NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 121, 15 February 1921, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

The very complete victory of General Smuts in the recent South African elections means a big thing for the Empire as well as for South Africa. Since his succession to tho Premiership following on tho death of General Botha, General Smuts has held office on sufferance and has been almost powerless io push ahead with the programme of reforms designed to gradually smooth away racial differences and advance the general welfare of the people of South; Africa. His initial success was the welding of tho South African and the Unionist (British) Parties on the eve of tho elections. This was a distinct step towards the goal he has been striving for, and the polling results, which have given him a substantial working majority of some 20 odd iiUa House of 132 members, represent another~big advance. The one unpleasing feature in the election results is that the old irreconcilable element, the Dutch Nationalists, or secessionists as they 'have been branded, appear to have won about the same number of seats as they did at the last election in 1919. It is true that their hopes of a victory have been rudely shattered, but they still represent a solid body—43 strong—in lhe new House. Labour has been tfhe chief loser in the campaign. It is but another case of extremist- leaders damning tho cause ihey profess to serve by refusing to co-operate with others for the national welfare. They were invited to join with General Smuts in his great effort to promote a policy of a non-racial South Africa, and they refused to co-operate. The outcome is that the great bulk of the working class voters have thrown them and their candidates overboard and voted for General Smuts and whatl he stands for. The rank and file of Labour is sounder at heart than those who profess to bo its brains.

YVith the best intentions in the world Parliament last session gave power to the Law Courts of the country to prohibit tho publication in the Press of the names of first offenders convicted of criminal offences. Little protest was made at the time against thi» interference with the liberty of the Press, the general opinion no doubt being that the Courts would- exercise a wise discretion and exercise their power only in cases of minor lapses due to impulse or for some other sufficient reason. The “Lyttelton Times,” which appears to have been fol. lowing up the matter, lias arrived at the conclusion that Parliament has made a mistake. Magistrates, it seems, do not always find it easy to determine what was expected of them under this new authority; and differential treatment is meted out to offenders. Women found guilty of shop-lifting on two different occasions had their names omitted, while men similarly charged had to bear the brunt of publicity. The fact is that the fear of publicity is a wholesome deterrent to possible offenders, and publicity is also, at times, a safeguard to the public against victimisation. Petty thieving of various kinds is growing far too common, as the proprietors or managers of large establishments know to their cost. In many instances the thefts are difficult to trace home, and when the thieves are brought to account they frequently escape with a light penalty. If they are encouraged to think they can escape the odium of having their dishonesty made known a very real check on those inclined to yield to temptation will be removed.

It is only fitting that an illuminating illustration of how the community pays for the strikes and the “go-slow” and other similar disturbances of industry should come from a gas company. The chairman of the Wellington Gas Company, Dr. C. P. Knight, supplied the facts at the annual meeting of shareholders of the company yesterday. They were simply these; As the result of the coal shortage, strikes, and the consequential increased cost of gas-making the (company found that during Mie past year it had to raise the price of gas to the consumer 7d. per thousand feet in order to make ends meet and give shareholders a modest dividend. In other words the addition to the cost of making gas due to various forms of industrial (disturbance resulted in a direct increase to the cost of living of everyone using gas. Of course the same thing applies in a score of other directions. Every time the militant extremists indulge in one of their hold-ups of industry, whether it is in the coal mines, or on the waterfront, or on the hhi p<, ii means loss, (he greater part of which falls back on the public in increased costs of one kind or another. The facts disclosed in connection with the cost of gas merely serve to illustrate a little more clearly than is sometimes the ease the inevitable consequences to the public generally of the mad policy of the industrial wreckers who claim to art in the interests of labour unionism.

4 n idea of the present dearth of investment funds in the United Kingdom i-: -’iven in 'he poor success of a four million six per cent, housing loan recently promoted by seven provincial

towns in England. Of the aggregate amount only -£371.500 was subscribed by the public, and of this amount Bournemouth secured <£214,500 —about one-third of the total sum it required. The other six towns fared very badly. One of them. Rotherham, had 99 per cent, of its loan left with the underwriters. The loan was offered at a bad time, and it is suggested that investors had been encouraged by the concession of temporary discounts on previous issues of a similar character to delay buying, but even so such events iu the British financial world suggest that it will be some considerable time before the New Zealand Government or municipalities will be able to raise any new loans iu London.