NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 302, 15 September 1920, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

Tho essential thin? in connection with the city loan to-day is tb vote on it, There are 21,265 ratepayers entitled to vote, and it behoves all who have any care for the future welfare of tho city to make a poinil of going to the polling tjboEh's. Yesterday morning we discussed the proposals in detail and need not weary our readers by traversing them again. Tho majority of the works are urgently necessary to the progress of tho city and deserve strong support, • which it would be most unwise to withhold because of a preference for some alternative plan. As to tho urgency of some of the smaller items there may be differences, but even here it is questionable whether the wisest course is not to support them and to give the City Council the necessary power to proceed as. time and opportunity offer.

With tho battle-cruisera immediately preceding her already on the scrap-heap, the conversion of H.M.A.S. Australia info a training ship will not occasion purprise. In tho enisle message this morning we are told that! it is for reasons of economy that tho Admiral's llag is being transferred to the Melbourne, but it may be taken that the deciding facibr has been tho realisation that tho Australia, besides being, decidedly expensive to maintain in full commission, is obsol-. escent. The Australian Navy fo-day comprises 31 surface vessels, including a, collier and an oiler, and six submarines, and costs over <£1,500,000 per annum for maintenance. Tho Australia cost about two millions to build, and botli she and the other original vessels of the iicet are ripe for tho reserve, with not ten years' service to tlioir credit. If tho Australia were replaced by a capital ship of the first-class, such as the Hood, an outlay of over six millions would have to bo faced, with a subsequent annual expenditure for maintenance of .£540,000 for this one ship. Proportionately increased sums would bo required for the replacement of tho original three cruisers. It is obvious-that tho. only 6ound financial basis for nn up-to-dato local navy is to provide for everything, new ships and all, out of revenue. Tho alternatives are to nurso obsolete ships, or to rebuild and face on tippailing accumulation of over-lapping loans. . » * # » "Tho wording of the new clauses In the Marriage Act Amendment Bill certainly gives ground for tho protests of tho Homan Catholic hierarchy. The evidence in the recent inquiry led the Legislative Council to tho decision, and in: our opinion a proper one, that an amendment of the law is necessary. Sir- John Findlay, in his statement cn behalf- of the. Church, admitted that various officially issued statemonts of tho Koman Catholic doctrine on marriage wore unfortunately worded, nnd too' sweeping in character, and adde<l tliat it was intended to revise them. The State in New Zealand knows one thing only as marriage, and that is a union validly contracted in accordance with thd law. It should be opon to any denomination to regard a marriage not complying with its conditions as an unsanctified. union, ljut it should not be open to anybody at all to deny that a validly contracted marnago is a marriage. The clause as amended makes it an offence to deny that persons lawfully married are "truly and lawfully" married. To this it is suggested that the words "according to .'law" may be added. Neither form of words ts happy. The better plan, we think, would bo to omit the adjective "truly," making the offenco lis in alleging that persons lawfully, married are not- "lawfully married." 'Exception is also taken by the Church to tho words "illegitimate or bom out of 'true' wedlock," and the replacement of "true" by "legal" is suggested. Here: again, the-difficulty might bo met in h sounder way than by recognising by statute., "legal," ami presumably other, forms of wedlock. Instwn of ' "ulegitimato - or born out of legal wedlock" the words "illegitimate or born in bastardy" might be used; This, should leave ample room for any denomination to express Ite religious convictions. In any cnce, the point raised by tho legal opinions quoted 'by the heads of the l?o----man 'Catholic Church- 6hould be satisfactorily settled in n manner to remove all doubt. * * * * In securing the services.of thirty British naval airmen as aviation instructors to her navy Japan is paying a dellcato compliment to a forco fiat distinguished itself by much daring nnd gallant work during tho late war. In tho later stages of the war tho naval air service, of course, becamo rnorged in tho Eoyal Air Force, covering-all branches of air work, but it remained a highly specialised department. It was only occasionally that the public heard of its achibvenienfcs in any detail. Ono instance, typical of many oth'ors receiving, equally brief meniiion at the time, is worth recalling. In August, 1918, a Zeppelin was sighted by tho Harwich forco whilo patrolling in the German Bight. For just 6Uoh an opportunity ft Game! aeroplane

had been towed across on a lighter by 0110 of the destroyers. In this machino n uimnleeu-year-okl Canadian, Lieutenant D. F. Culley, went nn single-lmndcd and attacked the Zeppelin at a height ot 19,000 feot, completely destroying it and Bonding it down in tlamos into the sea. This was n brilliant enough achievement, but this iutrepid youth, capped it with another feat. His machi'no had no floats, and it was intended that be should alight oil the water between the destroyer and a whale boat lowered for tho jnirposo ot rescuing him and, if iwssible, salving liij machine, Disdaining the prospect of a ducking Lileutenant! Culley on his return landed neatly on tho lighter, only slightly damaging a wing of the aeroplane. For bis morning's work lie received, a wellearned D.S.O. If the Japanese under their British instructors reach this standard of daring and skill ait power will become a matilor of eoino moment in tho Pacific.