CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 200, 2 December 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

FITZROY AND THE BOROUGH. Opponents of the proposal to merge the Fitzroy town district into the borough hold a meeting this evening. Just for what purpose we have not been informed, but the probability is that as only a few days now remain for lodging objections to the petition of a majority of the ratepayers in favor of joining the borough now remain, the ■'"'opposition" are preparing their forces for a final onslaught. It is perhaps too much to expect that the malcontents will, at this hour, take a judicial, detached and logical view of the proposal, and treat it on its merits alone. If they did, we have no doubt as to their (future attitude; it would not be one of obstructing the progress of their localitv. but of promoting it. We have said it before, and say it again, that on the attitude of Fitzroy in regard to the merging question depends the installation of tramways in the town. Borough ratepayers will not accept the whole responsibility of supplying a public service that must principally benefit suburbanites. It will be said, as it has been snid, (hat this difficulty -ma.v be got over by creating a special tramways area, and that ratepayers in the suburbs are quite willing to accept their share ot the burden. But it has been abundantly manifested that the temper of the ratepayers of the borough fa against the

creation of such a body—that it must be a greater New Plymouth or nothing. This is the position, bluntly put perhaps, so far as the tramways scheme is concerned. Apart from this aspect of the case, however, there are good and sound reasons for Fitzroy throwing in its lot with the borough. They arc so well-known that there is no necessity for recapitulating them here. If by any chance the wishes of the petitioners (representing, as we have said before, a majority of ratepayers) favoring the proposal are not given effect to, there is the possibility of the secession of the greater part of the present town board area to consider. It is well-known that in the districts contiguous with the borough there is an almost unanimous feeling in (favor of the amalgamation scheme, the opposition coming from the other end. Consequently, what is more natural than if thwarted in the one direction the ratepayers concerned should take the alternative and easier course of satisfying their desire? Supposing they did, what would become of the Fitzroy Town Board? This possibility—and it's a live one —has evidently not struck .the "opposition party.' W T e hope they will give it and the other essential points consideration to-night, brushing prejudice and selfishness aside, and viewing the matter as it will affect the interests of the whole and not those of the few. PREFERENCE.

Prior to leaving for New Zealand as Governor of the Dominion, Lord Islington was engaged as a member of the Royal Commission on Trade Relations between Canada, and the West Indies. His Lordship was unable to attend the final sitting of the Commission owing to his departure for New Zealand, but his opinions are given in a special memorandum issued with the report of the Commission, which was published in the last week of September, states the London correspondent of the Lyttelton Times. Lord Islington also authorised the addition of his signature to the report, which is an unanimous one. Lord Islington, in his memorandum, says that as an advocate of free trade he is, of course, opposed to any restriction on commerce, such as is presupposed by the grant of exclusive tariff concessions. In this instance, however, the fact has to be borne in mind that both Canada and the West Indies conduct their fiscal system on a tariff basis. The question which overshadows all others in importance is that of putting the prosperity of the West Indies on a secure footing, and it can hardly be doubted that this end would be furthered by drawing those colonies into closer relations with a member of the Empire as wealthy, powerful and patriotic as Canada. ''Can this" he asks, "be done without an exchange of tariff concessions?" Whilst in no way under-rating the value of other methods, he is of opinion that the inclusion of reciprocal arrangements is essential to such a scheme. Further, he feels that, as both sides favor tariff concessions, the West Indies, because existing privileges would thereby be secured, and Canada because they accord with her settled and general policy, the commissioners should accept facts and aid the parties in realising their desires. He is the more ready, he says, to adopt this attitude in that, broadly considered, "the movement is towards freer trade with the Empire, inasmuch as any concession will extend at least to the United Kingdom without the United Kingdom being asked to sacrifice, any principle or any of the revenue derived from duties on foreign imports; and, if it be found (possible for the West. Indies to meet deficits of revenue without increasing the taxation on food, it appears to me that success in the movement for closer trade relations must be productive of great good." Having considered all the circumstances, the Commissioners find they are faced with the conclusion that the grant of a reciprocal preference is the only policy which is at- all likely to command any measure of approval either in the West Indian colonies or in the dominion.

A WHITE AUSTRALIA. Australia is attractive to the colored man, for it is sufficiently large and unquestionably torrid. Australia, in excluding the Asiatic, is acting solely on an instinct of self-preservation, for the Commonwealth knows that it is unable to people its "vast areas with white folk with sufficient rapidity to make it unreasonable for the black man to. want to enter the island Continent. Every black man who has been in Australia is a living advertisement of its potentialities for the people of his color. The Asiatic hawker is there in large numbers, and, as bas been shown, he has been successful in land ballots, and desires to become a citizen of Australia. Having admitted him, it is reasonable that Australia should give him the advantages of citizenship, but it is certainly unreasonable to admit him. Queensland for many years ran its sugar fields with Kanakas, and suddenly found that it could do without them. The -black man is not disliked unless he successfully competes with the white man, and the wails that go up about the competition of Asiatics is always an acknowledgment of weakness. If poll-taxes do not eliminate competition, why impose it either in Australia or New Zealand? We frequently wail in New Zealand about Chinese competition, but the point is that though handicapped with a poll-tax the Chinese is still successful. If it is the success of the Asiatic Australasia fears, he should be kept out of this hemisphere, poll-tax or no poll-tax. All over the Empire in those dominions where colored men thrive their presence is becoming an increasing difficulty. The business of Australasian Governments is to show that white men can live and work in any climate and can successfully compete with the colored man of any race in any business or undertaking. And it is proved in every dominion of the Empire having a mixed population. IRRIGATION.

The future of Australia as a country which must support millions of white people if it is to he saved to the Empire, is indissolubly connected with irrigation and close settlement. Irrigation has transformed Egypt, and will yet transform the baked interior of the Commonwealth. Australia, has lately given attention to the problem of irrigation, and success of big watering schemes would

give better results in the attraction of settlement than all the flowery words poured out by paid minions of British shipping companies. Australia has many magnificent examples of intense cultivation under irrigation. Mildura, in Victoria, was probably the example that proved to Australia the immense possibilities of dealing with land absolutely worthless except for artificial watering. It has been shown that ten acres under intense cultivation will support in comfort a large family, hi country that was formerly so drought-stricken that rain was a novelty under artesian irrigation there are now immense areas of land of amazing fertility. As Xew Zealand is determined to kill its natural rainfall by the destruction of its native forests and the denudation of hills, the necessity for irrigation in this Dominion will some day be obvious. Increasing areas of Xew Zealand are becoming drier, and the problems that Australia is trying to solve will in a lesser decree be placed before New Zealand some day.