did not intend to weaken the-1 Navy or depart,from the standard of efficiency, laid down;.; A. similar assurance was'■ given' , -by'"-Mr. HeeBErt Samuel '■ (Postmaster-General); who said, in an address at Carlinhovv," that Great Britain must maintain a sixty per c«nt. (superiority of fighting ships. , ;; These statements will have a reassuring effect for the time being, but it is quite evident that any important concession exhorted by the Radicals in the way <sf'a reduction in., naval expenditure would dangerously weaken the position of the.Liberal Party;-- v './:>. .-..-j- ,5 «!'■■■' ' 'The Ministerial by-elections which took place the other day in Victoria, and resulted in the re-election of Mr.; Watt (Prime Minister) and five of his colleagues, three of whom were returned unopposed, followed upon a somewhat unusual chain, of incidents. Although the Liberal Party, which ■Mr. Watt leads, includes two-thirds of the members of the State Assem-bly,-a..crisis,arose in its ranks some months ago which culminated in his temporary retirement from office. In July last efforts were made to induce to reconstruct his Ministry, and one of his own supporters moved a motion of want of confidence in the Government. Eventually only one Liberal voted for the motion, but the pnrty differences were not healed. On December 5 the, Government was defeated over a proposal in the Redistribution of Seats liiil to increase the number of members in the Assembly from sixty-fire .to seventy. Mn. Watt resigned, and was succeeded by the Labour Party leader, Mr. Eljisme, although the latter had a following of only twenty members in the House of -sixty-five."' The new. Ministry lasted for less than a fortnight..-. A want of confidence motion, moved by- Mi'tV- Watt, was negatived by forty votes to thirteen, after an amendmont hat.! been earned asking the Governor to grant a dissolution. This the Governor declined to do, iind Mil.-Elmslie-forthwith tendered his resignation. Mr. Watt was then sent for, and formed the Ministry which has ■'■successfully run the gauntlet of the by-elections. • It may be assumed that Mr. Watt will now be allowed to continue quietly in office until, a general appeal to the country is made, in October next. ..,'"■