The Daily News FRIDAY, MAY 24th, 1907. CURRENT COMMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 24 May 1907, Page 2

The Daily News FRIDAY, MAY 24th, 1907. CURRENT COMMENT.

Today is Umpire Bay, and : is •■' U( --h i* being observed throughout ilk* Umpire, lo a more or Xe^s.extent, as a public no iday, or to use Lord Aieatli"s iorni,i mi ]mporjiil holiday. 11l a letter Lonl Men ill reminds us tli;ii the outward observance of a holiday is of .small moment compared with the spirit which it expresses or should express, and so the I celebration of Umpire Day should he nilSomething move limn a «icnI ci-al decku'ntion of th 1 pride of Umpire. There shou.d ho Utile ne/d fir spreia humilie- on patriotism in this y-'ar o. the Imperial Conference. hu; we llavi constantly to observe how the dictate ot' ]>iirio*<ism and good citizenship ai'( (MTM'iddrji by a spirit of selfish com mercinlism. Tile man who justili 'S hi: life hy the plea (hat one mn-i ii 111.' cheapest market places his pur.-i above the welfare of his country am oar.nol he deemed a pairiot. sav rilice that a man makes to s-rve his fel lows as to be a councillor is of the same kind as tin* sacrifice that another makes when lie ships his goods in a British vessel in preference to a cheiper foreign ship, and the councillor ha- the en-■ couragement and satisfaction of puolie approbation. Lord Meath insists that the Imperial sentiment shbuld liave a real existence, and he and his colleagues are carrying on an educational >c.hemo of the greatest importance. They are reaching the rising generation through the schools, and so are nursing an educated and thinking patriotism. The 'observance of Empire Day appeals to all classes of the community, and, as Lord Meatli says, the xlay atVords an opportunity of inculcating lessons on the responsibilities and the privileges of Umpire. There a disposition in New Zealand to make the celebration of the day universal, and we have little doubt that in the course of a few years May 24 will be recognised as the most important holiday in the year.

Apropos of Kmpii'e Day it is very satisfactory to learn o£ the general change which is said to be Sweeping over the Old Country. Xow Zealaiitlers who 'll past ycjrs have visited Britain have frequently commented upon tiles low-going methods of the British commercial world, the lack of enterprise and energy, especially ill regard to the cu l ivatioil of trade with the colonies, and over an.l over again it has been pointed out how tlenuany am! the United >SL:ttes have taken advantage of ilie position and have mopped up trade which the complacent British merchants and manufacturers have not taken the trouble to seek or to hold. It is satisfactory to hear that their cries of "Wake up, Kngkuid," which have long, been raised in an enterprising section of the Briti.-li Press are at last lieing heard, and that now a wave of reform in business methods is sweeping over the country. A London paper received by the last mail states that new ideas are being introduced every day iu the leading commercial houses and industrial concerns o; London. Even the Government departments and some of tlie higher educational authorities are bestirring themselves to foster the commerce of the country a ti,l equip the newer generation of business men with a scientific knowledge ot bnsinss. For instance, tile Foreign Office instituted last month a new diplomatic order "commercial attielies.'' They will be stationed in the capital- of the world to seek new avenues for British trade and keep the commercial otliee of the Board ot Trade in close and constant touch with business needs everywhere.

A progressive step lias also boon taken by the Council of the University of Birmingham, which has formed an advi-ovy board of business men to co-operate with the professors of the faculty of commerce in tile linivi'-Uy. The university now boast? a professor of commerce, a professor of lin,nice, and a professor of accounting, as wed as tlie lecturer of commercial law, and there are now many students seeking the "Bachelor of Conmieree" degree, which the university lir.-a. granted last yea; 1 .

Kqua.lv momentous sign- of the awakening which has at last begun (ire seen in tlie llood of busiuo.-s publications now is-uiug from the press. Commercial handbooks, atlases, and periodicals, are pouring ionli in growing voiuene.( An instance of the scienlilic spirit, among London business men is to I seen ill the recent formation of >lie •'System Club." The club consisis of (lie leading iiicm'licis of various trades, and meets io discuss business problems and new solutions of tliein. .Ml' Chinneck recently read a paper on "Organisation in .Selling/' which showed how seientlically the organisation of sates is now planned by the leading busine s houses. Advertisements, catalogues, letters to probable purchasers, are all coordinated iu it system which is eaVu " la led to lead the purchaser up to tlie particular counter where the salcsmau is waiting with the particular article which the customer requires, iu a manner undreamt of a few years ago. In

view of this "waking up" of the commercial world, it is held by many business men that the time is more thill ripe for the establishment of a Minister of Commerce.

The editor of Commercial Intelligent', a leading journal of coinineiee( supporting this proposal, slated: "it is doubtful whether many people realise the extraordinary changes that have come about, in the business world during the last ten years. We are to-day so familiar with the idea of 'trusts/ not only in America, but in England, that we'forget that ten years ago the American Steel 'Trust was unborn. Dumpiim lias become a household word, Imt tin vears aeo we were only just beginning to discover th".t there were other peop'o manufacturing goods besides oursolve-. To-dav the idea that tile duly uf tic Government to assist commercial men is accepted by all parties the only diU'oreilce between us is as to how far the Government e.m go. American system of advertising, American methods of calculating costs, card systems for tiling, loose leaf ledgers and American ideas generally are now almost universally adopted in this country. It is 'only necessary to see what is now being done at the Hoard of Trade (0 realise how far we have moved in the last decade. Ten years ago the Board of Trade did nothing for the llrilish commercial man beyond issuing n belated monthly journal that few people over saw. Tlie hope of the future lies in the work nf the Board of Trade, the Chambers of Commerce, and the education authorities being co-ordinated.with a .Minister of Conmieree to take supreme control."