NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2171, 9 June 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

"Bast is P/.vst and West is West, and .never the twain shall meet"— so wing 'Mil. kii'uxt; a score or so of yftavs baclf. But remote and ©ppiasiKl lis iu'ti the pccplcß af Kurope sad Asia ia their onilcak oa Ut'e

new steamship services and railway. projects ar« every day bi'iugisii?; them into relationships from which there is no cscape. Ueke#ai. Bik lan Hamilton the other day warned x«» of tin; perils confronting us in the Pacific, and his remarks fcm<J a spn-. mi interest to an article. in the May Forinii/hfly l(/>rieir. The writer, Mi:, J. 0. Wimi'iifi", in reviewing the. relations of Japan and the United States, points out that the JaprtisOse nation is denied an outlet fur a population which has now reacted 68,000,000, and is rapidly increasing. Dhe Italians i» the United State, send home £2Q,QS3Q,ffI(S annnailv to their native land to its great prDift. and such a field for its surplus rt'VMtto and such a source of reVenuo is just what Japan needs. Everywhere, except in Hawaii, the door has been shut in her face. There the '80,000 Japn.ft.eSc constitute the largest n'umtror of any oaa race in, this island, and are each year gaining in tbair proportionate number. It is a ron,stent humiiiatitaj to Jap&n to find that white she is clashed as 'otc of this Great* Powers- her people are everywhere. branded as ' undesirable. !! The West has furnished J a pan with Mr weapons and the Wert is drrvifig lier hack ihto the field of Asia, ■which- she dominate?-, and will probably take even ii»ro affectively to herf?lf. As Mlt. Wheu't.ky remarks, the rca-ctiou&ry effect of this bedes tid good to' Eng-lish-speaking peoples,

it The plain-speakiug concerning Welliiigt-OTi's iaadeqwdte'ftnd almost disropiitab-lr! railway station flcrommodaticn indulged in. liy M.R., \% G. Draiiß at tije meeting of the Ghamber of Ckimjtterce yesfcrdaiy was l>y no means out of place. This matter has tea a standing grievance a&ty for s.i;- many years that if. ivorild almost require eonsMit.ition with tliG oldest inhabitant to dei«rmine. whan the agitation first commenced. Previous _Govmim:mts have siutly-sha!-lied with Mi-o matter for inany ywa. The prospects of « siulabl.o central railway. station being erected did look a Utile hopeful iviitm the parchii.se of tiic WeUingtoti-Mattawatu Company's line took place, but it has been a case of hop© deferred ever siftce. The inost definite .news w. the subject yet available is that Which w : e publish this morning. The MaSsny Government apparently has ciefeiteiy made up its mind that- 'Wei*. Sington shall at last secure jv.st.ice, ■and th.at no later than the coming session. Provision is to be made in' this .year's Loan Bill for specially ear-marking tlte money necessary to erect a suitable building, and to lay out yards and platforms to meet i'eqiiirenicuts. It will conic :>lranst as a shock to the .average Weliingtoiiian to find that this long-deferred work ia at last- within reason a hie range, ef becoming an -aci:-ompt.ishcd fact.

Tue narrow ;iiargiij between t.he ■si ir-ngtbs of t-hb gmt political partics is threatening the breakdown of the party, system in Australia. Twelve month? ago ft. Federal 'dbiteraJ Election took plaefi, the t'axpayj crs were burdened with its heavy and the only eutcoflsc was a I'-arliamerit that absolutely refused to tip its proper work. That ftont lias now been, dissolved, but j taking the immediate past as a guide, j is is doubtful wlintte the election | now to take place will give a mors wtirfcmaiiJiko Parli-a-nieiitary ma* ■cJjine. Tfe Meftwiriiß Age k&s been examining the election figures extending from April, 1010, to May, 1913, and find? from these that, tiic ] people, during that period, remained j in a state of exaclAbalnnee between j L-aUoin - and Fusion. In April, 1910, I the voting for tire House «f .Representatites., was as follows:— . ) .'JjsJjout votes > . GSCvSffi | .Nmi4»il:mu rotes Gt9,l9f | Xfajadijr for Fusion ....... iy)s2 Ira thr- election «f May, 1913, two Labour candidates, however, and ] o«: Fusionist, ]nd walk-overs, .and if ( the necessary corrections, aw made tie figures work out thus:— } jjjibisitf .vstisvg etrffagfe 32!',7,17 Xwi-laljour volh:g strwigpli. 928, jt© I Majority for Labour .... 1,5=5 In 1010 there was a-largo majority «f. Labour meabefss returned, but. tliey were sea ted oil a bulk minority vote,: In 1913 the parties returned an almost equal number of members. .The discrrcpaiiey is due to the present crude electoral system. Since May of last jre.'i.r there has been no- marked change in public opinion. ,The el.ee-1 tor-s n.:ay Im r-xasperaled at the? perpetual' recurrence .cif deadlocks in both. State and PetlfcvS'pßiiMes, bnt neither party at the .moment is eij faring them a Way of escape.

The fascination which a Mat ■between a avll -ni,-trnhr t ) jiniv 0 f skilfwi bftXErg possesses for tlie AVotfige waft probably is as strong in Mew 2oalaatl as anywhere, very few really higfe-ciS® iontcsts ar& MtncSed ih toe ipatftinioit, bitt 'when, anything promising a vigorous and skilful encounter is in : prospect substantia-} charges for admission fail to dete lh6 public from attending in large numbers. At the Town it,ill last evening, for instance, 'tfei. great miilding was packed to witness ® eon (est Iv'twcen the jfcW Zealand light-wight champion,. Haoep.ty, and a clever Australian light-weighl named O'Giudv. M<m of "all classes and all ages constituted the audicno' and judging from tin; roUnishism clis : i>l,n,ycd during tho progress- #i the: tisufc thsy tijotflngMjif enjtiyed tire 6»Gellsnt exhibition given by tho cont<>.s tallts —their _ enjoyment bring ijj no way diminished by tho ultimate success of the. New Zealand champion. Boxing matches aire held two and three times a weak in Sydney, and. thousands at.ten.dj,and large attehclaiießs arc also witnessed aii the wcvrkly contests In other of the large towns of Austra-lwi. The mr/i-fc striking development- of 'recent times iii connection with glove fights is tfe manner iii which this form of athletic context has caught t.be .fancy of the Parisians., Men arid warabii alike :-itioat'l tho- match's iii great nurab<rrs find ttte sport, which a few years ago was practically tin known there?, has n popularity r,mt<: equal to fbnt •vv'nirh it enjoys m . Kn.gland- fho home of its birth.' Boxing contests in Welli'ftgtoji arc conduced under excellent cOndition'i by the. focal Boxing .Association, which Ims fclvs much lo place, the sport, on a jjoGd clsan footing.

Adjiirai, Sir I'chcv Scott has made the new warfare Mu> topic of the day- .. Frtira Ei-jgiisli };anevs to hand by Saturday's mail it nniwavs tliiifc nervous jjimdoners are already asking them-sf.lves what is t® prrroiit/ an nU tick ort thc EWipiiVs metropolis hy.rtfi acvi-iii llcot. soarhig ilmnigli the W'hb vault of Heaven; Pfifii'iissoß U 01,1 an n, liic thstingttistail jurist, endeavmirect tu reassure the puMie by explaining ilvst attacks oh Utrd'efoiided oiiifes are ilintra) t.vaijß.i'. the .llugMc Cdiv/jntioM of 1907- This promptly roused a critio 16 ask Whether it did not- mo as

tli.ifc undefended London would' be obliguii to Ciuiiiuiat;! Ui Ulo invomy. Tho commander ol_ <111 iniomv's wariviillooij -might /.erne; over Lands/u, if unopposed, and signal, Sis a itvafctor of courtesy, "I am : goh>g .to drop explosives/' Londi.sn answer's-, "You iiiitsfc not drop explosives; \vc ftto jitft; defended,' 1 Tho eemmanuer replies, mtite logically, ' Then yoit surrender. You will now obey or:V'!'K; diffiunl'ly seoms to lie in that lucre is 110 .-iiitlsoriiv bv v,"inch Ifse admirable mks of " the Hague Craventim can be; cjifotai