Rangitikei Advocate. THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1908 EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9117, 9 April 1908, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1908 EDITORIAL NOTES.

WE observe that our High Commissioner in London, Mr W. P. Reeves, finds time to lecture socialistically before meetings of socialistic societies. He has/ecently been telling that extremely socialistic body, the Fabian Society what a boon and blessing our old age pensions system has proved. It is, of course, only to be expected that a socialist will belaud socialistic legislation, such as the party in office have given us ever since they got there, and there may perhaps be no objection raised by Ministers to Mr Reeves orating before bands of socialists in Loudon. It is fairly certain that the fact that the High Commissioner of the Dominion does so lecture is not likely to induce capital to seek employment in a country so represented. In his lecture Mr Reeves made some extraordinary statements. He alleged that the experience of New Zealand had proved several things. Among these it had been shown that financially an old age pensions scheme is not impossible. Mr Reeves, of course, forgot to add that so far New Zealand has been able to pay these pensions only because she has been able to borrow from the London money-lender. He also alleged B that fraud and imposture can be dealt with effectually and that so far as national thrift and prosperity are concerned old age pensions have done no harm at all. It is too soon to be able to judge on these points, but all the indications lead to an exactly contrary belief to that expressed by our High Commissioner to his socialistic friends. His allegations that old age pensions are more popular now than they were in their firstjyear we are not prepared to dispute. But are they not popular merely because they throw on the State burdens which would otherwise have to be borne by sous, daughters, or other relatives?

THE story of the*' Experiences of the passengers of the Bega, who had to take to the boats when the vessel capsized, is not very pleasant reading. The vessel sank from land in a calm sea. The boats had neither food nor water aboard, one had no rowlocks and leaked badly as the ping could not be replaced in the hole which serves to allow rain or sea water from chance waves to escape when the boats are on board. Had the vessel been at any distance from shore when it sank or had the sea been rough most of the passengers must infalibly have lost their lives. The scene which took place when the women whose boat was being towed, cried out that they were sinking, and some men in the towing boat demanded that the tow rope should be cut lest their own lives might be endangered was a most painful one. Still even on this occasion some did not forget that they were of Britisli descent, as was shown by the action of the passenger Sharp, who threw away the knife given him to cut the line. The seamen, too, who stuck to the oars for twelve long hours, also showed that they were not nnworthy of the traditions of the service. The whole episode cannot but cause some uneasiness among those who go down to the sea in ships. It is generally supposed that water and food is always ready in the boats, but this does not seem tojhave been the case on the Be s a. Nor would it be an unreasonable precaution to have the moveable plug stapled near the hole it is meant to fill. A searching enquiry should be made into the provision for life saving on the coastal boats and the slackness which appears to have existed in this case checked with a firm hand.

THE problem, given a text to find a sermon, is one that is wrestled with more or less successfully by ministers of every denomination fpreparatory to the services of Sunday, but the converse "proposition —given the sermon to find the text from which it was preached, is a more unusual one. Yet this is the one set by a cablegram received on Wednesday, which stated that the Premier of South Australia when giving an address at the Browning settlement in the East End of London, based the remarks cabled on a passage from the Song of Solomon. The Song of Solomon is interesting as an eastern love poem but it does not appear to yield many passages suitable for expansion by a highly respectable Australian Premier, and we confess that so far we have failed to discover the source of Mr Price’s inspiration “Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples,’’ might, it is true, be made the text for a discourse on the value of a preferential tariff on Australian fruit and wine, or again, “I am black but comely”

might possibly be used as the starting point for a defence of the white Australia policy. “I have put off my coat; how shall I pat it on?” offers apictf&te of the worker so worn with toil as_to be too weary to turn down his shirtsleeves and replace his coat and w'ould lead up to a disquisition on Australian labour legislation. None of these extracts, however, seems quite to supply the missing words which came at the head of Mr Price’s homily, and we- shall have to possess our souls in patience until fuller'details arrive by mail, g

THE managers of some of the factories in this country allege that they cannot get a sufficient number of girls, and this, although they have been successful in drawing nearly all from domestic service. It does not seem to strike these factory managers or those who believe in what are called “local industries’’ that factory life is the worst possible in every way for the future mothers of the nation, and that it would be far better for the community if no women or girls were allowed to work in factories. . Indeed, one of these managers said : —‘ ‘We have plenty of unskilled male labour offering. We don’t want that, but we do want boys and girls, and women. And that’s the class of labour in which there is a shortage. ” But if the industry is one that cannot pay fair wages to men it would be better to close its factories. If it can employ men at fair .wages then these could make homes for the women, and leave them free to do their natural work.