PRESS COMMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 13 September 1928, Page 1

PRESS COMMENT

To have the future of the Maori discussed -by Sir Apiyana Ngata is to have- one of. New Zealand’s problems bundled with authority such as no other public ma.n can, claim. Sir.Apirnija, on himself and his career, proves what, an individual member of tho race can become, what material there is, in ..its ranks awaiting development. Ho advocates the use hy tho Maori of the cultivable land still in his possession, and quotes tho spread of dairying as an encouraging sign, Which it certainly is. Here is a possibility of development with which everyone should ho able to agree. Dairying is in many ways a new tiling for tlie Maori. His ancestor was not a pasitoralist, ibut was possessed of a system of agriculture all bis own, To ,go back to tlio land as a pastoralist is a' change, but the- measure of success already. gained justifies hopes that tlie Maori may eventually play, a part in tho leading industry established in the years of European occupation of New Zealand.—“N,Z. Herald.”

The value, of the Industrial Conference has been. deservedly emphasised in the admirable statement of. its purpose and its achievements made by the Prime Minister in presenting the report of its proceeding to Parliament. A, return by the conference to cussion of defects of tho system, in the ■ light, of the voluminous data now at its disjlosal, and the views incompletejly ventilated, should result in,a workable solution. On this, admittedly the most difficult of the subjects, it was called to consider, enough was initially done by the conference in a spirit of. amity to encourage the hope that a further exchange of views will produce tho improvement which most of its members, notwithstanding their alien points of view, are commcndnbly seeking.—“ N.Z. Herald.”

Apart from the value of publicity as a deterrent influence the judicial authorities in New Zealand- recognise ns tlio Minister virtually allowed in tho discussion.on Mr Fraser’s Bill, that tho Press of the Dominion may be depended on as a whole to exercise a wise discretion and a just discrimination in what it publishes. In all countries tliero may. he a certain abuse of tlie powers of tho Press in respect of the reporting of court proceedings. So fur ns anything of the kind may obtain in New Zealand it is certainly deplored by the proprietors of all. reputable journals, and tlie existence of an abuse that is an. exception to tlio rule does not necessarily constitute justification for. tho institution of, a system under which there would bo a suppression of publicity through the medium of newspaper reports tjiat could, not he expected, to prove to the advantage of the community ns a whole, —“ Otago Daily Tunes,” I

Tlio. education report is. interesting , as it. enunciates the views of the present Minister who,had hardly taken up • tho reins of contro) when, the previous . report' was compiled; mo'reover, , within, the period covered, by the re- 1 port there has been. a. change in the. j office of Director of Education. It, may appear that the Minister has sev-. ! eral. frig problems to fnce, ibut in view, ; of the fact that a complete overhaul, i of the education system 'has. been dis- = cussed and advocated for twenty, years, the present Minister, who has. j beep but a, few mont.fis in office, may ; , .ho excused if he decides to look over, i the system of education between . the infant classes and (for some) the, r doors of the university, and (for the j great majority) the entrance gates to , tlie hard school of the world outside, ' before he makes up his mind as. to the : best course to pursue to meet the edti- ; ■national requirements of this young ; and developing country.—“Timarn Herald.” ■

We know that the perfect democracy of which, in our idle moments, we dream, has not been attained, and is probably not attainable anywhere on earth; but out machine works in this all-important respect—that it is never, for any length of time, anybody hut the people themselves who rule. The nearest we occasionally come to losing this result is when we allow permanent officials to usurp the functions of Parliament ; or to use. My Stewart’s own phrase, when the amateurs surrender to the professionals. When that happens, democracy, even in British communities, is a delusion and a. snare, and, deserves a,!! the hard things that

“advanced” as well as reactionary thinkers say about it. B.ut it need not happen in British communities, since our Parliamentary system, in spite oi our complexity or the problems with which all legislatures nowadays have to deal, remains perfectly simple, and permits public opinion to express itself Whenever the 'amateurs keep the professionals in their '’’places.—lChristchurch “ Press.”

If the world’s greatest interest is international peace, then assuredly the greatest" interest of each individual rimtry is industrial peace. .This is the reason for the conference of em-■.i-.-evs. unionists and economic experts •i few months'ago.' As to the precise character of the work done l\v the conference, we agree with Mr Coates that the preliminary discussions, involving an honest attempt to investigate the conditions out of which industrial disputes have arisen here, are of more importance and value than the decisions ultimately reached, and we may congratulate ourselves that our attempts to solve our economic problem l are taking the form of amicable dis mission rather than of mutual distiusf and antagonism. The policy that wc have adopted here is closely parallel to the system of conference now estab lished at Homo, where the unions, rejecting the frantic follies of the “ class war,” are now earnestly co operating with the employers to secure and maintain industrial peace. Auckland “Star.”

The chief lines on which the reoi ganisatipn of the educational system may be expected to proceed have already been'described in Mr Wright’s statement, made when the two reports on revision of the primary schools’ syllabus were issued. The Minister is on firm ground when he suggests that in the past, too narrow a view of “culture” may have beep taken, and that “a constructive piece of handwork may have a more potent influence on the development of character and on the formation of high cultural ideals than has the translation of a perfectly good piece of English prose into somewhat indifferent Latin. It depends on the pupil. So “ccjual opportunities for all” is proclaimed by the Minister as an ob-

ject of his education system, with a meaning different from that which it has borne in the past. It does not mean that all children are to have the same opportunity, irrespective ot their worldly position, of obtaining some sort of education—that is already the case—but that all children will have an equal chance of receiving the education that is best suited to their aptitudes. ‘That is a noble ambition,' and we wish the Department success with it.—Dunedin “Star.”

The resolution of the Canterbury 'College .Board conferring on Mr A. W. Bkikerton the distinction of Professor Emeritus will recall to the minds of the older generation a dynamic personality, and will serve to turn the thoughts of the younger generation'to one of the ‘.‘makers’’ of the College. The time may well come when his tremendous cosmic generalities will find universal acceptance. He has lived unfortunately perhaps, in an age of statistics, to whom no scientific generalisation is true unless it eiln be proved by logarithms. In another age his declaration that the universe could not die except to he reborn would have won, him a naipe and ijnnie greatei; even than that of the enuiiciator of relativity. When he is dead, maybe, he will be praised as the man who demonstrated the immortality of the universe, and while he is still alive it is well that we should present such little tributes of faith and affection and recognition as are in our gift.—“Lyttelton Times.’’

Although an indecisive series of Test matches between two countries, in any sport, usually is satisfactory only to a side which expected to lose, that which ended at Cape Town on Saturday has finished in a peculiarly fitting way. On tj>o international aspect df the tour, it may be noted that,' although New Zealand coutd gajn from a little salutary ' medicine, it would have been unfortunate if South Africa had won a majority of the Tests, for before the final match the “ die-hard ” element in Great Britain was being heartened by South ' Africa’s successes in the old-style llugby.—Christchurch “ Sun.”

The most interesting portion of. the annual report of the Prisons Department is that which reflects the presentday policy of .employing prisoners on utilitarian works. It is shown that considerable progress has been made in the industrial activities of the Department with results that must he considered distinctly satisfactory. . . 'the policy of the Department in employing the inmates of the prison to supply its own requirements and keep down the cost of prison administration is not of economic benefit to that extent only. It operates to tjie advanage of those thus engaged in healthful and useful activities. The day has passed for the utilisation of prison labour in a useless and upprpfitajdc manner.-''Otago Daily Times.”