Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28th., 1920.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 October 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28th., 1920.

THE AMERICAN EJECTION. The presidential election is drawing to its climax now. Next month will witness, the fateful decision of the people of United States of America The world at large is taking, a deep interest in tli e result because it is rightly expecting America to take up again the legitimate finish of her war work. When President Wilson returned from Europe with the, peace treaty, hiß Senate refused to ratify the momentous document. Since then the United States has been an outsider, and (Europe has been in a condition of ferment ever since If the United States had stood by England, France, Italy and Belgium following the settling of the details of the peace treaty, it would be a different Europe to-day which would present itself. How far the election will help towards that end, Europe in particular must be speculating. Mr Cox stands for the treaty, while Mr Harding is opposed to ratification. The latter is said to be “the bigger” man politically in his own country, but this claim is badly warped by reason of the stand he is taking upon the ratification question. Mr Harding is a Republican the party to which Mr Rooßevelt belonged, but he is not a man of the latter’s outstanding ability. It was a thousand pities for the sake of humanity at. large, Mr Roosevelt did not live to see this contest. It is to be expected from Iris general attitude regarding America’s entry into the war for which lie was most anxious, that lie would

not hare been a party to America mak ing her exit, till she did so quite hon orably—her work well done. To thi onlookers Mr Harding is weighted b; Reason of his opposition to ratification Mr Cox as a follower of Mr Wilson’; h'ajs the latter’s sins to answer foi also. Mr Wilson’s presidency has beer something of a. deep mystery since hi; | breakdown in health. He, or his ad visors, despite his inability to rule the great republic, have kept him ir office, a. figurehead only. The Senate flouted his work at the Peace Conference, and his most able consorts at that conclave are now out of his Cabinet The American political issue is thus greatly shrouded. And it is difficult at this stage to guage its possibilities. There are opinions published indicating favorable results both ways. It 's possible the state of parties plight result in the present iconditjion being maintained. If Mr Oox became president and the Republicans ruled the Senate, we would be no nearer the ratification of the Treaty by the United States. As always happens the cross currents in American politics ‘rather confound the situation and writers ha /j warned us heretofore that a good led of the platform rhetoric is inteuled n erely for home consumption, and that , file onlookers should not take the situa-

tion too seriously. Still for iha sake of a speedy settlement of intarnafcioml affairs in Europe it would be a good tiling to see American politics placed on olear cut lines, so that tlie uncer tain ties of the past months will be removed, and the-world will know where America stands in regard to enforcing and supporting the peace terms, and in assisting to rebuild the broken fortunes of European countries now torn asunder through the lack of strength on the part of the Allies to enforco authority in the countries where the behests of the Peace Conference are being flouted.

of action thaii those of their compatriots who prefer to slay others to attain their ends. Some of the victims represent those who are alleged to he guilty v f acts of violence, and who resort to hunger striking as a means to escape the ignomy of the law if pro zed guilty. Their sufferings must be intense, and the long drawn out process of resisting the law must be painful in the extreme to the misguided sufferers. Whatever this crime, the death they chose for themselves and their mode of enduring the living penalties they have to suffer, make a call upon humanity to find some solution of the national impasse which has arisen. The authorities do their utmost to treat the would-be victims against their own designs on themselves, but without success. There should be some way out of all this entanglement to solve the national troubles without the loss of life. The situation has been demonstrated as the extreme, and is at that stage now’ when there is the call for all the interest and forebearanco that the nation can summon up in the desire to adjust the Irish question on a basis, which will ensure tranqdility within and appreciation without. Sure ly th© darkest hours of a dire occasion are past, and the dawn of a neiv era is at hand for Ireland. All that is sound and wise in public judgment calls for action from the responsible parties so that the reign of terror may cease and order and good government prevail for the 'betterment of all.

The Mining Amendment Bill gave Mr Seddon an opening in the House on Tuesday night to put in a special plea .for the |gold-lmining industry. . The days are past apparently since the goldfields members in Parliament formed a solid phalanx and were wont to be continually urging the rights of the gold miners. It is well therefore that the Member for Westland gave expression to views which are prevalent here as to the studied neglect of the goldmining industry. The present Government is so much wrapped up in advancing ajnd safeguarding the interests of the farmers as a whole, that there is little or no time for any other class. In fact all 'classes are subservient to the farming class. Mr Massey is himself, Minister of Mines, but al-

though he has held the portfolio now for some few months, he has made no policy stroke with regard to the furtherance of the gold-mining industry. Mr Scddon mentioned various points whereon the Prime Minister might make a move to better the mining indujstry and incidentally to promote the general welfare of the country. Mining communities have been harping in this strain for years past. Since the Hon. Jameß McGowan retired from the Mines Department the gold-mining industry has been without a champion at headquarters. First of all the Department was made an appendage of the Public Works Department, and from that time on it has suffered what looks like studied neglect. It is again a separate Department with a separate Minister, but there is still a lack of progressive mining policy, and an absence of that sympathetic interest which the importance of the industry warrants. It is not any difficulty for the Goveryment to find hundreds of thousands of pounds to subsidise producing farmers whose estates have jumped up in capital value because of abnormal prices, but a few hundred pounds cannot be found for the gold producer whose property has been ruined by the rigorous period of the war, and whose product was depreciated in value by the Government prohibition of export of gold. Mr Seddon’s statement of the position was not overdrawn, but apparently it fell as usual on deaf ears.

A reminder is ,given of the All Saints Tennis Club’s ball in the Supreme Hall to-night. To-morrow evening a juvenile dance will be held in the "same hall The Wahine’s mails connected at Christchurch this morning with the West Coast express, but portion of the Coast mail was overlooked and this was sent on by motor car to catch the train. Mr G. T. McCullough, M.A., assistant teacher at Hokitika District High School, has received word that ho has been recommended for the position of assistant master at the Lyttelton school. Mr R .A. Stewart, formerly mine manager at the Progress Mines, has been appointed Examiner under the Mining Act, 1908, vice the late Mr H. P. Hornebrook, of Coromandel. The term is three years. It is stated on good authority (says the Feilding Star) that a petition is to be presented to Sir Thomas Mackenzie, shortly after his arrival in New Zealand, asking him to contest the Patea seat at the general election. New goods at the “H. 8.” Big, range of men’s neglige shirts at 8s lid each. The popular striped soft collars 2s, 2s 3d, 2s 6d. Attractive wide-end ties 2s 6d to 6s 6d. Complete stock of silk shirts, including the favourite silk canoe shirt which can be converted into three different sizes. Call and inspect the goods at the N'Z. Clothing Factory.

For selling milk from a factory that was not registered, Patrick Cavanagh was, in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, fined the maximum penalty (£SO). The charge was that he had sold the milk to James A. Chenery on October 15th.'' The defendant used a cowshed at Kaiwarra for his operations, and had failed to have the same registered. Boys playing with sticks are often careless as to how they handle them. A few! days ago two lads were having a mimic battle in a Courtenay Place (Wellington) backyard, when one boy almost gauged out the eye of his playmate, a lad named Arthur Fautham. Though the eyeball was cut, it is not anticipated that the sight will .be injured.

The numerous. West Coast friends of Mr L. F. De Berry will learn with pleasure of his appointment to the position of Headmaster of the Campbell Street School at Palmerston North, the largest school in that district and one of the biggest schools in New Zealand. Mr De Berry will take up his new, duties on February 15t,1921. He was for many years Headmaster of the Hokitika High School, and is now Headmaster of the Marton District High School. After lying submerged for over three years, the Isle 0 f Man packet steamer, Ben-My-Chree ,one of the two fastest merchant ships in the world, has bees salved by a British company, and towed into the Dardanelles. In January, 1917, she anchored close inshore on the Asia-Minor coast, and was sunk in a few ipinutes by a carefully concealed Turkish battery. At the time she was employed as an aircraft carrier, and was commanded by Commander Sampson. The work was carried out by the Salvage and Towage Company, the firm that 'refloated the River Clyde _ from an apparently hopeless position. The work was done almost entirely by skilful patching and powerful pumps. The success of Miss E. Hatch, daughter of Mr and Mrs G. Hatch of Hokitika, at the recent Trinity College musical examination, whereby she gained her A.T.C.L. for the violin, is an accomplishment of which the young lady may well be proud. With the exception of a couple of members of the Convent Sisters, Miss Hatch stands alone on the West Coast as the holder of this honor. The young lady received her tuition from the Sisters of St Columbkilles Convent, Hokitika, and also holds A.T.C.L. for' singing. Miss Hatch and her teachers are to be congratulated on her splendid achievement.

An indication that building throughout the Dominion is steadily increasing is given by the amount of timber carried over the railways. The return for the four weeks ending September 18th show that considerably more timber was carried than for the same period last year. The figures (those of 1919 given in parentheses) are as follow: Whangarei section, 3918 tons (2892); Kaihu -section, 48 tons Gisborne section, 1743 tons (1386); North Island main fines and branches, 28,202 tons (11.843); South Island main lines and branches, 14,219 tons (7539); Westland section, 9737 tons (10.614); Westpor! section, 226 tons (322); Nelson section. 336 tons, (322); Picton section, 51 tons (69); Lake Wakatipu steamers, 6C tons (17). Some housewives prefer darning mbby’s socks instead of playing the dolin while NO RUBBING Laundry lelp does the weekly washing. Linoleum! Linoleum! We have just anded a high quality linoleum, up-to-late patterns, at a reasonable price, rispection iB invited.—Schroder and Co. —Advt.