NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 73, 20 December 1920, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

Already the coolts and Awards' dispute in Australia is holding up intercolonial shipping, blocking hundreds of holiday visitors, and causing the loss of thousands of pounds of money that would otherwise hava been spent in this country. Now there is said to lja trouble looming -with the cooksand stewards locallT, and some possibility that the holiday sea traffic in the Dominion, may Be interrupted during the holidays. Such an interruption would cause the greatest disappointment to many thousands of people. If p&ople are blocked in the Christmas trips home the opportunity is gone for a year, for there is no postponing Christmas holidays to nieot the convenience of the cooks and stewards. Presumably the men believo that by striking, or threatening to strike, at tho holiday season they can bring a certain amount of oitra pressure on the companies in, connection with '"heir demands. But even from the narrowest viewpoint is it worth while spoiling the public's Christmas for the sake of that little bit of pressure? The railway strike during tho Prince's visit was a great mistake from every point-of view, and came near ruining the whole of the Dominion's arrangements on a unique occasion. To use such times of fostivity as a means of getting in an extra equoeze is really playing it pretty low down, and it may be hoped the cooks and stewards will look at the matter in a sporting spirit. The difference between striking now and after the New Year, if they think it neccssary to strike, cannot bo very great from their own point of view, but it will make all the differenco in the world to a great part of the public, including trades unionists and their families.

It does not look as if the publication of the full official dispatches relating to tho Battlo of Jutland will leave the public at large much wiser. The world knows what consequences have followed from the course taken by Lord Jellicoe at Jutland. The German Navy, in damaged condition it is true, got hom% to port, "but it mutinied in October, 1918, when ordered to sea again to meet tho British Fleet, and that mutiny precipitated tho collapse which led to the armistice. From this morning's messages it appears as if.the Grand Fleet, before Lord Beat'ty's "Follow me" signal was received,- had.already made an alteration of cdurse, which precluded following tho battle-cruisers immediately. Apparently .also the German wireless "jammed" a message of vital importanca from the Faulkner, one of our destroyer flotilla leaders. The critics in tho undisturbed ; quiet of their studies can reconstruct the course of events, and at their leisure arrive at their conclusions as to what might have been done. Lord Jellicoe had his decisions to make on the 6pur of the foment. The North Sea viewed on- a chart is ono thing, but quite another from the bridge of a battleship at; the [ en<l of a hazy afternoon with conflicting messages pouring in from all quarters. It is possible that by some daring stroke the German battlo fleet might havo been destroyed. . It is possible also that such a stroko might not havo succeeded, in which case our fleet would havo been unwarrantably hazarded iti an effort to cut oif an enemy already in' retreat. The argument is of a kind likely to continuo until the disputants tiro of the subject.

Those who opposed tho Firearms Bill last session should note that a committee set up by tho New South Wales Labour Government is recommending the passing of stringent restrictions in that State also. It is significant that -another message to-day • should report a serious wave of crime in the United States. Throughout the world, with ftnv exceptions, tho war has been followed by an increase in criminality in most countries. At the same timo, the erstwhile pacifists of tho war,-or at any rate their principal backers, have been busily engaged in preaching violence, though how they can reconcile this with their recent professions of repugnance to bloodshed not even, they themselves can explain. It is quite certain that if these muddle-headed revolutionaries wore able to create disturbed conditions, tho criminal and semi-criminal elements, whose possession of anus and ammunition is notoriously evident, would taks full advantage of the situation lo promoto disorder for their own ends. The Firearms Act, which comes into operation at tho New Year, should help to i»ak© impossible! anything of the sort in New Zealand. It should also do something to prevent those impulsive crimes of violence which have been so frequently recorded of late, and which in many eases would never have occurred had not the means of committing them been at hand when the impulse came.

Westland ia becoming concerned at the absence of growth in its population, and is now moving with a view to attracting immigrants to that part of tho Dominion. The position disclosed by successive census is one to cause hard thinking on the West Coast. Between 1911 and 1916. for instance, the population of New Zealand increased by 8.16 per cent. In the same period there was a decrease in population in Westland of 10.33 per cent. This downhill '-march luw bten

noticeable for a long time. It is mainly ! ! due to the decline of tlie alluvial goldfields, now pretty well wOTked out by old-time methods, though, no doubt thero is alluvial country still remaining that would be profitable if handled in a larger way, Of late years there has been 6omo increase in dairying, but the amount of new blood brought in in this way only makes the decline in other directions the more marked. Timber and coal are likely to bo the mainstays of tho district: for'a long time to come. The ooal situation has been so much with us of.recent months that it does not need enlarging 011. As for tho sawmilling, it is reported that this isJmng up for lack of hands. With timber so urgently required for housing it should bo extremely benoficial to divert os much , of the suitable immigration from Britain as possible to the West Coast mills. course, malicious folk will siay that people leave the \Vest Const to get dry. Still, the current Year Book shows more wet days in the year at Auckland than nt Hokitika, and wo all know that West Coast weather when i.t is fine can bo magnificent, If the rain when it comes is recorded by tlia foot instead of the inch, it is something in these days to have a climate that knows its own mind and does not do things by halves. |

When the Australians were disposed of for 267 runs in their first innings of the first of tho series of Test match«, wliich opened on Friday last, the prospects of the English team took on a 6ome\vhat \rosy hue. Tlio wicket was stated to bo in first-class order, and the conditions generally favoured the batsmen. In tho circumstances the score was a very moderate one. Under equally good conditions, however, tho Englishmen hara now failed, evea to reach the 200 mark. Tho lending batsmen appear to have succumbed somewhat tamely*-to the bowling, while the "tail" of the team realised expectations by making a very poor stand indeed. As matters stand the Australians have much the best of things, and tho odds are now in their favour. Ab was to 1m expected, in view of the unimpressive showing made by the batsmen of both teams, the old-time enthusiasts, arc making unkind comparisons between the teams of to-day and those of past yeara. It is n little early. yet, however, to write in this strain. Whether the present series of Test matchea will bring to light any new champions who will bo capable of ranking with the giants of a bygone day remains to be tested, but there is sufficient good material in both teams apart from the players of established reputation' to warrant the belief that tile opening stages of the first Tost game do not truly represent tho real quality of the cricket that may be looked for from them. i