NOTES OF THE BAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2145, 11 May 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE BAY.

A satisfactory feature of the meetings of Iwuseholcfers tor the election of school committees was the disinclination to tolerate tho intrusion of party politics and other sectioiial issues. It- is true -that bsr-e and tiiei-p unsuccessful attempts were made Iα capture tho comißittees in tho interests of the SociiflistSj which shpvs the need of continual vigij&nce on the part of the general public, Some .people seemed to think thai the Bibie-iH-Schools controversy would ifiajto itsclf fult irt the meetings, but. the good sense of both sides prevented _ this from being mado a test question. In one or two eases, it is trtte, some discussion took pla.eo on this matter, and candidates were asked to state their views, but there is nothing to show that, it Was the determining factor in any of the elections. It was, no doubt, evident to the eofn.mon sefisoof the householiiers that no good purpose could bo served by de-bating a problem which the committees liave no power to settle. It should be treated from the point of view of national policy, which cannot lie decided hy local eonsidmtioßS, aad should bq kept outside tie of party 'politics. Such a question enn only ha decided by' tile direct vote of ih« whole fwoplc It is bpcoming move- evident ovpry day tlinfc ho oi!»v of scttloincnt will give gvnciMl satis* faetioii or put nn (-nd to ilw ]nngstfintling; agitation which it-has prr>-viikc-d. Tt would manifestly be most undrlirablo that tho uuiitoi* should b« s-ttlpci in different ways in different districts. Their must be i> uniform policy for tho «.iiok country, a&id what'that policy Khali be ou.dit to he I decided b> , tie people of Sew Zea-

land as a whole by means of a refer' eiuhim, _ Tlie householders' meetings acted wisely in leaving the controversy to be settled by some more authoritative tribunal. The pretence- that, the proposed conference of Labour unions fixed for July is something outside- the- Federation of Lab-oil!- is considerably discounted by the fact that the Federation Executive, has taken over the tiisk_of summoning delegates and making the necessary arrangements. 'In the current issue o£ the Federation's newspaper, the matter is discussed at some length, and the plea jnit forward is that taboiir should sink its differences and submit to majority rule. That is to say, that the unions which disagree with the extreme revolutionary methods of the "lied Federation" should attend tho conference, be outvoted by the revolutionaries, and come under the domination of the Sempies aftd Hickeys, and their like. It is, of course, an admirable proposal from tho point of view of tlie "Beds." There is little doubt that tlwir organisation is stronger than that of tlie United Labour Party, and even if it were not, it is inconceivable that the extreme militants at 'the head «?f it would bow to tho control of men like Mn. D. M'Lauejs, the Hon. J. T. PAL*!., and others who rank us kadcrs amongst the moderatoj Labour element. The only outcome of the conference that seems afc all probable is the streagtheniMß of the Red Fedoration, and no doubt; that is the purpose for which it is being convened, It is perhaps of some interest to note tlie Pcdfiratiofl's estimate of tho st.ven.gtli of tlie labour-Social-ist vote in WeUingtoa as disclosed by the recent Mayoral election. Me. Glover (Social Democrat) polled 4.T*7 votes, and Ma. M'LAttEN (Labour-Socialist) 4139. Of Mn, MTiAnEN's total, the Federation estimate that 2000 v«re "Liberal," arid deducting them it leaves 2539 Votes to be added to ]tfft- GlovHj's,votes, making the , total Labour-Socialist vote 6-876. This is regarded as most encouraging. "Two -years ago," the newspaper of the R<?d Federation states, "it, is questionable - if 10S0 votes would have been cast; fur a Sacialist candidate. To-day we have 1 ■433? Socialist voters." Tliig is true enough, arid ifc is'a furUier jnwntive' $> (Mtxlerate people of all political "parties to come together. I It is not surprising that a good j deal of indignation has been aroused j in Franco regarding the rumour that the German authorities intend to withdraw the permits to French residents to sojourn in Alsaee-Lorraino, the two French provinces ceded to Germany after, the Franco-jrussiAn i War. Though later particjijars in- J ttieate thai a general withdrawal of permits is .not intended, and that only-individual-compulsions are contemplated, the French strongly i^ . sent thei proposed chaftgc in policy, and are already talking about re' prisals, one siiggcstioa ■'being that German residents should be expelicd from Paris., Tire inhabitants of [ Alsace-Lorraine have, fievei , been reconciled to German rule, nor have the people of Franco ever accspfed the loss of the two provinces as final:: flftd the overbearing attitude pf-tlie; German .soldiery lias tended to intensify the feelin.fi; of racial a,ai.ihosity. There !s a strong detor.iiiination on tli-e part of tfie younger generation in Prance, not to tolerate any further aggression by Germany, and if a policy of reprisals is co-mmencetl very -serious consequences niay follow. There is a widespread "belief , in both countries that another trial , of strength must , take place sooner or later, and this is obc of tho rea-sons-for the great growth of armaments which is becoming an extromely Iwavy linrden to Wtli nations. The. tirobabilitios are that the present' incident will bo smoothed over with- i out producing a crisis, bwfe sa-eh oecurrcnees hetn to keen tho old fires of 'hatred alight, and may .at a.fty time develop such a state of irrite-' tion that the resources of diplomacy I may not be able to cope with the! situation.