The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times.) SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29th. 1923. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 October 1923, Page 2

The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times.) SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29th. 1923. THE WEEK.

To-MultKow will Ik- the 113th. anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, the historic event which did so much for the expansion of the British 'Empire overseas. To impress the occasion the more on the minds of the rising generation. and to co-operate with the desire of those teccidy here to stimulate interest in upholding the British Navy, we reprint- to-day from the columns of the London “Times" of the year 1805, Admital Colling"nod's amount ol the battle and the death of Nelson as coniuiunieated to the British Admiralty, in London, and carried thither by special offers travelling by different routes, but who bv a strange coincidence arrived simultaneously at the gates id the Adniiinlty ofiico some sixteen -lays alter the history making battle of the sens, rim -London Times" refertoil at the time to tile re-ult as “the most decisive victoiy that lias i-n-r been achieved by British skill and gallantly. The flight

if more linin' a , .litnry el lime since the battle of Trafalgar, leaves the . vent still at the pinnacle of on; nival hi-tory. It. will stand there tor all time a. distinguished event-, which has done more to mould the history <u our nation than any other cireuiiistame i-i the long history of (treat Britain.

1,0110 Nki.son. in such el ■■ i umstuiice del not die in vain. Yet the “Tine, s" of those long days ago. iceorded : " I hat the triumph, great and glorious as it. is, has been dearly bought, and that Mich was the gcn.-ial opinion, was powerfully m inced in the tie,;* and universal affliction with which t-ho news of Lord Nelson's, death was tc-eivcd. The victory (we are told! eieated none el those enthusiastic emotions in the public mind which the success el out naval arms have in every former instance produced. T here was not a man who did not think that* the lib* of the Hero of the Nile was too great a price for the eapUare and destruction of twenty sail of French find Spanish ineii-'o-11111', No ebullitions of popular transport. no demonstrations ol public joy. marked this great and important ownt-. The modest and untidy feeling ol the people appeared as it should have done: .they belt, an inwn-rd satisfaction attire triumph of their favorite arms: they mourned with all the sincerity and 11 'igtmiicy of domestic grief tnoir Hero slain. “Thus do we get an lulimate picture of the past. And H fitted admirably the great occasion tor tnilv tin- great were very humble - and it- is they who shall inherit- the earth. Nelson lived to a great purpose, and he died for “• greater purpose, his ) asking making an indelible impression on Hit- lives of the nation ho served with such outstanding success.

Lotto Nki.son's life and death are revealed to us time and again with picture and song: but in the great traditions lie founded for the Biiii-h Navy is liis most glorious monument.- The Navy lias never declined from the standard of excellence it- attained under the wise guidance of our gieatest sea captain. It was a wonderful age for British seamen. The men arrived as time and the hour struck, and Nelson will remain always the outstanding Hero. The intrepidity of Nelson in every naval mission is reflected to this dayin the work-a-dnv life of the British Navy. It was exemplified over and over again during the trials and vicissitudes of the Great AYnr. On the high seas the British pluck and resource never were wanting. In even' great adventure of the war on the water, above the water, or under the water, the Nelson spirit was predominant. Those men who went down to the sea in ships to iliwait the malign mission of the enemy never counted the cost. They added to the mystery of the seas with their strange sliij»fs and peculiar devices to get closer to the enemy. They created a. new record in naval conflict-, a record always to their credit, breathing personal valor and impersonal sacrifice that the Nation might Jive.

Thf. war rivaled thousands of British heroes oil the seas. t!i<> meat highway to iiiaiiuain the supremacy of the Empire, the resource and sacrifice of which did so much to end the great conflict in a victory th c fruits of which arc lieing garnered so ill- But the latte.' is not the fault of the Navy. Its task was to nullify the enemy ships, and that- it- did very thoroughly. We, overseas, must of necessity take great interest. in the maintenance of the Navy. It. is our safeguard to prosperity in trade and to nntional freedom. The cost of the maintenance is the insurance premium which we must perforce pay if wc would reap the results should dire extremities arise. It is well then, on such an anniversary as this, the eve of Trafalgar Day, to remember "hat the Navy has done for us. and its ability to do again, should fell circumstances arise. It is a case of defence, r.ot defiance: safety, not aggrandisement. The Navy is not descried lor overt acts, hut to hold what we have: to retain our national liberties and to secure the safe transport of our trade and commerce on the high seas to the j mnrkcts of the world. The Navy is our i greatest national need in all circumstances on which our future Spends,

and it will pay to indicia the British Navy.

Tnr, strictures passed upon tile railway way service at the meeting with the Progress League delegation on Thursday night were very thorough. They appeared to he spoken from the heart, 'i here was a ring of conviction and ionelusion, which left no douht about public opinion on the matter. It is sad indeed to reflect that an important public department such as the Kailways should he under the cloud it is so far as this community is concerned. It is sad. because the Railways are the peoples, and the. poignancy felt is for the loss put upon the people. This community is very ill-served by the railway in the matter of convenience. There are fourteen onlinarv trains a week, as well as various specials. This liberal service would not be operating were- it not worth the Doj ariment’s while. The point is that the people require these servi.es to he better run They want reasonai ie connections with

other services. One of the speakers spoke of the class of comfort provided by tlie carriages. Thc-.-e carriages could be endured if the service were run to time, and if the travellers aero put to less inconvenience by the unreasonable request to change trains on the simple journey to and from Christchurch, seeing that Westland passenger- do not pass a junction station.

Tur: delay in regard to the tune-table seems to he occasioned hv the abnormal amount el .-hunting hereabouts. Ira flic i- increasing, and the way to avoid the waits, is to provide an engine for shunting purposes here. Also, snoli an engine could serve the sawmill sidings between Three Mile and Ruatapu. and so save the delay tjoni shunting; on ardituny mixed goods' trains. The Department uiii-i he prepared to meet the requirements of the trade offering. or it will find competition entering more and more into the mutter. 'I he country lias provided tin 1 lines (or use. and they should he used to the i:est advantage. Visitors declare the Westland section is the worst run section of railwav in the Dominion. That is not to the credit of the Department, which lias the stall' and the plant to do a great deal better if it tried. This community helped the Department with street eouei’S-ioU.. lately, and is worthy of better recognition. This community never flagged in its interest fo seethe .Midland Railway thiougli. Its reward so far is a succession of penalties on thus,, travelling by train. I hat is not a lair deal. A remedy is overdue, and ii would appear the Department can supply it if it would try. Why is the trial not made? 'I he agitation tor the

improvements necessary must be main tained untiringly.

S TUI'S now 1 ring taken to assisi anil encourage the study and investigation ot all matters appertaining to the Maoris promise to lead to very satisfactory results. The great need is a large lneastlie of public support. For some years, remarks the Lyttelton "’rimes", work ot tins kind has been carried out. by the Polynesian Society with headiinarters in New Plymouth. Now Government assi-tunre has been secured. and a Hoard of Maoii Kt luiolcgiea.l Research ha- been set tip in Wellington. With tile fund already established, the Hoard will begin by printing some of the important limiter prepared by Mr T.isdon Best. ol the Dominion Museum, concerning Muon forliiicat ion- and Maori agriculture*. Then will come the work of publishing in ihe original Maori the manuscript ol To Mate.rolianga. with translations tor

the g'-ueial ) uhlie, so that it can te.rm a i/isis i,> as-isr in the study ot the Maori language. I'e Matorohanga v.a-

a graduate m one of the la-t Maori schools of learning in New Zealand, aid the material left- by him is repoiled to lie unii|ue. According to Dr. P. 11. Illicit, it will be -s|c. icily valuable -to etymologist s study mg the language. Further, it should help to sati.-fy an urgent need among the Maoris fiiemselve—-the lack of a Maori lit ratiue and history. Me hope t-kat the new Re.-carcli Heard will lie successful in its efforts. It. will have one danger to avoid, the danger of routining its investigation to academical channels and shutting out popular in-terc-t. To gain the best icsiilts it. .should link up with educational or scientific societies in the main centres, i'lideavoin ing at all times to broaden the interest in Maori habits and eiis-

:pi is siib.icc - about which tile average I NV» Zealander would liko to know ,1 ! givai deal more, and, if the opportunity | w.re afforded. ho would tnak ( . good use I of it. (July liv giving a whiff scope to its lalamr.s will the Board lie able to overtake, of partly overtake, the lead established by the United States in i onnortinn with research work in tiie southern Pacific. The Americans have the advantage derived I nun s|N-eia] trust fund's left at tl'c di-l osal of Yale Cniversity, but if an appeal were made in the proper foini hu k ot money would inn, lone pc a hr.ndiettp to tile Dominion's investigations in a similar sphere. There is another argument in favour of generous assistance, as well as that of the need f. r sustained study. The practical economic objects have to he considered. At the Pan-Pacific Congre-s all the countries interested in the Pacific leengnised the great importance of carrying out research work in ethnology to assist in solving labour problems and to assist, the Colonial Civil Service working aiming native lares in eanying cut their work to the host advantage by a knowledge of the people with whom they have to deal. Already the administration of Papua. under Judge Mutiny, has appointed two members of the Civil Service as ethnologists t.o study the habits, manners, and customs of the native tacos and put them on record so as to assist the administration in eanying out its duties. 'I he Maori Titluiologieal Research Hoard of New Zealand has, therefore, the example before it of the methods adopted by other countries in exploiting what is a very interesting and extensive field of study.