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Hokitika Guardian, 17 July 1925, Page 2

Ai’ltoroH of the artificial silk trade, it may not l;e known generally that the output of the material exceeds in quantity the. total of real silk, although the manufacture of the latter is not decreasing. The indefinite terms used in describing a substance absolutely too recent to have achieved a name of its own led Air .Samuel A. Salvage. president of Viscose Company, to search the dictionaries and other sources for a fitting word which might designate this now cover >** the industrial world. Existing vocabularies were deficient in this particular, and a word bad to be invented so to speak. By consent and adoption the product has been christened Bayou. The word in time will become as familiar as the übiquitous Kodak, Unceda, etc., which have been admitted to the English tongue. But the newly coined word is being used in a double sense already. It may refer either to the manufacture of a fabric, or to the use of that fabric in further manufacture for consumer needs. The production of artificial silk has grown suddenly into great dimensions. As tho fabric is being applied in various fresh directions from time to time, the demand for the material will grow accordingly, and its cheapness will enable it to substantially out-distance the real article in silk, which however will command a market always.

Tm: fusion failure is being commented upon from various standpoints, but the general estimate is one of regret that in the public interests it has not come to pass. Reform appears to have taken up a position which despite the concessions offered by the Liberal's would not be receded from. It would appear that the first overtures which

«'ero prompted from the lender of tho Opposition, were met in quite an acceptable way by Mr Coates. That gentleman was not then Prime Minister, though the course of events pointed in that direction. However, before attaining the position of leader of the Government, Mr Coates delivered the merger message to the Reform caucus. It would appear that as a party, fusion was not seriously considered. Some of the stronger men on the Reform side, we should say Mr McLeod, Minister of Lands, among tho number, did not want fusion. At that period lie was a suggested rival to Mr Coates for the premiership. It is conceivable that the caucus made it a condition when Mr Coates was given the leadership that lie should not act independently in regard to fusion. It will be recalled in this ton mat ion. that tlie members .selected by Reform to represent it at I lie negotiations with the Liberals, were practically lesser lights of the party. With the exception of Mr Voting, who headed the Reformers, the other representatives were docile party men wlm always voted at their party's call and never thought of themselves at all! Those representatives, if. can he quite understood. would go hack to caucus, without any strong voices to urge practical action. In the circumstances, the Liberals must return to their duty as a functioning Opposition and proceed to criticise the policy if the Government. They may do so with tho greater effect now. knowing that Reform was not disposed to accept even the modified measure of progressive reform sought to lie placed in the forefront of a national policy. It would appear that Mr Wilford should lose no time now in putting forward the Liberal policy and inviting national .support, for it as the chief aid to bring about more settled conditions in tlie coinitiv. free from class domination. Political events should now move taster, and we hope with, some real benefit to the country at large.