NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 26 April 1901, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Shipbuilding continues to advance ■with giant strides. Twenty-five years ago nautical authorities declared that vessels over a stated size and tonnage must always form failures on ace rant of the inability of men to confcrolsuch a huge mass, and the " Great Eastern " was pointed to as an example of this deduction. To-day wo poo-poo such conclusion, and show that ere long such steamers as the " Great Eastern " will be small in comparison with some of our mercantile steamers. The Oceanic which has been running for some time is 17,000 or 1000 less than the Great Eastern, and now we are to have a 20,000 ton steamer in the Celtic, the new mammoth White Star lines, which was launched at the beginning of April from the yawl oi Messrs Harland and Wolff. ThU; monster liner will, when completed, be the biggest vessel ailoit, her gross registered tonnage exceeding 20,000, over 8000 tons more than the Oceanic, and 20,000 tons more than the Great Eastern. And a proposal is now made to build a 24,000 ton ship !

The cost of Eoyalty is often quoted as.an argument in favor of Republicianism, and the subject, in view of King Edward's salary is being discussed at Home. It is an open secret now that the King's Civil List is to be increased from £385,000, the amount of the late Queen's official income, to £470,000. The sum originally contemplated by Ministers was the even half-million, £SOO 030. But there seems to be a prevalent feeling that " round numbers don't look well " in these cases, and so the total has been compiled by the aggregation of separately calculared items which, added together make £470,000. The sum seems a large one, yet it must bo remembered that it includes the salaries of hundreds of retainers and officials. As a simple reply to those whoTegard it as high in comparison with the modest amount paid to the United States President, it may be mentioned that it is loss than onefourth of the expense of a Presidential election in America, and as these elections take place every four years, the cost of a President to the United States is greater than that of a King to Britain.

Of all the roving Royal Commissions that have been set up lately, the " Federation Commission" will in some respects prove the most abortive, for beyond providing a fair holiday for the Commissioners and a few officials, and perchance giving the public of New Zealand a readable report nothing will come of the enquiry, because those in power have before enquiring into the matter have made up their minds not to federate. The AgentGeneral at a banquet at London the other day voiced this idea very innocently, in stating that it' New Zealand had not entered the Federation it was not for want of admiration of Australians bnt rather because of it. Now Zealand felt the necessity of caution before entrusting her destinies to those who were so admirably fitted to manage their own affairs. Twelve hundred reasons against New Zealand's entering the •Federation existed in the 1200 "miles of sea, and though such a stretch of troubled water might be a trifle, seasickness was not, and it was right to pause before inflicting that suffering on an unborn generation. Evidently Mr. Reeves felt bound' to advance; something against Federation, and finding nothing better put forth " seasickness."