NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 101, 23 January 1920, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

The appointment of Dr. Soi.ras German diplomatic representative at Tokio is significant in more ways than one. The Japanese have an extensive naval programme on hand; they are dissatisfied with the Australian and New Zealand mandates in the Pacific; th'ey occupy (lie onetime German foothold in China and have large ambitions in iliat country; and finally they are engaged at the moment in military operations in Siberia. To Japan goes Dr. Sou'. Dr. Solf is a diplomat who believes that the Asiatic continent is the true field for the exploitation of the German genius, and . that Germany's first need is to regain her colonics. In his young days Dr. Sow walked across Ilussia and spent two years in Persia. He next served for ten years in the German Foreign Office and worked up a bureau on Far Eastern affairs. As a German Agent in India lie was suspccted of complicity in a number of native revolts. A term as Governor of Samoa followed, and later on he became Minister for the Colonics, and in 1918 Foreign Minister, and well in the running for Chancellor. With such a man as German Ambassador at Tokio ■ the Pacific becomes more than ever, the centre of international gravity. j

That ten per cent, of the votes cast at the Commonwealth Senate election were informal is the lament of the Sydney Telcr/mph. In this clccI tion each State voted as ono conand a. wftfcrejitial vote.

was required. An understanding of the methods required to cast a formal vote was not beyond a low and poorly-educated intelligence. Yet one in tea of Australia's grown men and women were unable to pass so rudimentary a test of qualification for citizenship. We commend these facts to the attention of those New Zealanders who desire the adoption of complicated systems of voting in this country. At the same time it is by .no means clcar that it would bo a to have a system of voting by which the stupid and carclcss automatically disfranchised themselves. The votes of such people clearly have little intelligence behind them, and a test which thus quietly eliminated the feeble-minded and put them where they belong, along with the mental hospital patients, has a good deal to be said in its favour.

New Zealanders will be foolish people 'if they go on indefinitely sending their wool to Yorkshire and buying back the resultant cloth to the fabulous profit of the Yorkshire wool spinners. If there is one secondary industry in the country that can lie profitably expanded it is. woollen manufacturing. That an ample margin of profit .jxists is clearly shown by the extraordinary disclosures made in the inquiry ir.t'o the profiteering in the Yorkshire wool trade. Less abnormal conditions may prevail before long, but wages have gone up permanently in Britain, and the New Zealand manufacturer thus placed in a mere advantageous position than of old,. One combination of farmers lias acquired its own steamer to carry its own produce to London. Perhaps some other may go one better and nanufacturc enough of,its w<>ol into cloth to meet the whole of ihe needs of the local market.

It is a little difficult to reconcile Sir Joseph Ward's professed intention of philosophically accepting the decision of the electors "as a sportsman should" with his somewhat bitter diatribes against his critics. Although he has fought vigorously enough on occasion, Sir Joseph Ward has seldom appeared to advantage under criticism, and lie has frequently damaged his own case by the violence of his outbursts'against his critics and by adopting the pose of the man with a gricvancc. It is not given to everyone to be a good loser, but most public men of> long standing learn, the wisdom of accepting the. buffets of fortune with some composure and in good spirit. The selection of Mr. W, D. S. MacDonald as the successor to Sir Joseph Ward as Leader of_ the Liberal Party will occasion little surprise. He was the only member of the party likely to command any general support. Whether he will meet with any better success than Sir .Joseph Ward and Sir Thomas Mackenzie may be open to doubt. Hp is not as skilled in Parliamentary debate as cither of the two exleaders named, and he is less well versed in Parliamentary practice and procedure. He has, however, held .Ministerial rank for several years, and in Sir Joseph . AVard's absence has filled the position of Aeting-Lcadcr of the Liberal Party.