NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2197, 9 July 1914, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

:u It cannot'be said : tKat hiucil.light wasitln'bwa.on the vexed problem..of ■Qre/'wastb v in ( 'New;--Zca]an'd' , Buxton's question ;; ; in.; Parliament yesterday.; . Mi. /Buxton's suggestion'' 'that'the insuranee'companies should bo compclled,.to:pay/in cash.the fiill •iace value, as.set out.-jh- the policy,of all property: totally destroyed is not' one /that cbmniencls.'itscjf;//,, The; .l ; ight,tliat the ;insura'nce "companies' now./i'ctjuh.'to"replace.property stroycd.'.is:- a. yahiable., safeguard aga|hst'.incehcliarism(: and, Mr.'.BuX; ton'was able t'oadducG no, good'rca-i $on for. its. abaiulonmcnt.: The quarrel bf the-public, with the insurance companies isi nbt, jdsj.ho, alleges, that they accept- risks in : cxccss' of■ insurable H values, •; and ■ then-,dispute .the claims. We cannot siiy we have hoard' of any widespread or ;wcll*gr6undbd complaint as ; to fi-hni'ndlic;'disputing/ of "claims. -.;The. real; trouble,..with; presc'nt.i'nsu.rasce'mothods'is.that the companies are'far too' ready to accept risks, at excessive values,iand.'by ho means careful.enough'in'scrutinisirig.: the: risks or -in."following Up suspicious''fires; 1 : The tendency is.to meet difficulties by raising the r,atcs and making- the ordinary,: '.careful citizen foot, the "■ bill for an' excessive fire'wastage. /.'.lf. .Mr'. . Buxton , shotwide of -the-mark/in his question,. 'Mii;. Fisher came .ilp; hearer hitting it in his reply.'." Sis argument'that if werecallcd upon to rnnkq frequent /inspections: and 'ValiH atiohs of risks, it could only be done by-increasing, the rates, is; rio doubt; the /Departmental.answer.., A closer, inspection of risks would.entail ■<?]{-. ■trrt- initial eost,' butit, ttould/probably'be.: f.oUiid that,,such ihsrJeetions. wonlcl efl ! c6tuftll.y dii<P.oiir,. J ifjo:ih'j present almost, criminal: carelesßiies's' ;ofiiiiiny ovev-i'iKiD'tHi .ViPi'kfins.- and thus lighten Hie luad.nf t.hi> companies bv materially reducing; the Dominion's notorious fire Ibsscs..'-./■(."' ././,-.-''. v

T.iiii little lictionset'./aflbht by:-tiie Opposition'that' thc, : cffeet of the increased graduated land; tax imposed

by. the Reform Government'has been nullified by_ the recent amendment of the Valuation- of Land-Act; has. already been pretty thoroughly exploded. Members have 'quoted county valuation rolls,; showing that valuations, instead of declining, have very materially increased. : Oh Tuesday evening,'however,' Mn. W; H.'D. Bell carried the matter a stage 'i\irther, and- demonstrated that, the' amended; valuation/system, instead of modifying' the effect of. the graduated knd tax, operates in exactly, the opposite -direction. The facts were very. clearly stated by Mr. . Bell; The broad effect of the amendment to the Valuation.; of Land Act was to' increase the .exemption for improvements..' ;Obvi6usly'..this; : . confers '.'a direct benefit upon the small holder, for the simple, reason that farmers of this class invariably have a.larger proportion., of .their capital ; siuik in improvement's than A'i>art. from the essential fact'that in; spite of ■'■. tile ;progressive '•■■■ disintegration; of big..estates;'the yield from the.graduated land tax shows a large' 1 increase, the.new Valuation Act has undoubtedly: operatedvih the': direction of shifting; the burden of taxation to an extent ;froni' the sniall : farmer to the 'big landholder... Mr/ Wilford,;whowas/one-of those con-; cernfcd in circulating the story .about, the" Valuation; Act and, its operation. inf6rmed;'Mß.;BELL last evening that he' : .had .been .'misunderstood, but he did- not venture'' into.. details, -, which' was-perhaps-just: as. well,, for. the member/: for ; Hutt. : ; l v>.'.M - '/ .' "

.;■ The, -result, of; ,the • voting: onrtho referendum..;question -at ;; the 'Anglican very much what: would-be. expected.: ; ; :-By' t .-lbO:| votes ,fo 2;;theCSynqdjd|ari : ie'd -a-reson lution '.'in;, favbur .'.of,': referring':. tho' 1 ' question' of the.introduction'of Bible-lessons.'-lint'o?the'^tiite.'-'schobls'to the; vote of .'the: pe'ople.'.o'ii -the lines 'of the l Bill now: before Parliament. The significant .feature of the , voting, ..however,'is-the fact that of the total votes recorded the laity lepresented 47,'a'nd of>;thcse- 46 were in favour of the Bill. The exposure made by Canon-;Garund concerning a statement published in one of the Defence League's Vmoro recent pamphlets is Somewhat; startling. Leaflet No. 7, ..published -by tho Defence League, refers ,to, and quotes from, a circular issued on-July 10, 1900, to the school teachers of New South Wales, by 'Mb. W. AVilkins, secretary to the Council of :Education, Sydney. This circular';:the ' Defence League no, doubt'l.regarded as 'of assistance to ;it iii.V' its; fight to' prevent the will of ,th6,people being expressed in Newi'Zcalftnd on the question of Bible lessons in our State schools. The curious thing about the matter is,..hdwevci\- that although the circular credited to Mr. Wilkins is dated July,'l9oo,:and is made'to appear as though, it .were issued by him as secretary:; to the Council of Education. :the.prcsent'Diicctor of Education,in ! New:_South:Walcs:seems .q'uitel.un'able ■to -/Identify cordJng;;;tO'-a r -:cable^ram^from£tliisl /gentleman,: ..;.Wilicins : yrctired- : • frbm the- Educatibh;;;'.Dei)artni;ent's service .in iSßi^)hat[]isfto''s&y,^:: : i6; years. ybofprelythcK^ ; the;; : 'circular /by^^Him^ "But ;,whaE;-is ; 'still "niore^^ v sfer'tlingr'.tlie ; ' attributed the ; Defericb, /MPy.4WiLKiNS ; bears ;a- -dafe: /fiisrtii^years'siibseaiient tb: ! -h'is''dentb.-' Is "WkKiNS '/ttiiid! . ;in, .1892, ■ and /the League' cluotes a.^cii'culii.r';ih;;'supp6rt : :bf: i th';ir issited / by; : ; liirit; on ■'•*Jiily ! eight ijTarsyiafreT'ihis?;dea'thh"ancl«lO: ycarsfafiyVShis>'retirmieht:/fi : bm; tlie' service.;:''lii'/.tlie sh.m'e.'palmnhlet;AtlieDefence League.refers to,', this''.-'r'iroiiirtr; as ''positive i.tsbwnVstafenir'nt.s'::'in'every:Vcas6;Mahi be verified;"llf/tlriDeferice'Le/i/gue:js. :;as-careless; of; its;;facts.'gpnci'f!:].ly ks.it '■would.'s.npm/j»-'hav? r .-B'epn'vi^V:tnis^ ■it would:bo w.el 1 .ladyise d:to:be; ,a'' 1 i ttk'r -less., nositiveri.n, its •« < isei ; ;tions, '-a nd.ro: veiufv its, ''evicinrice" , .byore;circu],alh' in.e it bvoa'dchsjt/ainongst/oi'r injidcent ',a_nd:' ! ,uhsuspelctihg : whom ibis''seckinß:tp;b'3ndto/its.wii'l. /■ fifty' : years''after ;liis dca'thia'-mohii-/. .ment.'has.b.eeh,erected in .London.to: the": mcmpi'y,.;bf, u .Erigland!s;, greatest I .iiiyigatbr. >/,Passea;v'over;v .by/v; the; ] smilesvof officialffaypur during;.; his lifetime,'if /be;. said/that/the;! : memorials';-: tp' : - lCaptain/'./'Cook-:: are either: or /adequate; '■■ ■'; '!;In. New Zcalarid.an obelisk on, thc^beaeh- 1 at .Gisbbvhctniai-k'sV/thcl^'pbtvof: his •first.'lariding,v ; aiidl..a :i ; year//un'yciled; at ;'' ; Ship; v /Covei". in 1 'Queen'/Cliarlbttc; Sbund.V/liisv.liead-l these! chores.,"Both'/: .wore,'.inspired :/..by,"a;,/praisen*6rthy spirit, ancl it, is- not 'the. ta'iiltof'thei'j .that':.,' the/: 1 vimperishable/ /memory of /Cook still lacks'/a' fitting, tribute froiii the/people of/.Ncw./Zea-: Lahd.. / It was Captain l Gpbk; who gave ,Ehgland''her v title:/ sian, .colohiesj/ancl: who .the /trail ■ fpr/Zalliwho/ : ttday^lcall:'NewZealand /their.' home—e'xcepting, : :,:bf : coui;sc,.our;.Maori .ifcllqw .;', citizens.who ; had- thcirVpwn'.,pioneers' l v'frohv theji; ancient homelarid. / No/; more': /striking illustration 1 ; of; what' Cap-: TAiN L GoOK : did. for/the. Empire could ,:be; found'. than /-that- quoted. by/'MR.MACkENZiE,,inLondon—that thetrado, of New Zealahd. -which Is but one of the: territories'' Cook'; linked up to en illation, is already as .irrcil as was the extcinal trade of England Gcrmaii'vj and France i',t 'fh» , "tiiiv>"'o'f his visit to this corner of the globe: