NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2184, 24 June 1914, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It is a far cry yet to election time, but already distress signals liawbeen rim up in the WaFdist amg in Nelson. In IMS 'Mr, Atjioke, after iitlraitly sitting til! tiii; fonco up to tile eleventh hour and fifty-ninth minute, got> down amid a blaze of: limelight and saved the Wa-K'b Government It is true- that ever, the distinguished'support of the, member for .Kelson did not suffice to give Sir Joseph Waud more than a tuvtiier brief hour or two oi office.. But one good turn deserves another, and now the Ward fallowing, according to the local pa..pel's,.is off to .Nelson to save Mr. Atipmik. It remains to be seen wiiethu? even ' the combined otaqiienee of Sir James Caitroil, M r, slAci)oSAr.o, Mb. Wifrv, Mr. Ism, and Mft. Wilcokd will convince the iskctors of Nelson that they did not make a lmd break in 101! in sending a political rail-sitter to represent iheni in Parliament, *, These gentlemen, Mr. Aojoke informed his committee on Friday last, ate to stump the eioetoratc on his behalf during the session. We dsubt if M,h. Ai>* moke's ease would be much. improved even if Sir Josepu Ward and ihi*, whole of his assorted and variegated full.nvitig went over to the rescue, kelson now kiioWs its member. t r .Nn;Si,%«, interest has been excited .in tiio Tennis Championship cc'mtests in fin-gland this year by i)i«s presence &f the Australian section of- the team wbieh is seeking to bring hack to ■this qttaftei' of the Empire the etovet.ed Davis Cup. t'er some years past a Mew Zealandor, Mlt. A. Wxldiss, has won the 'Championship .of England, and to-day he is regarded as the finest player in the World. ±Us greatest rivals a.re N< BaftOSESj of Australia, and Ifi'X-otJQHwS, d America, while i PaKkE, tho Irish cha.mpion t at his best, Ms- ' pfoVed. himself wall qualifier! to contest with them ior p-riae oi place,. A year of two -Ago Brookes w.as usually placed first by teiinis writers when ekssifyilig the leading jViayers, and there are some who. still think him capable of proving his superiority -to WIMHNCi. The present- contests at Wimbledon should -settle, this question bc-yosui all tlovibi, and we. imagine it wi!i bo in ( W.iM>rNo's favour-, Twice already this reason. WjumkO has deeisiwlj' defeated Brookes, -but the games were played Oil ha,i'd courts and Bi:ook.i;s adfnitiedSy was not at his best. On grajg courts and with better opportunities for prav Ue», if Bi'.ookes should succeed in wiii-mng tlirotfgli to the challenge rcnittd, a, great contest may be looked forward to. In tho English Championships the holder does Hot play throughout, but ouh- in I lie cftajlenge round. Br.oosfis has io beat the best of the British, French, and {Herman players to roach the challenge round, and lifts started, well. The Americans aye not competing this yenv, owing no doubt to tiio fact that as the raiders of tho Da \s

Cup they will, withifl the next few weeks, receive it visit in their own country from the best team the outside world can produce, bent on recapturing the trophy. The latest play in the big tournaments at Hoine seems to make it clear _ that the Australasian team—consisting probably of Wh.mng and Brookes. with J)t:.vi.o!' and Doust as reserves —-will win Um preliminary ties in the Davis Cup contests and secure the right to challenge the American holders. the Engi-kb championships now proceeding will afford a further test of this form of ,uur representatives, whoso ■pros-pecte at present appear to be most enootu'ag* l'fig. growth front a narrow sea-fiirt village to a modern city, has brought with it many problems is street-planning. It is pleasant 1 to reewd this- morning that the- City Council has now iakou the neecssary steps to complete tie widening of the business portions df Willis Street. : With Willis Street widened, the greatest impediment tp the, free flow 1 of traffic along the main artery from i ' north to south will he the, narrow ' gut, of Manners Street. The scheme. 1 naiv in hand will relieve the congestion in 'Manners Street hy provid- ' ing an alternative route, via fiercer ; Street, Wakefield {street, . Cuba ' Street, and Man-ners Street, into | Courfcctety Place, Mefce? Street is' to be widened tiS'e.nty fpel aaqi the | corners will be cut away so as- to ' give a clear run from Willis Street , t(ii'&ugh to Wakefield Street, Fin- ' ally, as prwhutsly announced, the ' south side of Manners Street; from ; Cuba Street to Cour-tenay Place will also erenktally .hd.sWftficf back-. 1 These alterations, wiiii the diversion of a portion of the present Manners Street tramway teiliic to the 1 new 1 route, should meet t-hu requirements of the City for a good time ta co-nid. When the new route comes to be ■ opened up we dare say it will he ' found desirable to round off the cor- ! ner from Wakefield Street into Cuba ' Street. It would n>> doubt pay the ; City Council to consider this aspect ' of the matter before the section atthis corner is built upon. The street improvement works undertaken in 1 the past have he.cn very successful, i and the final completion ol a main ; arterial highway worthy of the C'apital City, will be a. notable event. Sib Joseph Ward i-s reportnd ta have, made a -somewhat rash promisei to a Temuka. audience a day or i two ago. In a moment Of exaltai tior. he informed tl'ife gathering that • when ho next addressed them it i would be as Prime Minister. It is ■ to be hoped that Silt Joseph "Ward , will not regard tills little ebullition of ego as In the nature. of a vowbinding hint for all. time. If he does ■sq we; fear, that the good people o! Tcniuka have been deprived of the ffe-sittg prospect of welcoming him once more to their midst. A? Leatfc*■■ ■ of the Opposition, Sir : JoSEPK-WA.i!t'D - seems to bo quite as tinhiijxpy in - .judging public opinion and in forecasting the future as he proved hijiiself lo be when Prime Jfinister. On fhe eve -t>f the last 'Oe-nefal Elections he, was prcrhcsyinc; victory., for him- : : self from cock crow to sunset, and from twilight, to dftwn. Never did : politician . talk more violently, .co.ii- ; .;. ■t:«.fiii'n^ , 'the : 'desire of ? thc keep hiui iii office. ' JJc was di'silhisionod ®h polling day. Now wfi itf-a- . hiiving the same thing over age.in, only tnis time Sin Joseph Ward has ■ started a little earlier and a little more buoyantly. It is a part of the game of polities, which so many poll-; tu'ians Si'ern to regard as necessary, presuffi-nhh' on the assumption that the bulk oi the electors are fools and' take a braggart at his own value. If we might venture to drop a hint to the N nfional Schools Defenci! League, we woii-M suggest that it is :' not likely to help forward its- cause by intemperate langnage and l.iy attributing unworthy motives to its opponents. It may be placed at a disadvantage through .not having churches or chapels to meet in, and its appeals to the public may not ' produce, a financial response proportionate to its estimate of the merits of its ca.se. Rut- is it dignifmd or ■ wise for the D&fetec. League executive to refer to its opponents in this: fashion; ft > "As the Kalionol School* Defence League' has no cinavlio.< o>' Kliajwli. in ivhidt it. c.iii, like U:o Uible-ili-Scliool.-i Kngttd, i eaiculaio .-oil t*u.trin.z a right ol entry iii'to ihc pockets of the. people by tm- !: scrufruio'ttsry HsisrOiU'«s«iitiJig t-li® liiotiveg. of its o.piioner.ts. ■ 'This extract taken, jisom th© ro;pofb of the executive of th.e. Defence i League piiblislieil in our' news cehimns, is no. doubt meant to dfS- ! ci-edit the advocates of Bible lessons ■ • in State schools, but nan it be bsikved for a moment that an onven- : omed attack ef this nature will harm anyone but those who adopt such motii.od.s of controvo.vsy'i