NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2133, 27 April 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

ThD deputation oi labour imionisis which waited upon ike Minister o{ Finance, last- week to upgjp that the sentence of twelve mentns' imp-rison-ment imposed by his. Bonaur , the Chief Justice on Bfisiiv Holland, fmuid guilty of seditious utterances during the strike, advanced nos&iind reason in support of their request. The sentence of tile Court was a lenient- one in the circumstances. Kojniii' ally a twelve months' scrstcucc, H 'was actually considerably less, the term of imprisonment being dated bask to commence from February last. jlrc. Allen: stated that Ministers'had not the slightest ctesirg to adop.t an attitude towards Holland which Blight appear vindiefcivo, and promised to place the representa-lrona of the deputation before his colleagues. It is proper, of course., that any rd.presen- ■■ tatiens of the ksnd should bo eonsidei'ed, but. there can be ao question of, vindicUycbeSs where a G«>?crnmc.nt ■ merely does its duty in fleeiog that a : raaa found guilty by a jury of his ■ follow men in a Court of Justice is detained v in custody for the term ef imprisonment iniposed by th& Court. The, Governntent owes a dftty to society in the matter, aud unless soflae special eimmrstafl.ee warrants inter* : fereneo ( with the decision of a Court of .Justice it has tto ftght to iaterfere : either for or against the prisoner. ■ There is .only .one point iimoi h% tho d.eputatjoii worthy of coiisideration : that is' as to; ths ; prisoner's steite-■. of health. If it should bo found that Holland's eonditiofi is. su-eh that be cannot possibly suffer confinemetit without g-nch injury to hia health as would warrant the Gqternfficnt takjßg aCtio'jij then there is Bo»e reasonable ground for action being talen. But the Court took into conßideration fehe made on tliifc account wlton impositig sentenee, and specially exempted the prisoner frora hard Jftbotir. The occupation which has been found for jS6tt,A»jD is stated to ■be thflt_ of librarian at the- giol, which, ift view , of his stated fondness for books and reading, should be tho ftiosti co-rigeniai trossilrlo task to bo fouftd for liita flero. Moreover, tho gaol medical officer in the prdiaary ; course of events will no doubt report should the prisoner's state of health render it destrfiMe that he should be released fwm conftnoraent.

I Ihb disinelißatioft to take the . fflCEiber for Suit setiously a,i a.fiictor in politics is not ctmfi.»ed to Wel» i Hrtgtofl.. The OpppsiiiDii jouraaj in Oh.tjstsbiifGli; eci'tain.ly mad© an attempt to do SB on Saturday bj qteti»g_ cxfcfaels fr.ofn his sjieeeh (of whieh, by the way, it gtttted the Press Associatien lia4 omitted to sciid a single lite), and describing them as ''scathing." Bttfc even that jOvunal is iorqed to adroit ttm-t pevtions oi hie adiii'esß weSro "scWiatninglyfttn&y, bat iiofc politics," and, after Quoting one-of the raost eeteftiHy propared -jokelcts, to add th& samewhwt tinkind, if nedesssry.expliiinati.Qa that "this was trifling. On frho wholb.i despite : these lansss into' franknoss, the Anti-Hcfoi - m joiimal makes a valiant effort, fco eenvincc its readers that the address, to quote its own #ords,. "was botii jftstructivo and cntertainiflg." The News, pub' lisbed in the same .city, is aiso impressed with the foadttcsa of tbc mfiiiibef for Hutfc to aoso as. a wit, but it is by no mcan.s_ flattfti'iii.g in its estimate of tho' quality of Slh. WilhorH'S jokes. Mr. WHford's henrers (H wvs) kiie;W pwlectly well beforehand that they would get no 'reoioned argtmeob in ftawr of the ''Literal" Pattj-'B policy. They turned up citrtu&ng ).<( Via th& other eide roUnoly amisect br a smart law.ftr whi> has earned a reputation for humour, tbough !«>«■ he got it is <>u« of the mys-. terite of th* day. that lit-. Wifford lias; siicb a .reputation is proof of .tho readiness frith irhicii people- oj a cMt?la flrtfrp-1 like Qiiaiity ef inind will a- m«n o,t his own valuation.. Mr. Wilford's valtiatibn of himeoK is, wo should imAguM, a faitij , high one—higher than hia lar iypo a£ imnioiif, *hjeft somehow olftajs ©ro of the obvious witticisms of tto cjretts ring, quite justifies,. This, pNtfiutps, is unduly scwjso on the member far Hnti It is Quito bad enough not to be taken sftrio\\Rly j witfcont antterinp the additional .indignity of having one's carefullyprepared humour with fcije witticisms of tho circus rittg.

Most people probably will agrees that the Auckland miik vendor Ayho was fined ££9 ioi I'obbiiig his customers by watering the milk ho sold to them thoroughly despfved the treatment he received ft the hands oi the Court, the Magistrate who dealt with the matter adopted the unusual course of entering tlio jjuMixiation o{ tiie fftcts of the 'ease in the local papffs, so that the public might be warned agiitnst the milk vendor in iiursiion, mid althcrtigli this might seem a very drastic step, the circumstances of 'the case as reported seom to wafi'ant it. It mnst be evident from ttie njiinncv in which the niaw soaght ti> escape Iron) Uie mStlc inspection that. ho knew the milk ho was selling would not bcav ftiialysisi, nod such Ileitis the cafe tjicve is Hpjiarewtiy no csenso for his coaducl. The piiblic ere drttitled to pi'efecfioij ft-ofli this aoffc of fraud, and ij. whofe' 1 i6a» example &u<± at that set bv tie

Aiif:kiflniJ MnyJHltalA h likely to hare «. lif'iwfkml <**!;, There ore other Aiwivm In which (t stridor supervision siilc. t.f kidHtuJJs mifcht ho ft/Rrf;i.«!(} will) iuhnnUMa to the