NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 49, 22 November 1920, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

Between Hid United States and Japan there is no affection. To the Western American Japan is a menace and a potential foa In Japan popular rerentmenfc a ß ainsf the California,. anti-Japan-eao legislation is.rising to a dangerous pilch. Japan in American eyes seeks to control China and close the door to the ,-cst of the world, and she is suspected also of intriguing for a foothold in Mexico. The prido of the Japanese i s hurt by tho affront plnced on them by the Californian land laws. The mutual antipathy of the two nations goes much deeper than this, and is no easier to explain than the animosities and prejudices of individuals. Both the American and Japanese Governments arc anxious to maintain friendly relations, and there will bo no rupture if diplomacy can avoid it. The situation is only likely to become critical if.the bitter racial feeling should lead to untoward incidents in either Japan or America, in which case an explosion of popular indignation might easily force one Government or tho other into a position from which, there could bo no -withdrawal. Incidentally, it is worth remembering that in consequence <*f the Anglo-Japan-ese Alliance. Britain is sometimes believed in America to encourage the assertion of Japanese "rights" abroad. It would materially clear tho air wheD the alliance cornea up for renewal if America

would become a party to an international convention for the regulation of affairs in Eastern Asia. Tho. day when Christians will como within one fold in church organisation is far distant, but it is a happy sign to find different Churches drawing together. Tho union effected some years ago by Weslcyan Methodists and Primitive Methodists has, wp believe, been, found thoroughly sound and beneficial to both bodies. In thejr General Assembly tho Presbyterians aro now considering an amalgamation of the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches. This is a projected first step to a union of nil the i evangelical Churches in the Dominion. There can be no doubt that where there aro no irreconcilable differences on fundamentals the union of a number of independent sects into one corporate whole, should lead to a much greater efficiency in organisation and concentration of effort. It is significant that tho Presbyterian Assembly should last week have been discussing the' problem of widening and deepening the Church's appeal to the people. Tho people of to-day aro not essentially irreligious, as superficial observers . may be inolined to declare, but somehow the Churches are failing to present their essential message in such a way as to draw the mass of the public vith them. It is for tho message of Christianity in. its' broadest and most vital sense that the needs of our time call, and as sect 3 and denominations emerge from a narrow particularism so may they expect to find a more abundant result from their labours.

Instead of voting themselves an increase of pay the members of the NewSouth Wales Parliament have appointed o. Judge as commissioner to take evidence and report on the amount Ministers and members should receive. There were constitutional difficulties in the way of forming a politicians' union and filing demands in the Arbitration Court, but tho fipsult 6ecms to bo a close approach to this process. Mr. Justice Edmunds, tho commissioner, sat in Sydney ten days ago to hear evidence offering, and, appropriately enough, the sitting was in the No. 1 Arbitration Court. There was no rush of politicians in support of their desire for more money. Their attitude, it has been remarked, was that of tho cabby who says to his passenger, "Leave it to you, sir," in the hopo of getting twice the legal fare. One member only volunteered evidence. Ho explained that since he entered Parliament he had had to give, up running a picture show, and had been obliged to find a deputy to hold his billet as a town clerk, so that he got only 13s. of tho salary of £a for himself. In view af the political situation ho thought it would be inadvisable to give up this job. He had a wife and seven children to support, and also his wife's father, who was an invalid. In these trying circumstances he considered .fiIOOO a year would not be excessive. The Australian public, after the "£IOOO steal" in the' Commonwealth Parliament, are finding it refreshing to have at least ono politician advancing defiuite reasons for more pay. * « » » \ Higher working costs and. wages are bringing many changes in their train all the world over. In New York it is declared that the day of the small-hotel is definitely over in tho American metropolis. Little places of 000 rooms and so on can no longer bo worked on a, profitable basis with their high working chargds and small accommodation. This is tire view of Mr. John Bowman, manager of the Grand Central Terminal group of hotels whose rooms run to the number of 5000 and who employs a staff of between 1000 and 8000, and entertains annually about 600,000 guests. "Tho hotelkeeper under present conditions," says Mr. Bowman, "must follow tho example I of the great packers and figure his profits on each dollar in fractions of cents and depend upon a large revenue." In his latest hotel Mr. Bowman planned at first for 1000 rooms. Ho soon saw that it would have to be larger, and went up to 1500 looms; after further caloulation an increase to 1800 was made, and finally a hotel of 2000 rooms was built as tho smallest that would give a reasonablo margin of safety on the investment. It f.s good-bye, Mr. Bowman says, to old ways in hotel-keeping: the personal touch and welcome from the always accessible inn-keeper will have to pass into tho realm of forgotten, things in New York. It will be news to most travellers,in America to learn that anything of tho old stylo of inn-keeping wob supposed to survive even in that now hopelessly out-of-date institution, the GOO-rooin hotel.

Rumours are current in Australia that a change in naval policy in the Pacific will be proposed at the Imperial Conference next year. The centre of international gravity is gradually shifting to tho Pacific, and British forces on. -this side of the- world will probably bo greatly increased in the future. The cost of constructing and maintaining capital ships has gone up so enormously thnt none of the Dominions will care to incur independent liability in this respect. The Australia is no longer in full commission in the Australian Navy, where she now does duty as a training ship. If she were on the Imperial list she would bo the next battle-cruiser for tho scrap heap. The cost of an Tip-to-dato ship like the Hood would be about treble what was paid for tho Australia a brief ten years ago, and naturallv one hears no suggestion in Australia that more, millions should be, forthwith invested in another such rapidly depreciating asset. The reports now in circulation, and described by tho Melbourne "Age" as authoritative, are to the effect that the Dominions will be asked to confine their naval activities io their immediate territories and coastal defence aud patrol work within a defined area. The object, it is slated, is to bring the maintenance and direction of the forces required for major naval operations under a singlo central control. Such an arrangement, if really contemplated, should still leave ample room for the development of lighter naval'forces such as our own policy proposes, but would apparently remove the capital ship definitely from the purview of tho Dominion navies and possibly call upon thein for a subsidy for the major force proposed. If any chaire is contemplated some early indication of its nature seems desirable.