NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2128, 21 April 1914, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

A uitifif glaiiee &t tho City's fiftflo , : eial position as disclosed by the bal . a-Ace-shcet laid before the Git? Council last evening by the Mayor., Sift. J. P. Luke, discloses a.state of. affairs that cannot fail to bo regarded as vqry satisfactory. The receipts for the ycai undet general. account show aa increase of SlioO and the expenditure an inereae-o of £7200, th© Uttcf being duo to tbo heavy ddinaiid for Hospital and Charitable Aid fcttd to suburban district reva.li>atiioi3&. The figures, in connection with the widening of Willie Street are Very interesting. Despite the heavy co&fc (£ll6,24B)'incurred in fcho p-uychase of', properties necessa.ty to enaWe the at-reeWid«aing operaiiohs to be carried, out, tho met c<?afc ol the widen.itig of the street 16 feefc trxis only Bu,W. fhe City Oerporation now holds propertjea in tire _strGefc valued at £106,309, and it is not tisrcosotiablo to expect; that in omirsc of timo the ipctcaso ia the value ti properties will morO than rnafce.up tee cost of tho strife-widening work, fho positioD of the- tramways shows inv provement. Tha revenue metcast daring the yea.r by £15,430, as eorn> pafed with t'hafe for 1013, while tho expeadiiuro wojjt up bv only £4981. the pctcdwt&ge-. of working Mpefltes to iicteamd {irom M&A t6 6p,S, which is a. decided tiio-Vcinonfe in fch? right direction. In. $$, tigbtiflg D6.pa»«ttnent. rtsb ttetc wag a-, parked advadcft ift revenue, tym. a,nieu.ut Wng.f3'B2J, whik the increased experidifcuro was Jess than enfi-thif d that amount. • Tho net surplus ffora tho tighfctnE De-partaenG in 1913 m? £13,1.4.8, vriiihl iti WU it had {$oue iip to £l&,soa. The average working expenses per unit sold i» creased frorii %id to 2.28. The Maypir and Counqilfers pay well tml gratifiod at tijo state of the City's trading disclosed fey. the also a* the satis* factory position of the general aeepii&t.

fHE fo-ixjßfisa of Mr.. Isjtt for <ltiij33 and jokes has led t<) him not being takcjj very serioufily in politics, and in eon*c«juencn it would not be qidia fAJi* to ttexl hi* uttcpiuiccs as eite wouid do one «?f the more rcSTjoiiisiblft of tho Opposition Party, Be bus Ijovmvor won the (listinction: of bfiing, so far as we kna-% the fiurt of the Wardisfc) to nttejnpt ta iul< van en somctliinit like a reason for the failure of Sir Johepu Wakd k> bring forward a jwliey, and that being tUfe *:as« it i?i perhaps worth quoting. Here it is: AI l.li? Inst "CenVMiliett of Progrossivos.', 1)p *aiili it iii) 4 ljt>e.t» urgfit upon Kir Joseph W«v<J Hwt li.« slimW ilcciaro ljis pcrficj. But Sir .JoMpli rcfi.iscvl U) do k<l, a«<l gave i>. very t.mniA I'wi.soti for liis rofuail. It *iis on Uieso lines-.— ''Aγ pT«3ont iro 'h-iv/ , on oppoi-iHiiit.v of rriliciftinif thn mistafeos aw! erfwrs of the SIaSSW Ciovwnnjent. Olwctfy we pro(Virjßfl r<. ptiVrc.j wf> shiiti Iw. pftPfliECK.! in fli>fic..iidiitS atiarVs mii/t's upon it-, iiwl-parl of e»nl.ioiwilly .uiixyfcin* (h> 6evernpi4n<. The *ttoclcin< is a)T*.y» jtrwittv rtan th» .4ef«.n<iiiw p,wt7." He, Isiit evittentty left the -"Con-

■ vii'n tion of Progrcßsivflir 1 iiommtdfMJ tlmt it wns n B<juti(| thing to haw, p>; , . policy at nil, feneaofic if fcho W»rtJi»t J'iwty hud Tin policy no oho wjuUl sittuek it. And sjroplfl Mil. l«m innoconUy pulfl this forward jib n.n <;xCHws for Sift Joskw -Wahd'b oilcucc. How Sin iIosWM mUßfc.cnjny ilifiso Jittio t|i«©}osiif«H to the public by fiis indiscreet friends.

A ooop deal of diecufigion is β-t .present going -on i« Australia with regard to tlie Common wealth'» naval policy, Had in view of r/irasnt developwienliH SENATOR MiUKN, tho Inderal Minister of .Defence, thinks it ia necessary th&t there should bo a, conference with the- Admiralty authorities in otift to fl-seijrtain Australia's true- position in the naval defence scheme o£ the Empire. The Commonwealth, ccftflinljr Ims njood reason to oompliiin of tho vacillating ntti* tttdo of the, hdmiteAty on; this quc»tioft, and. New Zealand also line had some experience of fclte uneertfiijifcy iirigih'g *>iit of tlae f&iltirc of tho British aiitiiorHicß bo maintain a definite and eonaiatcnt, policy as regards; t|jp navel defence of thn oversees Dominions, Speaking in LomloH rechntls, on "Tho Sea Fotees o£ the Empire, rs AdMiwx Sin G, P. KimTtMi; formerly ■Coffl.wan.dcr-ifl'Cji.fef of the Australian: Naval Statioii., niftde some very interesting .remarks on Australia's aspifatioaa • He said:

Tiio old poirej of Awrfmilia; ending ft contribution, to (ircat Britain in awonfly towards navat ikf-gnce was .wever pdp-uJni'i it wae unsound in principle, nnd unstable from ovory point of view, polilleallj-i nationally, and Imperially, arid as elio. lias realised her plftw in tlie J/iiipiro as on* of' the sistoi' liations eoln-jsss.ing .it, e.b has Australia de'tertninod to talso un her shore of the burdeit of flavol deridrcft and gko .pttrso'Hat «s well w • fiftvice. and this fe*Hh.g is u.ndoabWly responsible jn some measure for-. Uvo present policy wiich las : ffi« whole Juterost and djnamic isf tin? naton behind it. ,

In. these sinking wowts, Admibaj, Sib G,, l<. KiNQ-HA.te voices the prevailing -ojiinkiii in New Zealand as well a? in Australia. 'Neither Ays* tralia. nor $eW Zealand has any ihteatioii of building up Aβ isolated and independent navy of its own; Whatever they .do will fij in with the Imperial naval scheme.. The ctfseip' Jin6 aiid training would be the sa;m6 in »li porfciwis of thij Eijag'e aiid.ihe.ro 'Vi'onld lie only one control |fl time of war. In-stead o| the; hew , policy being a, stejl towards dhintegrfttioii ifc will, aa'ApJUfijifc IjiNCi* Hall states, be one of thfe Btfon.ges.t bonds of union, and *'thig naiicin.a;l movcniont will go ctortm-in/history, as one of tho most eojisoli-dating epochs in the annals of the Briiisli Empire,"

Tttß momcer for Hofct Jiaviiijr caught the p r re'v*ailiag epJdamie of spefech-ftakinK it is not at all surprising that he should be ijtixiousto air h|s wit aftd wisdom before a WellitigtGn audknee. It. is surely super' flwUB ( -.lioWßvcrr, lor Mnj.WWKrtHb to a.nnoffnce in his advertisemenfe that "No specials ave rß:C]iiired" $.1 his meeting. 4 So lai* as we hftte Ijccn Able- k> .the only people whohave been disiufbing pulilio &&§&■ ingn hate b&n the hiilitahi .geflile' Weil associated ■with th<j Bed Isdera- ■ tiou. and tlio .(istrenje *rad.kal cH-nicnti'-which new figures so proniiiicnUy in the ranks .fljf And: Mil.. Wri.pQiiD.is no doubt 'quite-: $afq in numbering -these- aitoong.si his a^.j. niiffejs.. Tire sneer ,af tho "syi.Sci,#' : ., which i:S s<j charmiijg -a:n oxainple of the dignified humour of the memiier for -Hutt siiou-ld quite stinj-eien-fc in i itself to win him tho goodwill ofi the roughs and toughs of thfc coinmmiifcy,' and ensure fem a- royal ■ eeptien afc their bauds,