NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2009, 17 March 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Tub announcement of the Minister of Justice (Mr, HerMiaS!) that an increased scafe of pay for members of the Police Force will come into operation at the beginning of next month is snfe to meet with general approval. At the time of the recent labour trouble We drew attention to the additional work and responsibility which the police were called upon to undertake, and it is. .satisfactory to know that the. Minister , has brought down a reasonable scale of increases. It is of great importance to the- whole community that the Force should consist of steady, intelligent, and trustworthy men.; and in order to secure an adequate, supply of policemen of this type it is desirable that the Force should be made as attractive, as possible to young men' about to choose their career in life. It has to be borne in mind that rates of pay have been going m> in other oesupations, and unless the police shared in the general improvement in wa.ges the Force could not fail to suffer from the cGftrnetitiea of other callings, The public will be glad to know that the Minister considers the Force now is a. good one, but he also says it can still be improved; and it is to bo hoped that the new conditions will attract & steady supply of suitable men. Mr. Hbrdman gives an interesting sketch of the possMiitks ■of a career in the New . Zealand Police Force, It certainly has attractions for the right sort of men, Th'e system of promotion gives. each member a ehanee of rising from tho lowest to the highest rung of the ladder. This is as it should be. The State should treat its employees with consideration and nay them well. In return the public has a right to demand faithful and ■efficient service. There may he a few policemen, in New Zealand who da not come up to the standard, Imt talcen as a whole the Force has proved that it can be relied upon to do its duty, and 'it has won the respect and confidence of the law-abiding section of theeotnmtuiity.

In view of the new depa.rjsuj'd which this Dominion has made in its naval policy, N«w Zealanders cannot fail to bo keenly interested in the working out of the Australian Navy scheme, and it is satisfactory to know that the Commonwealth's fleet ia fulfilling the expectations of those in the lest position to judge of its progress. Lost week the flagship and other Vessels of the Royal Australian Navy returned to Sydney after an absence of four months, awd AbsiiJUi Patey is alilc to speak in high terms of praise of the men and the ships under his control lii conversation with a representative of the Sydney] Morning McraM, he expressed himself as delighted to afford information with, regard to the work of the fleet, for he 'is anxious that the people of Australia should realise that they have not provided him merely with, expensive playthings, bub have enabled the Government to furnish, with their money, efficient fighting machines, able to render as good an account of themselves as any vessels of tlte. same class in the Bioyal Navy. After, some months' experience of the petsop.nel under his control, the Admiral is aMe to report that the men shew as Kiueh promise- as thfj. ships in which tkey serve, whilst the first training crfiisoof the first Australian fleet in being has de.mo.nsf.rated beyond all cavil ■that the material at his command is not likely; to prove unworthy, of the distinguished officer whoso tasjk is to endeavour to make it as efficient as possible. "Australians are quick to learn," said the Admiral, "and thoroughly keen 'on anything like firing. They are_ shaping very well, indued, and it is'only a matter of time whw» I am quite .satisfied they will do as well as any other men serving on British ships. You cannot expect that ilicv will become jierfcet all at once, hut they undoubtedly promise well, and that is all I ask at this stage." Th« Ad* ■mirai's report is gratifying U'am every point «i view, and should be encouraging tb those wlw an l laying the foundations of the New Zealand naval sthenic. It ittay bo taken forgranted that the young New &ealander will make _t|uite as jjood a seaman and prove just as efficient, in every way as there young Aus'tra* lians of whose conduct and ability AMilfiM. Paley speak* to highly.

I A 'BiosiFiCASt feature of the present state of international affairs in Europe is the prominence which the Balkan has ofleo nioro assumed. Ever since the recent war there has been a good tJeal of unrest ■ in the Near East, but there was Reason for hoping that things were gradually settling down. Now the world is informed by no less an authority than Count Wittb, tho distinguished Russian statesman, that i the clangor point is Rumania and Austria, and the Austrian M.in» ister of Defence declares that nobody can, believe that the Balkan problem will be settled, in such a way as to prevent sudden complications, Recent cablegrams show that Turkey is still suffering from internal strife, that there arc grave disorders in Albania, and that an anti-Greek boycott is causing friction between Turkey and Greece. AH this goes to show that another upheaval in the Balkans is by no means 'impossible, and the interference of any outside Power might precipitate a .European war, It is stated 'that Russia is determined that TsAfi FIiKD-iNJOT of Bulgaria must be replaced by Pkixce Bonis, who is supposed to-have Slav leanings, and it" is believed that it wa.s Russian infhicnec which caused Rumania to interfere in the war between Servia and Bulgaria. It is quite possible that Rumania may make another move, which would probably result in a clash between the interests of Austria, and Russia. A conflict between these two .great Powers would almost certainly bring France and Germany into the fray, and it is doubtful whether Britain could remain, a "spectator, Russian newspapers declare that extrao.rdifrary naval and military credits are being discussed by the Budget Committee of the Duma, and in reply to German criticism the French Press asserts that Russia and France have just as much right as Germany to perfect their armaments.- there js a firm determination among the younger generation in France not to submit to any further htimiiia.tio.tts from Germany.

Th.6 Suffragette madness shows no sign of abatement, and neither friend nor foe is .safe from the unwelcome attentions- of these militant w v ofti,en, who are destroying historic buildings and priceless works of art : in the mistaken belief that they are furthering' their cause. It is, of course, an utterly in-defensible' and quit?, senseless procedure, and.many people have come to the conclusion that the place for the perpetrators of such deeds is an asylum for mental defectives. The. latest- outrage is the desecration of BirminghamCathedral by painting the galleries, doors, and pew fronts with the words "Votes for women,'" and the same words were also danbed across the centre of the magnificent BimNEwindow* "The clergy mast rise- on our behalf," was 'inscribed on the vesfcrv door, it is a strange way of securing the sympathy of the clergy; but, after all, people 'who do these things are hardly responsible for their actions. As*a .matter of fact Suffragettes have probably received more considerati.oi'i from the'clergy than from any other see- : t-ion of the eommunity. In spite 'Of protests, the Bishop of Winchester insisted upon finding a place, for the discission of the Suffrage mavcjifcait at the. Church Congress in October; last, and subsequently, in respcaise'to an appeal by the Bis'kfp of jfeusiiig* ton,, a large number of clergymen signed, a protest against .forahle■ feeding. 'Still more recently the Women's Social and Political Union appealed to the Bjsfaop of London to visit Holloway Gafll to make inquiries co-n-Berning the condition of a militant priso»cr< Another militant had declared that she had heard "shrieks and moans" coming from the eell. The,. Bishop found the prisoner lying-on a comfortable bed, fully dressed., in a well-warmed ecll. Her- face was fully rounded and showed no signs of emaciation or distress, except that it was a little pale. In the course of a friendly talk she foltl the Bishop that she had not shrieked, and her only ee-m.pisii.it was that she had not been released, as others were under the new Aet. '.The Bishop interviewed the Home ■■Office on the woman's behalf, b'ti : t the militants showed tto gratitude, On the contrary, .they gave him a "kitn" on his next public appearance. The inconsistently,of tlicsc misguided women is aaazinpr. A few "weeks ago the Preston Suffragists were .permitted to use the |aa-r js-h church for . a service of prayer and intercession, for the "martyrs" in prison, Tills looked as though they wove going to turn over, a- new leaf, but that prayer meeting lias been followed at, intervals by the destrmctioß of an ancient ehureh. the explosion of a bomb in Westminster Abbey, ami the tlesecra,- ~ tion of Birmingham Cathedral.