NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 20, 18 October 1919, Page 8

NOTES OF THE DAY

One point in Lord Jellicoe's report on Now Zealand's future-part in naval defence which will meet with wide approval on grounds quite apart from that of national security is the proposal to establish a fleet of trawlers in these waters for mine-sweeping purposes in time of war. The idea that some at least of these vessels might be used' in peace times for adding to the Dominion's supply of fresh 'iish is wholly/admirabk It is a reflection on our enterprise, and indeed amounts to. a scandal that while our waters are teeming with fish of excellent quality for food purposes, the supply available l'or'.public requirements is cn'-ito. inadequate in quantity and shamefully' dear . in price. 'I lie trawlers when they come here, for it may be assumed that they, are certain 'to come, can not be allowed to remain idle and unproductive when tliei'n is such a profitable field for practical usefulness awaiting then It is « roundabout way, perhaps, to reach the desired goal, but the trawlers required as a part of our scheme of nava) defence may in tho end prove .the quickest means of securing for the people of the Dominion that Supply of fresh fish at;reasonable prices for which they have been so Jong and <;a patiently waiting.

■ Women aspirants to scuts in Parliament need 110 longer hesitate to .declare their intentions, and can set out to woo the/doctors as soon as it may suit them to do so. The deadlock between' the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives. which lias delayed the passage.of the measure conferring the right on women to sit in both Houses, has culminated, in the Rouse agreeing to the mutilation of thc_ Bill'by the Legislative Council. This means that, tho portioii of the Eill placing women on an equality withmen so far as the Lower Chamber is concerned will at once become law. In ord-M- to conserve tho privileges of the Legislative Council, the excised portion of the Bill' enabTmg women to be anpointcd to the Upper Chamber will now as a' seDarate■ measure be Mirst introduced in that Cba/rtbcr which'it most directly concerns, instead of in'the Lower House, and its fate will be decided on ifsjinerits instead of being shelved on a side issue. Probably it also, will become law, and women thus secure the right to sit/ in both Houses. That there .will bo women candidates for seats iu the House of ; Representatives at the coming general elections is practic-ally-assured. Already a candidate is spoken' of for one of the Wellington seats','and also one for an Auckland seat. • Their prospects of success'in the constituencies mentioned are not viewed in political circles as being'particularly bright. It is admittedly a little premature, however, to offer an opinion on this •point.

• -It may be taken as. a hopeful, sign that' thc'''Pnij}n Minister yesterday made a more ' definito . declaration of 'intentions regarding" immigration than has. yet fallen from either Government or Opposition. Mn. Massev was being pressed to bring out domestic servants to rclioVe the unhappy lot, of housewives who ■nowadays'find the utmost .difficulty in securing assistance-.of any kind in carrying out their household duties. It is in many;cases a very real hardship, . especially in large households "with; young families. The Prime Minister plainly recognised this, but pointed out that until all our soldie; - s_ were brought back to the Dominion and New Zealanders in. England afforded the opportunity offered bv the limited shipping space available, of returning to their homes, it would be impossible to clo anything in the way of immigration. But, 1 and this was the encouraging -feature of. "Mn. Massey's.. ftmarks on. the ' subject, immigration w ; ould be .carried out vigorously as joon as it possible, to go on with it. ''ViVirousIv" and "as'soon as.possible" are forms 'which ;sii£rge'sfc .possibilities, Will the Government, however, bear in >iind that. one. of! the '.- crreatest of the times. is skilled,building labour ? And tbr, poo"rfr Ministers'instruct their officers in London f" r»t to work to secure immigrant" of this, t.vpe the better Mm "It nee of their not hein.i? bv the representatives of other of tho overseas Dominions.

Sojffc of the revolutionary literature seized by the police in London and Glasgow n month or--two back, and. referred to in cable messages at the time, appears' to have been of a very extreme type. Portions published ■ in the Press'with official sanction and quoted by The Spr.rln-' tor show that a '"'programme of the Clyde Workers' Revolutionary Committe.)" proposed a "Bed Terror" on the Russnn plan, with the abolition of Parliament, the confiscation of private property, the "arming of the entire labour population as a Red Army, 1 ' ainl the creation of a Revolutionary' Tribunal. Comment.ine on the M-iiatter the paper remarks that "it may be said thatonly madmen could put forward such schemes. But madmen with large l sums'of money from T.enix's Treasury miirht do a great deal of mischief if they were not exposed." Bolshevik nropaennda money is known to have been used in England, 1 America. France, Germany, Austria, and Ttn.lv, and,if is sus--pelted that it hns been ciVulaM in othe l ' "arts of the world. Haw Australia nd New Zealand p'w'iwlthe attention of the voN nf Bolshevism or is it merely that their activities have not bc>n detected?

A, brief message from Washington statin!? that the Shantung amendment was defeated is of good promise, as it hears upon the nrosDects of tho ratification of the Peace Treaty by the United States Senate. Presumably it« menus the. rejection 1 of the TJepiihliean pronosnl. that Ciermany's former rights in Shantung should he restored' to China, instead of being transferred to Japan-. Such a development owes its imnortanee to the fact, that the "Republican Senators have concentrated largely nrun the agreement 1 cached bv the Peace_ Conference, in regard to Shantung in their camnaign for the. modification, of tjhc Treaty and the Laacue of Nations Covenant A ."Republican defeat, on the Shantung question thus raises hopeful prospects of tho ratification of tin Treaty by America without material amendment;.