NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2175, 13 June 1914, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

PftEsiDESr Wxi.sox has a wonderful way of sarmo',tnting iliiiiculties and getting things clone. The world was surprised at the imsine.sslike manner in which he b.-.inlled the United States Tat iff Hill aird got if thiongh the House and the Senate. Then he grappled with the problem of currency reform., awl again success rewarded his efforts. He has all akn* coTiieHiM that, Hie. exemptiian oi American shippivftr from the pa.yiiiant of Panama Canal tolls was a breach of the; Ti'ea t-.v. but a very-ooasitterablft seu- j tirm of American opinion took the ] opposite point of view. The Presi-1 deiit, ckeificd thai thft iw- j tion's bcuovr dcciandcti the r^pcsJ.

of lire 'exemption ek.usc, and after a lone struggle the Repeal Bill was passed by tire Jimis? oi' Kepnisctitatives. M a ny, however, predicted that the Semite would reject, it, Tbii opposition included some inlLsenUi!! members o.f Mil Wn,Sox's own party, and wove, than Mice the fate of the Bill wag said to bo hanging in tic bakiftee. B'i : it again the President has triumphed, for p. cable-gran! which wo publish in another Soiuitm state that the Senate has adopted the Bill by SO rotes to ®, %viiieh moans that the substantial majority of 15 declared in favour of equal treatment for the, tvsssols of all nations. It is true that an nraend'mfiiit has bcett iasciftfed spoeiiieally reserving all rights .granted nutter the HiV-PAojccEponS Treaty. This does not, however, appear to be mndi more than a formal nervation, and it is said that the House is likely to accept the amendment. Mr. Wlf,soft's nest task is the legislation dealing with trusts and business methods.

The LyUdton Times'm hern Malting a lßaaful effort to cover tip tli©! mdis-cretions of Ma. With. Mr. Witty j for instanco. dccliired that the Oovcniroent had appointed nnly its own frfcads to tlur Council. Our Christchuych contemporary beute a, masterly retreat from an untnr.ablo jKj&ition in this fushion: Kvcn if it is admitted that Sm Willi am H'alij-Jokes and Me, B.vrr ami Slit, I'acl are as good Liberals as jpver. they were, the fact remains that their ])rcfien<!& in. the Council will give, Mit. ?>f.'.SM:v ai! exeusc for appoidtiiig inoT.e ittetnbers on the etW' side than will be necessary to pas? : his I'ioHc.y hieasun'.?. 1 * This i.s not an. unfair «tm;.<le of the calibre of mJ?>!; of tlw eriiidisin of the Wardif.i Liberals. Its absurdity happens io be a little inora obviotis than usual.. that is all. In one lm-aih these, peftple d-attm the o<jvorwne;»t and all its works root and. branch, and in the s'.oxt they ue;tl:u"e that the Government has stolen their platform. They attack tlio Government far not : appointing its opponent* to tie : Legislative Council, arid when it i.s shows that opponents nf the Government have been appointed Ministers are accused of l.in vmg done Avhat- was right with a wrong :r,oi,ivc. It is really pathetic. Tlie plain fact of tli!?. inattcr is thai every reason of prineiplfi or policy for th:e existence vi tile Ward Party has gem;. Its only contributiou to polities te-day is the continual and captious fanlt'-fmding of a shrewish housewife.

Even the Maori adherents of the' Ward Party are- taking up the cues from their pakeha leaders. Tho Maori does' not do things bv. halvc-s, and thus .it is reported in the Opposition Press thai a chief at Horn-fee in tho far Jforli told Silt losEPfi Ward : —

, Tli6 > Maori people wefo strirkoti down With siekn«s.s, and Uwii' (lif!k:ul:U's wwo gfwfc The i)'M : pie vt>yi' in Atstress, fl.i.wi arc- old m«a and "Mio 01.4 w-oiucvr fppn.t t hoir days i'.i Tho Literal tiiwerrincui lind lifted up tlw -Maori raou, and thero xniu been sosul tiiiies, imt iioiv that the Miissey Ciovcriinioiit wis. iii t)tfi.e.e sick'fless had 'joino v.pon the liiiid, anil the iitiioris were strielien witli a deadly offlieU'.'i)."

Is this fngen /jus statement so very different in substance after all from wiiat one fears gravely put forth ait Opposition platforms 'I

The conquest of the_a.ii' is'opening: 1 up a new tiokl of activity for lawyers and lawiiiakstrs. This mprniug (lie cable, messages tell its that in France the- Courts nave laid it down thai; a landowner can. claim undisturbed possession of tho air above his pre- ; perty u> the height of the trec-Jnps. The aviatos who descends btilow that level and frightens the. e.e.ws and in- ' terfere-s with the yield of butler-fat: is to be cluly nniktod in dinnages. Bucli decisions as tliese .make oim realise how nuicli a. thing of to-:la v ilight has become, Already in America tho aerial polire.nmi has appeared. In California the other day 1 an enterprising policewoman made tiSo of an aeroplane to overtake ■■sfc: motorist racing along a main road and .get the number af the car. A month earlier a detective in Florida followed u. negro thief by waterplane raptured hire, and earned him off to gaol by the air routs. Daily tho voluriie of sky-borne traflie grows-, and gradually International Committees arc infl.ppi.ng.out "airways" along which traflie between the nations 'will presently pass- Enthusiastic aviators toll us* that the ! -only thing needed to make eommerriai air s.( tiroes prartieablo is achain of intc.rnational landing stations and repair shops. Pictttrcs are painted of ijusiness nm.ii running bankwards tod forwards from London tn jPar'is by the air-mail in a third of tiie time now taken v What ■ the steam engine was to the nim;teenth century so will the aeroplane bo to the twentieth:.

As usual Iho speech of the Chairman ol the Bank of Jfcw Zealand at the annual meeting of the Bank's shareholders yesterday covered a wide range of matters outside tha actual financial operiuionfi of the institution. Alit. is alwaysinteresting in ther-c general surveys of local and world conditions affecting finaiice,, commerce, and industry, and while many @| Ma statistical returns arc not new, the setting in which they appear and th.fi lessons deduced therefrom command attention. To rnoioi pe.opie who read his lates address the fewtarc of must interest probably. will be. Ills referoHS.e to the appreciation ill land values which has taken place (hiring the; past, 20 years. Putting aside the dcbatebl'e question qrf the soViU'dness i: v f the. system pit which the valuations given are based, there is of course uut the slightest cjr.estion that a® enormous ftavafiM .in the. t actual market value of farming kind l:as eeeurre.ci, "specially in tha North' ■ Island, The figures quoted' by Ms.: .Rkauchamp, showing ail increase ■' from So millions in 1.891. to 218 millions in 191,3. appear ffstite stagger* > iiig, There are many things which have assisted to bring about this iniyit'houfc tottelii'ng on these or the question of inHated values., it. ts worth .while* repeating here. Mi:. : ■ Ifcvt,nu:MP's closing reference, which gets to the. root of the situation : "ClMO'ly," ho ri-r.sarks, "the. ralups o(. la h(l—-4nl fyifl g teui q<l-' justing tftc.mseh'o3 at sivrh n :pve! kiives So rivim tor tho fdrmot-. If fho Hi;hi?!ry is to conu'nue p.iraMo, with Imitl nl sijcii Jiigli volni:?, Se.esHifi;; pih.it'i;)b ; s must !>•:> frfiowei! ami 'lie inMt'.} ;>.pp»yecl jijotbo'iU. iid'OiPt'Otif. iti in-der that! {.In* veiy fest M'hirns on the laWur ond wjiitit! emp'tayei! lie rdivllsMl." That is the gospel wliieh the M ; \sf-r..v : (toverumcnt liar, been actively prwWMngi ant! wh-Wh it lifts JH Mvfc. to give )irisi:!teal effect to, an import- ; ant step in 11-.: direction being tite; jjaSfiiog of tin? Act fft' last 'session providing for the? establishment of a Board of Agric-tiltim;. That Boa yd has li'.Kv entered on its task of advising iUH.I {tssistjiMS she farmers. of New Ze-iia-.u! to get thr uinmsi- from (heir lands at tbe-lowcsi. possible working cost.

Okkta!s aspects ol ILc Imperial emigration probk-ni were dimtssftij at the annual iilcefcifig &{ the Oentml Kniis'rii Sinn Board hrlcl in Londfiii ml Wednesday iitsfc. Sin _ John MabSkS delayed Ai.tS raliji wjjs hungering fur ijiMaigfiints, J«t tl:<\v .must be people who can tuwtta. This, ■of cmwsfe. means (hat Aitsivnlia wants the IjCst that Britain oiin civo. ■.nd so tl( < mid i nul *Si\ l£<Imnd. They ni\T ,"l! findca : vt)Ui ! i.ijg to attract British agricultural labourers ©f the highest type., but the tfii.W flow of .this ciiiss is diminishing. In fad there Ims lira&ft : a strfkilig decrease "of oini.gra.iion generally fnon ih(! United Kingdom, as is shown by iiiie fnJhnving figures 1 for the fi.i;sfc <lu>irt/>T- <?l 19J4, eonipiired with the wrrespotuunfi period of isiii:

. I'iffsl; (VllUVic'l-. Jill, G&jjada. M.oji i3.ii,!!st A.i.Htrniii\ tr,S'.l9 NVw //eniatii!,...., 1 <,« 3,'151 British S. Africa, 2,1 j2 jiiili.il !,:!S3 t,;;.•!) OOitr oolotties ... l,®io 1,5.!7 •t'oi-als: British TCir.p:n> 32.JGG (54,071 . T'nifril S!;i'.,.'s ... HSfjiffi) Other foreign cotift■tiicS ],n'39 2,2.11 Grand totals ... 45,378 BB.VST The. British authorities for Homo tin® past have, bec.ii .much ecnr.e.rntd at the loss ni so many farm \Yortors, and it is new recognised, W ljoiiti(dans of all parties that tlie lot of the must 'he improved. The !'!cmuuons reeaiiriug immigrants will pr.obabi.y Juno to depend _ more largely in the future for their supply :ipun i;«.niihy city tads like the Skwuvjok hays,' wlia take readily fo farm .life and do well for themselves, besides being a first-elans asset to their adopted country.