NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2137, 1 May 1914, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

O.ve of. the organisers of the Social Democratic Party has been adopting the Komcwhnfc dangerous role of the'can did friend. If he is to be beiiovedj the position of tho party in Canterbury just now is a, tar from happy one. In the course of an nxticlo dealing with the question of the agitation for the release of HoiitANß, he writes;—

Let as be perfectly ftraak. Wo Irate no solidarity. Far': of the Labour liiovetmmt—tho iltill, cvampod, potty part, which reads no books, sees n» visions ami fofls no fine, exultancy <vt .the tliougWi ' of frornkm—will lose no eTcep." afcotit Harry Holland. Indeed, some of it will ho mennly Rleoitii, Jeiiionsy, .suspicion, little nrnbiiioi'.sMiave diwuptert ti-i hmv, am) \vli.enwe had the militant spirit {ttmbling for vigoToil? expi-cssion. the st'ril'te loft an In}iiriou4 jwyeliaiogieal effect. Tlw batij--awy, «ntliiuia»m, fire,-fviiieiU dnring tfio strike I'er tho tinip'hits (tone. Discoiirnci-l ineiit has set in. Disaripaifilniesrt lifts led lo jF-criiiimation. and thai has led k> cwelossne?,*. In stoat part Hi* lwwis tiuion. witli its FOUHsI })itf|so?e, lias ?i!w\v.?d sincerity nnd iii.gli fooliag out of our Iwst ovg:uii.*iilions. This is tnapornry only, no ilouW: Knit ihp inr.t iemaißs that for'cUalln* ellVfiivoly wiili Mr. UollntidV situstion we were niw so inoupnblp. OutinovMiiPiit is slisusiilpd, snflV'Viiig the esIh'iiiilion which iiroelnilt'i ('motion.

It; is not at iflj surprising that the ''buoyancy, enthusiasm, fire, evident during the strike' , should now- ho wanting. The rank and 'file of tho ulrikci'K were shnuiefiill.v deceived h.v fheii - leaders, <iml holsteroil up wif.ii false hones of vielor.v oven when tie* IWil plainly si a red (lie n> in ibe face. Rut. this is not I he only rea s<lll foe (he unhappy position 'of Hie Tled-T-Vft-Sonsi] ftflmomtie hfothorhoofl. There if Moftiw rtieaiv Kippins \h stt-eostk, The Wardute w Cbritt-

church have been angling for Lα-bour-Socialists' support, and itwould seem that their efforts have not ken altogether iu vain.- Whcthev in tho oiicl this will profit the Wardists is very -doubtful, for id will probably alienate still further the modentla people who in the past nave supported the "Liberal" party, and who will bitterly resent ation with the militant Socialists who mainly constitute ih-e Heel Federation. 'Probably the result -of thevoting tit tho vo.ccul, municipal dec* tions at Wellington, Chvistchnrch, and Westpbrfc will assist to convince the Social Democrats that the Wardists, i-aough glad enough to use them as their tools, are mvite ready to leave them in tho lurch when it suit? them to do so,

TuE'cxistcnce- of an undercurrentof strained feeling between liussio and Germany is admitted by iiu« German-Minister for Foreign Affairs, according to a eaiokgra: which appears in ' another- column: but ho adds that both Government? hope to maintain fnefully relatior Quite recently <a violent anti-11' sian campaign was carried on in thy. German and Austrian .Pr<;ss, and .Russist was accused of adopting a menacing attitude. The reason of the outburst was not ea.s.v to understand, and a number of different explanations were given; bwt fte pj'erailing opinioft among • English newspapers was 'that the .purpose s>l tte agitation was to nr.epai-o the way for further deniantts on fhe Gcnnan t-nspayer-g in tho foi'iii of increased expenditure on the. Av-niy and Na-vy. Thai'e is do doiibfc « spirit 'of_ nnrest and s>ispicioTi on the Continent, ant! the continual growth of armaments shows that tlifi Great Powers realise the need of being prepared f<jy any eßiorgsncy that may arise. Thft restoration of pdaco in the Balkans has lessened the danger from that fjuartei* for the Mine being, but no ©tie pre-tenih tlj-at tho Balkan problem has been filially settled. Cocnt Wilis, the , we}]known Russian statesman, recently declared thai only tho first act ii> ■ the Balkan drama has been playftt], and '-'we have now aa, entt'o-ttc which \vill • perhaps la'st years, pei , - liaps only months." He-- states that a.moftg the points of danger are tho relation?- between Ewwanift and Aus-tria-Hungary, and the sentiments o| tlic- jPfenefe towards ■ Germany will ■ahvays ?ii'trt),se doubt. He also draws attention to the onnnous fact that ariJianjcßts were everywhere mthe Balkan war, arid states t-hafe this competition in arma* ments is not ■calculated to reasstire. fhe illness of the EjrpEftoii eft AvsttciA is a serious faotcsi' ia tho situation, .and must tend to increase the ■fetsling of uncertainty,' Accorcfiag to latest information at tile time of writing his health is imjiroviiig, bitt iiß is riow vevy old, inid tile removal ■of his steadying infln-cnco may t-ako jilace at- an j- time.' ;

The cheerful review of the: prospoets o£ the Reform Hvb}\ as -supplied by the Government whip alter a tonr throughout a nuirt'bsr of electorates, seems to have rather \ttssct the kwal Qpf ©silixm jaurna-l, whfeli devotes something like a- tiotomh ajitl a half of its.spaee- to an endeavoiir t.t> discount the opjaiops expressed. 1 It is iat' altogether su-Vprisiftg that; the j-owival in question should , be' alarmed at Mr. Guthiue's survey of the situation, for it no doubt realises that the results of tha recent municipal elections go a long Way towards confirming tiic views advanced by tb:e member for OroU.a. ft was liHidc abundaritly dear at the : .polls on AVednestlay that the ctHi-rfry; is quite out of sympathy with tJio. extremists who last year sought to. paralyse the trade; ant! commerce tit the Dominion, and who were .oft-; cDurag^d'lii their efforts by the it judicious utterances and con'ditet of. the "Liberal" party in Parliament,' No oftc, we iHiagine,-Can 4ottM Ehat; what tho great talk '<rf the pepfile, of New Zealand desire, is a peifi&d ijl settled g-DVerament on sound find, progressive lin&s, stich as the lc&f : m Govcrnflioiit is aow providing. Tbo country is extremely pro'speTe.us, and the favm.er and ,, ' producer; : and tliß peoiolc in the- towrts and eities will all share flircctly or ind.ji;eoti.y in thftt presperity if' matters are'allowed to tafo. their normai course-,■ a»d no, disturUiag in-flAienCfiS are .perffiitted to iatei'fere with the dwe-l'qjj-jjjient.of ira.do v aiad'iiKhistoy. it he Gov.eriiiiient- A¥lii]!> v as "a shrewd and «bs.ei-vast poHticiiiin, lias . p-iit : t\yo and-two together, and has f&n-nd tte : result very satisfactory from the Governnieet's point of view,, _ He is> of com'se, a joartisan,; and Ms opinions can be disooimtecf, |ust as much «!> as little- at the, indivtiu-ftl reader c-hoases to discorait ■tienj. Ju'Sfc;, for instance, as they migfbt do in similar cireamstaaeesAyitu the 0.51H-: ions cf Sir Joseph Ward regarding' . Ids own prospects, The party politician is usually more or loss biased concerning lits own party Is claims to eonsiaerittien, and the publie know this very well, and endeavour j to read between tjic lines., aacl 1-pv.m J ait estimate fer thsmselvcs. Wh'atBvev eoaolusioii they may arrive nk regarding the grounds for Me, UtiTOTiE's confidence in the Wtlook for his party—-whether they fckiuk itis fvilly .iwst.ifi.cfJ or that lie is undnly bptiniis-tic—they- can at least reafc assurcci that ho k very chefefful over it. And 'ha conld hardly be a§ far astray in his estimate as wore Sir Joseph Was& and his friends in their prophecies on the cte of the last General Election.