NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 208, 28 May 1921, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

A feature of the present Supreme Court sessions throughout the Dominion has been tho failure of the Crown to secure convictions on the manslaughter charges following a number of motor fatalities. Aa the. Iqlw stands the choice in these cases seems to be between a charge of manslaughter and a prosecution under the Motor Regulation Act. Juries are showing a natural, and proper, reluctance to bring in verdicts of manslaughter unless supported by indisputable evidence of negligence. Under the Motor Regulation Act it is an offence to drive a motor recklessly or negligently or in a manner dangerous to the public, having regard to all the circumstances of the case. The maximum penalty for such an offence, however glaring, and by whatever fatal or serious results attended, is the ludicrously inadequate one of a fine “not exceeding ten pounds.” The Act was passed in 1908. This is 1921, and for every motor on the roads thirteen years ago there are possibly ten to-day. Motor fatalities are of almost weekly occurrence, and to control the situation there is only this hopelessly out-of-date legislation. When a shipmaster hazards his vessel and loses the lives of his passengers it is rarely that he stands in. tho dock on a criminal charge; but he has to surrender his certificate and he does not get it back again until he has been exonerated. In other countries motorists have been dealt with on a similar basis for many years past by the endorsement, suspension, or cancellation of the licenses to drive of those who offend. Such a system has been promised in New Zealand, but time seems to be available in Parliament for legislation on any and every other subject save this.

Ex-Presidents of the United States have been heard of in all sorts of capacities, but Mr. W. H. Taft is, we think, tho first to achieve the distinction of afterwards sitting as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The Supremo Court is not only the final court of appeal in the United States, but to it falls also the duty of interpreting the Constitution. Although Congress passes a law and the President signs it, it becomes of no effect if a majority of the nine justices of tho Supreme Court rules that it is unconstitutional. As the Court’s ruling cannot be over-ridden by any other process than the protracted and difficult one of amending the Constitution. its position is of tho highest importance and responsibility. The Judges are appointed for life, and in nothing have tho successive Presidents more shown their wisdom than in the men they have chosen for the vacant seats. Although for many years back every President has appointed only men of his own party, the new-made Judges have left their partisanship behind them. Mr. Taft is most widely knqwn as a politician, but he is also one of the most eminent lawyers in the United States. For three years he waa on tho bench of the Superior Court of Cincinnati, from 1892 to 1900 he was a Judge of the United States Circuit Court, and on two occasions he declined appointment by Air. Roosevelt as a Judge o/ the Supreme Court. He is therefore well entitled to th 0 high and onerous position for which, he is now chose*. It is typical of America, though, that the late Chief Justice, <who died recently, should postpone his retireinent until Air. Wilson ceased to be President so as to give Mr. Taft his chance.

Italy has given the Bolshevist emissaries the cold shoulder, and a cable message yesterday announced their decision to return to Russia. The delegation arrivad in Rome in the middle of March, and found before it a path not exactly strewn, with roses. In consequence of the efforts of the Socialist Deputies who met them at the railway station, the hand baggage of the party escaped examination, but a polite request by the Customs officers for the keys of 27 heavy trunks caused them the utmost consternation. Complaint of this treatment: waa made at the Chamber of Deputies by the delegates, and they returned triumphantly with a note from the Primo Minister ordering that they should be treated courteously, but, as the Customs officers pointed out, saying nothing about passing their baggage without examination. After an excited discussion it was decided to leave the trunks at the station sooner- than have them opened. Eventually the boxes were opened, and instead of the declared books and clothes were discovered

a varied assortment of Russian Imperial jewels, coins of great age and value, Persian rugs, and valuable articles for disposal. At their hotel the otherguests so forcibly expressed their opinion of the means by which this treasure was acquired that the Bolshevists found it prudent to retire from the dining-room. In the end they were fined for their false declarations as to tho contents of their trunks, and now they return to Moscow with no trading agreement with Italy and no recognition of any sort of the Soviet. Altogether the adventure seems to have been a. melancholy one for them.

When Sir Robert Horne was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer it was said that British business men would welcome his advent in the hope that it wjjuld mean acceleration of the hitherto slow process of economy. If the new Chancellor succeeds in carrying nut the programme of economy summarised in one of yesterday’s cablegrams he will moj.e than justify this good opinion. The Budget estimate of revenue for the. current financial year was 1057 millions, but Sir Robert Horne, now anticipate s ’- that the aniqnnt isunlikely to exceed 950 millions. He therefore proposes to devote 465 millions to meeting debt charges and to cut. down to 485 millions the amount of 603 millions allotted in the Budget to supply services.- Tho actual expenditure last year in this category was 817 millions. "Supply services” includes, amongst other items, an annual charge, of about 123 millions-for war pensions. Before' the war the annual expenditure of the United Kingdom was approximately 200 millions. Under his economy programme, the Chancellor proposes to meet with an expenditure of 360 millions the cost of pre-war services and of such additions (other than Department and war pension charges) as have' since l»en made to those services. Obviously, if this ambition is to be realised tlie- prun-ing-kuife will have lobe applied very freely. For instance, the Army and Navy Estimates framed for Ihe current year contemplate an expenditure of 207 millions, as compared with 77 millions before the war. ’1 here is no doubt, however, that Sir Robert Horne is boldly developing the policy which is best calculated to lift the United Kingdom out of its financial difficulties.

During the month of March last there was a slackening of the downward movement of wholesale prices in tho United Kingdom. In each of the four preceding months, according to the London “Times” index number, these prices dropped on an average by a little more than nine per cent. Tho drop recorded in March was only 2.6 per cent. At the end of March the average increase in British wholesale prices over the. corresponding prices in December, 1913. was 89.3 per cent. At their peak, in April last year, wholesale prices wore. 229.2 par cent, above those of December, 191.3. Thus sixty-one per cent., or nearly twothirds, of the war-time increase in wholesale prices bad disappeared at the end of last March. The commodities to which the ‘‘Times” price-index relates are divided into two main groups—foodstuffs and raw materials. Of these groups materials show by far the most pronounced decline. At the end of March the prices of materials, on an average, were only 50.9 per cent, above the prices of December, 1913, while food prices were still 127.7 per cent, above those of 1913. The limited fall recorded is March is taken in some quarters to mean that prices have closely approached a level of stability. It seems quite possible, however, that the March decline might have been more pronounced but for the unsettling effect of the coal trouble, and the expectation, since verified, that it was destined to develop on a serious scale.

A subordinate official on the staff of a body like the Supreme War Council has access to much confidential information, and the assistant secretary of the Council, Captain Peter L'. Wright, has proved hirn’self a most painstaking collector. In a recently-published book ho gives away many secrete. With numbers and dates Im: refers to minutes of the War Cabinet, to Foreign Office telegrams, to the diary of British G.H.Q., and many other confidential documents. One of his duties was to act as interpreter between some of the principal characters, and on his notes of these conversations he also draws freely. No express statement appears that Captain Wright has permission to use his official inside knowledge for a private venture in authorship, but whether he had permission or not, the disclosure of facts of firstclass importance by a very minor actor in. them is a new departure. The Loncjon ‘/Times” remarks that the next thing will be a typist's account of the drafting of the Peace Treaty, or a shorthand writer will give away the secrets of Downing Street. Captain Wright alleges, with, chapter and vei-se, that the disaster of March, 1918, with British casualties in ten days of 8810 officers and 164,831 men, was due to Sir Douglas Haig and General Petain arranging between themselves a scheme of defence entirely different from the General Reserve, decided upon by Afarshal Foch and tho Executive War Board. The hiatus in Captain Wright's story, is that apparently the political and military heads all knew of this change, but for some reason—perhaps recorded in a document Captain Wright did not see, or a con-visi-sation he did not interpret—failed to veto it.