NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2168, 5 June 1914, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It Is now gnttnrally admitted that, ■a dofiiiile and uniform ( system of Imperial naturalisation fa a resit neccssitv. Many a noma lies . ;ind \\wds\ris?, at fev<Mst issijA *hidii cause a'go&cl dial ei friction- jaclj

us the outcome of a- resolution earned in 101 l by the Imperial Conference, _ what might be termed a model Bill recently passed its second rending in tiic House of Lords. The section of the Bill which gives the safiie power to the Governments of the overseas Dominions to grant certificates of naturalisation as ia given to the British Secretary, of State will have no effect in the Dominions until adopted by their Parliaments. The need for "a system of Imperial naturalisation is being vigorously advocated by the Rovat Colonial Institute, and we arc indebted to Mr. A. H. Timsbull, ' the Hon. , Corresponding Fellow of the Institute in Wellington, for a copy of an article on the subject |>y Mn. Richard Jebb, reprinted from the Qu-arUrlu Ifevir.w of January, 191-1, Mr. Jeub deals With the wli«le matter in a dear and comprehensive manner. He points out that the corrected draft of the Imperial Rill has been approved by the Canadian Government, and all that is now needed is that "in Britain and each self-governing Dominion public opinion should fee moved to insist that the requisite legislation, being non-contentions, shall not he postponed to measures of party interest, but shall be introduced. aiU'l passed in eaclj Legislature -without, delay." The. history and meaning of the term "British citizenship" is laeidly explained by Mr, Jisbil who has made a -special study of Imperial questions, and anyone who desires to understand the scope of the Bill—what it will do and what it will pot do—cannot do hotter. than read his pamphlet. Soma people soem to have the idea, that the passing of the Bill might open the, doors of the Dominions to a _ "flood of tt.ndesirables snd Asiatios, whom, they would be obliged, not merely to admit, but to endow with political rights." Of course it would do nothing of the sort; tt would in no way over-vide the racial policy of any of the selfgoverning Dominiofus,

If the Conference at Niagara Falls'is successful in its mediation in the Mexican dispute, : a- great triumph will have been achieved for La.titi-A.mci'ieaD diplomacy. In aiiy case the gathering'is a notable event in the relations of the United States and tlu! BepuMus of ths Smith. When President WltssN Jtoeeptcd the good offices of the Brazilian Ambassador and the Ministers front Argentina- afld Chile, it Was ,a definite intimation that his fcratioii had no territorial designs, ift. Mexieo. Mr, HfejVteT, the millionaire master' of this "Yellow PfegSj" declared it a piece of "stupe-ftdWs folly" to let bouth America into - ' fero in the manifest destiny is! tiro United_ States to absorb . Mexifia, This 'view of the no* turn in the situation was flat shared try the more _ responsible . organs of tho American _ Press, which were qtiiek to appreciate, it's si'gnifH'anco. The pride of tifttin America, was satisfied by tlw demonstration of .diplomatic i?q«aiity, and the feclfcl that tha United States was Selfishly, bent on a wmquest of Mexico was dissipated. Sluwid tins mediators sftoceed in re-, storing some sesnblancfe of order'in thai distracted JUpntblic, they will hate averted the necessity for into* ventlen, and thits save the American. Government from a 'task of great magnitude, ■ expen.se s and ittfcct? tainty, tlw issue of whieh it would bq difficult to foresee.'

Tag cftot now being iriade to re-; vjve tlw Municipal Orehestr.T. dctcrves the support of all wlw would see the resouiees of social life in tlw City enrkbed. The citijiefts' of Wellington have aofc infrequently been criticised for boing unduly utilitarian -in their point of view, It would Ire idte to deny that there lias been ground for that .criticisms jnit there' arc happily signs of. the growth of a more steely ioeaJ patriotism, The old JBeastifyiag Soeiety is long sitteo dofuiict, b-n-t only ttis week t,li« Slußtcipai 35Jecto*s' As-soeia.-tio.il has. taken up ffie, s-a.rae work On m«i'e ambitions lines, tmdei' its nevv naiae of towii*pln,ii* tiing. Thf. Citj' has been richly ondawed by in many ways, and it sh&uid fe the ambition ef all pi'-opel'-spirifed eitizehs to rasofe it a b&an'tifui plaw to lives Vn, and to deepen and broaden its civic life in. svery way, We may Mot all be mil-•liana-ires, but most -ftf.tis \y]i*j have felt the |ns|>ifation of .good music are i.a a position to give the neees* sary practical support that will cn- . sai'o the foundatiofl of a City Orchestra m an cßttaring basis.

. That the tasty -coifttneftii of fe 3?ranier of New South Wales on the Empress of Ireland disaster should itrouso indignation in -Canada is Mot surprising. Mb. HouiA-jf's original sta.fen.io.at Wits viytuKiJly a demand that the directors of the Caiiadiaii Pacific Baiiway Oornpa-S.}?., the owners of tire, lost vessel, should withoutrooi'e- ado he put on trial as accessories to ffiairsia-ugiiter. The ordinary dictates of fair play, scorn to indicate that the proper thing to do at the present iwametit is to a-Wait the finding of the Court of Inquiry before prejudging tho issue. Mil HftiMAS Iws overshot the iaai'k, but he wafers a point that deserves at' tentimi in these days of g-*eat companies and combinations.'' It is q, thoroughly sound prweiple that individual responsibility for corporate a.etion should be sheeted 'home. Iti the <ttte.Knj.Jts to deal with the gigantic' trusts which dominate American commerce, ..it has. befeft frond-imperative to. 1 fix personal guilt for the misdeeds- of the t.orv potations. _ A oompa.ijj'j it Iras often been said,, ia -a. thing without « soul, and it is one of. Hie tragedies of modern industry that so many of tlio: racn who control its course, bath in, the corps of Capital -and fcabour-, . lack the imagination to see more ttoi the most obvious and immediate results of their decisions. Half oi'_ th« problems of industrial life j arise from this cause, afid owe of the j first essentials to their solution is a'l widening and quiekfirtinjr. of the sense of personal responsibility. J