Rangitikei Advocate. THURSDAY, SEPT. 5, 1907. EDITORIAL NOTES

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8913, 5 September 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. THURSDAY, SEPT. 5, 1907. EDITORIAL NOTES

IN spite oi the fact that every nation is doing its utmost to perfect its fighting weapons and increase its armament, there are many people who strongly object to military training, on the ground that it will develop a spirit of militarism. These may be interested in some | remarks recently made by Professor Oliver Lodge at Edinburgh, who sa i c l ; _“l look at this question of defensive training primarily from a moral point of view. The vice and canker of our age is selfishness — the love of ease and amusement only tempered by the need of food, by ambition, and by eagerness ‘to gain money for more luxurious ease and more costly amusements. Tliere is an urgent need of some discipline to impose upon our generation the higher duty of self sacrifice, of devotion to the country, of the service of one’s fellow men. We trust to volunteers; to volunteers for political life ; to volunteers for the defence of our country. Ido not deny tiiat we get good men —perhaps the best men —in this way. But Ido say that this trust in voluntary effort encourages and panders to the selfishness of those who stand aloof from all public service, and who shave the insolence to sneer at any other men who obey any other law than that of self-gratification. These skulkers are the men who should be taught—and ,if necessary made to learn—a lesson as to the real purpose of life. And I do not refer only to the hooligans and corner men of our streets that growing disgrace of city life. I refer also to those young men, possessed of superior advantages of birth and education, who spend their leisure time in music halls, in the billiard- saloons, or in watching paid professionals—better men than themselves—play games for their entertainment. In the spread of these low and debasing ideals are to bo seen the germs of an insidious disease, which is sapping both the moral courage and the physical strength of our race. But —say, my friends, and especially my friends of the Liberal party—you are encouraging a bellicose, a jingo spirit; ‘a nation in arms’ will be a nation pager to use its arms; you are striving to turn the tide or progress, to throw us hack to the ages when fighting was the primary occupation of all men." This seems to mo the most colossal of misconceptions. As long as individual men refuse to sic placidly by while their wives and daughters are insulted or attacked, so long States will decide their vital quarrels by war. And in war the jingo spirit at its best, i.e., the sympathy with the national honour and the instinctive thrill of patriotic fervour, will never he eradicated from human nature. But jingoism at its worst—the music hall patriotism which effervesces in songs and drunkenness which shouts with delight when men go forth to war—that spirt will be checked and not encouraged when the sense of reckless irresponsibility is removed. Men will bo far less ready .to exult in war and bloodshed when service and hardship may fall upon themselves than when they merely send out others to fight for them. ’ ’

WHEN some burglars were sentenced by one of our Supreme Court Judges to fifteen years’ penal servitude there were some soft-hearted persons who protested agiust the sentences, which were characterised as too severe. Seeing, however, that the Judges have now power to declare, any offender an habitual criminal, and exercise their own discretion as to the term during which be shall be prevented from injuring his fellows, it is evident that the policy of caging the criminal must be approved. Wo observe that the sentences aro thus referred to by the Sydney Daily Telegraphßurglary is one of those crimes in the repression of which the public is particularly [interested, for it is impossible to foresee what may follow from it, both of graver crime and possibly of the fatal consequences even of terror. And whore it is of this hind,- where expert burglars ■ had been engaged, as was proved by the bursting of a safe by dynamite, it is a crime which, to a large extent, may be prevented—in the manner in which the New Zealand judge has prevented it in the case of the men concerned—for fifteen years. There are few who would desire to advocate judicial severity, where it could reasonably bo avoided; and all persons of common humanity would bo glad that due allowance should be made for human frailty and the promptings of human passions. But the professional burglar is the 'least to be compassionated of all criminals. His occupation is a coldblooded aggression upon society. He outers upon it with no throb of excitement except it be that there is a possibility.of being caught. More often than not ho is prepared by a previous provision of weapons to proceed to all extremities of violence and murder. That which tempts him is not even before his eyes. Ho has not even so much excuse. It may therefore be admitted that [our law, in awarding for “plain burglary” a punishment of fourteen years’ penal servitude, is by no means too severe to a crime which is without a shadow of excuse. It may bo said of the burglar that the world has no place for him except a gaol; and whenever he is discovered the excellent precedent set in New Zealand should be remembered and followed as far [as circumstances of each case will permit; even it be admitted that] the remedy’is but temporary.

WITH one accord the agitators are shrieking their condemnation of the amendment of the Arbitration Ac t proposed by Mr Millar, the Minister for Labour. Their organisation is very perfect, and their ululations are heard in chorus from Auckland in the north to Invercargill in the south. They are showing clearly that they have not been working in the interests of the workers as a whole, but only in those of a few close corporations. For a long time they have been practically demanding that work shall be done by unionists only, but now that the Minitser proposes that as all workers in an industry are affected by awards they shall all be compelled to contribute to the union funds, their protests are loudly proclaimed. They prefer fighting in which they risk nothing, and they strongly object to the possibility of distraint on their funds if an award goes against them. So long as the employer has to stand all the risk the unions .'are happy, but they do not like the prospect of equality of risk. But the Minister’s proposals are certainly in the interests of workers as a whole, and if unionism is a desirable thing then the unionists [should rejoice when legislation is proposed to practically compel all to become unionists. It remains to bo seen whether Mr Millar and his colleagues [will study the shrieking agitators or the the community, including those of the great majority of the workers who sidejthe unions,

Tho Legislative Council yesterday further debated and adjourned the subject of infant life protection. The sittings of the Supreme Court in Palmerston North will commence of 10th inst. Ten criminal cases will be dealt with.

The sum of £602 Os 6d was collected yesterday on behalf of Dunedin T.M.C.A. building fund, bringing total donations up to £8269 18s Id, gSA. Christchurch telegram states tha the condition of Mr T. I. Joynt, K.C., has become very serious and is causing anxiety. Mr Joynt received his appointment as K.C. in June and he is Senior King’s Counsel for N.Z. The vital statistics for Eketahuna for tho month of August are as follows Marriages 1, deaths 1, births nil. At this rate of progress it is an interesting problem as to how long the town will continue to exist.

The Oroua Licensing Committee met at Feilding yesterday and granted transfers of licenses from J. W. Dooley to J. E. Hall, for the Masonic, and from Henry Baker to Stewart McClelland for the Commercial Hotel, both of A shhurst. Tire friends of MrJPrank Stewart, of Mangawoka, will regret to ilearu that lie is at present in Wanganui Hospital, where he undergoes an operation for appendicitis on Saturday. In a little more than two hours 23 special trains, made up of nearly 350 carriages, and carrying 25,000 persons left Swindon on July Sth for all parts of the Great Western system. The occasion was the annual week s holiday of the Great Western Railway employees. The only law passed at the recent session of tiro Manx Legislature, which has received the Royal assent, was proclaimed at Tynwald Hill, in accordance with the custom lot a thousand years. The law abolishes the compulsory viewing of bodies by coroners’ inquests. Mr O. S. Hayes, secretary of the Stock Exchange, Sydney, was baunuetted at Liverpool. In the course of his speech he urged England to populate Australia and secure _ a greater hold of trade before America reaped the advantage from tne Panama Canal.

Tho Chief Inspector, Mr Braik, conducted the annual examination of the Bulls school on Tuesday and Wednesday. Notwithstanding the inclement weather 127 children presented themselves for examination. Mr Braik expressed tho pleasure he had had in examining the children, and explained that those who had failed would have another opportunity afforded them at Christmas of 1 ‘ trying again. ” Tho children gave three cheers each for Mr Braik and the Chairman and Mr Gray, the head master. Results of the examination will not ho known for _a few days. , _ At Wellington Magistrate s Court yesterday Robert Humphries, 60 years of ago, was committed for trial on a charge of indecently assaulting a child at Wellington. Annie Whittaker and William Bond, charged with using an instrument to procure abortion,, were remanded for a week, tho girl on whom the instrument is alleged to have been used being so ill that Mr Wilford, who appeared for accused, refused to cross-examine her.

Woodville reports that a case of shocking cruelty to animals will come before the court. This week 131 cattle were put into four trucks at Mangatera and when they reached Woodville 13 were deed and 15 down and dying. Tho police ordered tho removal of the cattle and they were placed in a paddock ponding investigation. The authorities say that two more trucks were necessary. Alexander Patterson, draper of Hawera, who was adjudicated a bankrupt on his own petition on February 16th, 1906, with liabilities of £16,000, applied at Auckland Supreme Court for annulment on the ground that the Auckland Court had because he was a resident of Hawera, and that the petition should have been filed there. Mr Justice Dennistou reserved his decision.

A charge against Lee Fung of manufacturing opium suitable for smoking was dismissed at Napier yesterday. All Fun immediately afterwards was arrested on a charge of perjury, iu that he had sworn he had not been iu prison iu Wellington.

In reply “to the protest of _ the Invercargill Wednesday Half-holiday Association, the Hon. J, A. Millar wired that he has no intention to take away the Saturday half-holi-day from thoso who have enjoyed it for years.. The Bill is framed to meet the case of country towns dependent almost entirely on the trade of people from a distance, whereas towns like Invercargill have the trade within themselves, irrespective of the country trade. £ The Boss Goldfields 00., Ltd., with a capital of £BO,OOO, lias been registered. The company will uuwator and work the deep levels of Boss Plat, which have long been inaccessible owing to water. Government also furnish a subsidy of£lo,ooo.