NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 8 November 1901, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The Parliament in its wisdom hath seen fit to pass a gratuity of £2,000 to the widow of the late Sir John M'Kenzie. The Parliament, in the minds of very many true Democrats, has, in this matter, made a serious mistake, and set up a precedent that many cost the colony from time to time large sums of money it can possibly ill afford. The measure savors very strongly of Old Tory ideas of granting pensions to the wealthy, while treating the needy widows and orphans, whose fathers in perhaps humbler spheres of life, have done good service for the State, with "complete neglect."

! The death is announced in our cablegrams of that extraordinary character —in Chinese history—Li Hung Chang. Born in 1828, he was 74 years of age at his death. His first appearance so far as Western recognition goes, dates from 1860, when as Governor of the Thiang-Sin province he co-operated with General Gordon in suppressing the Taipiug rebellion. In 1865 he was Viceroy of the " United Countries." Other honors soon followed till 1868 when he was appointed Grand Chancellor. In 1870 he was degraded on a charge of not assisting the General-in-Command in connection with the Tien-Tsin massacres, but was restored to favor by the Emperor in 1872. He was a man of great wealth and naturally of liberal ideas. For a time he was regarded as a staunch friend of England, but latterly had been completely dominated by Russia, and indeed had been accused by his countrymen of selling their interests in Manchuria to the Muscovite. He had great influence over the Dowger Empress, and by his death she loses a control she is not ever likely to regain. His death at the present time is fraught with many serious consequences and may possibly entirely destroy Russia's ambitious ideas regarding the annexation of Northern China. He was a determined opponent of the Japanese, and the latter nation will scarcely regret his death.