NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 223, 15 June 1921, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

In voicing its opposition to Asiatic immigration the Returned Soldiers’ Association has done the right thing in the wrong way. It has passed a resolution urging the Government not to restrict, but "to prohibit absolutely” the admission of Asiatics. This is all very well from a purely New Zealand point of view, but it ignores completely our responsibilities as members of an Empire more than three-quarters of the inhabitants of which are of Asiatic race. At one of the recent Imperial Conferences it was agreed, that all restrictions imposed upon the admission of Indians to the Dominions should be reciprocal, and should apply with equal force against the admission of Dominion citizens to India. Are the members of the Returned Soldiers’ Association willing to see New Zealanders debarred absolutely from residence in India? Or do they wish Parliament to ignore altogether the Imperial Conference decisions, and legislate without making any effort to find a basis of restriction that shall be effective while wounding Indian feeling as little as possible? A powerful movement against British rule is being conducted in India, and the attachment of Indians io the Empire is not to be strengthened by brusque intimations that in trie Dominions they are regarded with antagonism, for such is their interpretation of the phrase "undesirable immigrants.” Furthermore, as it is the British Navy, maintained almost entirely at the expense of Britain, that really stands between us and an Asiatic influx, it behoves us to give the fullest consideration to the desires of the Imperial Government as to the form in which we cast our restrictive legislation, to avoid all needless offensiveness. The problem is not a*, easy one, and such a resolution as the Returned Soldiers’ Association has passed only makes it more difficult.

A task which Now Zealand must take up is the development of its manufacturing industries. The Customs tariff is to undergo a long overdue revision later in the year, and the claims of infant industries for protection will then come before the public. Simultaneously it is proposed to hold an exhibition in Wellington of articles of New Zealand manufacture. Mr. C. J. Ward, -president of the Industrial Corporation, states that the object of this exhibition will not be to display the wares of rival manufactures, but io give a view of the output of each class of industry as a whole. The idea is excellent, and it is to be hoped that the necessary support will be forthcoming to make the display thoroughly complete and representative. The old prejudice against locally-made articles still persists to a large extent with the purchasing public, and an exhibition such as is now proposed should help in combating ft. During the Inst twenty years the population of the Dominion has increased by a third, but the number of persons engaged in manufactories has increased only by one-fifth—-from 46,000 in 1901 to 55,000 in 1919. Ihe actual increase is just under 9000, and the growth of the meat works and dairy factories accounts for nearly 7000 of it, while tailoring and clothing manufacture mop up the balance. Outside of these lines we seem from the statistics to have been almost standing still for twenty years.

Professor Marsden complains that the University is pushing students along the line of classical education, and starving science. Latin is made essential with us for medicine and dentistry, whereas, the Professor states, it is not even necessary for medicine in Edinburgh. In the Middle Ages Latin was the tongue in which the learned men of all nations communicated with one another, and it was the language of the Church. It was in these circumstances that it became an indispensable subject in the school curriculum. Conditions have changed, but with some educationists the value of Latin is considered to be still the same in 1921 ixs in 1421. Why Latin should have been suddenly imported into the qualifications for dentistry in the Dominion it is impossible to understand, particularly at a time when the shortage of dentists is becoming a matter of national concern. There is no doubt that New Zealand is neglecting the scientific side in its education system, and that neglect if continued must bo paid for 'by a lack of industrial efficiency in future years.

Suggestions for the more efficient control of motor traffic are made in the annual report of the Petone borough inspector. Unfortunately the suggestions appear to be designed mainly to stop leaks in the Petone race day motortrapping operations. Motor speeding in Petone seems to he regarded by the municipal authorities not as a thing to be checked on the spot, but to be observed from behind a fence for revenue-collecting purposes. It is not: so long ago, in fact, that the Magistrate at Petone declared that he was tired of having his Court used as a money-making machine by the Petone Borough. Council. Il is in this light that the borough inspector’s report has to' be regarded. When ho desires that motor registration numbers shall be kept up to date so that owners can be readily traced, that may be read as indicating a lost jxmnd or two in fines under the present system. Similarly with the complaint of the inadequate lighting of number plates pu some cars. In face of the actual facts it is difficult to understand the inspector’s grievance that 8000 cars and other motor vehicles puss through Petone during the four race meetings at Trentham each year, and contribute nothing towards the upkeep of

the road. The inspector’s own activity on race days results in n handsome contribution to Petone’s revenue, and if the money is not expended on the road it is at the discretion of (ho Pctono Council. The main road through Pettine bears no evidence of heavy expenditure, and if Petone finds its upkeep burdensome, a simple way out would be to place the Hutt Road right up to Lower Hutt Staubn under the control of the Hutt Road Board for all purposes. ,

Some of the Labour organisations in New Zealand i-re complaining that unemployed who are being found temporary employment on, relief works are not being paid, at rhe full rate -of wages given to experienced labourers.’ It is worth noting that in Queensland, where a Labour Government has been in office for many years, the unemployed have been receiving less sympathetic consideration than they are being given in this Dominion. The position is well indicated in the following report of a deputation of unemployed to Mr. Gillies, the Minister representing the Queensland Labour Government:

The leader of the unemployed com-

mittee, Mr. O’Gorman, referred to the unemployed labouring men throughout Queensland, and expressed the opinion that if something were not done to relieve the situation the men would get together in mobs, and the result would be the greatest atrocities in the annals of crime in the history of Australia. Mr. Gillies: Do you suggest anyone is starving in Brisbane? Mr. O’Gorman: 1 do.

Mr. Gillies admitted the position was a serious one. The Government had full sympathy for the unemployed, but could scarcely be blamed for not solving the problem that was facing the whole world.

It will bo scan that things must bo pretty bad in Queensland in the way of unemployment, and that even a Labour Government finds it impossible to solve the problem. Here the Government has at least provided relief works at a wage which should enable the unemployed to tide over their difficulties until better times come round again.

Information as to the expenditure by Bolshevist agents in Britain was given in the House of Commons on April 21 last. In reply to a question, Sir John Baird, Under-Secretary to the Home Office, said it was undoubtedly the case that Communist agents had endeavoured to exploit the unemployed. Bolshevist propaganda in Britain fell under three heads—the payment of salaries to Communist officials ranging from £5 to £lO a week, subsidies to the extremist Press, and the distribution of literature. Accurate estimates of the total expenditure could not be given, but in December last a Bolshevist agent stated that it exceeded £23,000 a month. There was evidence that some at any rate of the money came direct from the Moscow Government, but that evidence related to payments made before the signing of the trade agreement between Britain and Russia, an event that occurred only a few weeks before Sir John Baird s statement. A condition of that agreement was that Russia should refrain from inciting populations under British rule to seditious acts. The Bolshevist principle, however, is that the ordinary rules of honour do not hold in dealings between Communist and Capitalistic nations. Lenin may turn and twist, sign trade agreements, invito foreign capitalists to Russia, but shrewd observers declare that whether the path is straight or crooked his goal is still the old one, and only simpletons will put much reliance on scraps of paper signed by Bolshevist emissaries.