Greymouth Evening Statr. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1901. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 May 1901, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Statr. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1901. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

For sixty-three years the Anglo-StmTn has kept the 24 th of May as a holiday —a holiday to commemorate the birth of Queen Victoria —a queen who by her womanly qualities endeared herself to the nation, and set up a standard of morality and domestic virtue that was wanted in many Courts. Tomorrow will be the sixty-fourth celebration ; but that celebration will be tinged with regret—for Queen Victoria no longer reigneth. After an unparallelled reign, she hath gone the way of humanity, but she has left behind “ footprints on the sands of time ” that will never be effaced while the Race exists. In another column Mr Merrit makes some well-timed observations upon the character and nobility of our late Queen,

The Boer war continues, and extra aid may be required. Our Premier—in matters regarding the dominance of the Race, —a thorough Imperialist—has hinted at the possibility of an eight contingent. This proposal does not meet with approval of the “ great dailies ” of the colony. These journals all affirm that New Zealand has done more than ther share and should be content seeing that Britain has not asked for further assistance. The Post is somewhat severe in its comments, but passing that portion our contemporary very justly remarks:— Nfew Zealand has done more than her share and done it well, and cannot afford to deprive the country of the services of increasing numbers of the flower of her youth. If more men are wanted there are thousands of healthy young Englishmen of means in the Old Land who can well be spared, and should and would be ready to answer to their country’s call if needed. Now, however, Lord Stanley Ibas announced in the Commons that it was not intended to increase the forces in South Africa, so that Mr Seddon is for the present relieved of the obligation of again coming to the rescue.

The presence of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in the Australian colonies doubtless had a good deal to'do with the Anarchist scare, and the supposition that some of these undesirable gentry had arrived by the Ormuz. Our yesterday’s telegrams gave the cause that led up to the rumor. At the same time we may rest assured that precautions for the safety of the Royal party will bo doubled, for it will n*»t be forgotten that a son of our late Queen narrowly escaped assassination - in Australia, while on a tour round the colonies. In New Zealand it will be well for the Government to make elaborate arrangements for JBe safety of the Royal Party, or it wiTp|o doing less than its duty, and the responsibility will be on its shoulders.. Not that .there is occasion for serious alarm. It is quite possible IhaGJhis reported arrival of an anarchist flHbit in Australia is merely a device r p|sise societies to attract attention to thepiselves, but it cannot be-denied that danger does exist. In ratkinof an attack on the heir to the Bmista throne, on whose movements the eymj of the Empire are just now these men would be seizing an oppor-

tunity for.calling startled attention to themselves ai.d their envoys more dramatically than they have ever done in the past. It must be our first w in New Zealand to destroy all >?■• sibility of such an attack.