CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 326, 13 June 1911, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

CHINA AND MEXICO. The appalling events in Mexico, where many interests are in violent conflict and wihcre the basest passions of men have been roused by the revolution, are complicated by conflict with the Chinese. We are told that the horrors that so frequently result when the people of a country are "out of hand" are being reproduced. 'Ruffians began a massacre of the Chiuese, tied their bodies to horses' tails, and rolled their severed beads in the streets. It is unlikely that China, regarded as a power, previously had the least interest in Mexico, except that she kept a consul there to aid her subjects. But the moment the blood hungry Mexicans turned their attentions to Chinese citizens, China entered the arena. The prompt action of the Chinese Government in demanding a huge sum in compensation, together with an apology, is less significant than her instant despatch of a warship to Mexico. It is perhaps a small indication of the fact that China is "waking up." In international affairs it seems cußtomary not to consider China—a gigantic power that needs only the right kin<l of awakening to make it the nightmare of every existing nation. Probably the Mexican ruffians in their butchery gave no thought to the great Chinese Empire with a fighting history that partially finished ere ever the Western people were out of their swaddling clothes as nations. The nations are in the dark as to the might of this empire containing four hundred millions of people, and as yet know nothing as to her ability to demand recompense for insult. The conflict between Mexicans and Chinese may have the effect of making China show her ability to be considered capable of inflicting punishment. At any rate, the immediate future of the Chinese in bothMexico and the United States will be of absorbing interest. The situation is one that the United States must handle with the nicest discrimination, for it is not to be forgotten that the same characteristics in the people are common to both sides of the border between the two countries. Ruffianism is rife on both sides. If "the writing on the wall" is readable, it seems to show that America will presently have her hands full with Japan, anil therefore must avoid by every effort of diplomacy conflict with the Chinese giant. A further point of great interest is that Mexico and its assets are so well held by United States folk, that the mere paying of an indemnity by Mexico will lacerate the feelings' of "Brother Jonathan. The next few weeks will be anxious ones for both Jose and Jonathan.

" A BRUTALTSING TENDENCY." School inspectors in New South Wales have an id that, rabbit-trapping has a brutalising tendency on young children and Mint in <i few years there will be a superabundance of' unskilled labor in Australia. The person in a, rauoitless country will hardly understand the inspectors' point of view. It is to be remembered, however, that there are countless millions of rabbits in New South Wales, and that constant, slaughter of myriads of them is as familiar to the average youngster as sunshine. Enmity against the rabbit in Australia is deep-rooted. Children are born with the instinct to wipe out. a post that inflicts intolerable loss on the country. The Australian youngster, therefore, believes that a rabbit, should be treated in a totally different wav to every other living thing. The school child spends most of his spare time in slaying rabbits—a ceaseless occupation and a souldestroying one. The fact that, rabbits ha'';' some commercial value makes youngsters keener after their prov. and sn th" children use im (heir time in visiting the'r traps and setting them. Th" fact that a proportion of rabbit* pull their legs off in the trap-teeth stirs no feeling of any kind in the children, except resentment that the rabbit has got

away. The children see tens of thousands of poisoned rabbits, rotting "ounnies," everywhere, and the bleached bones of the innumerable pests daily, i Rabbiting is so obvious and necessary' an occupation that there seems to the back-country person to be nothing else in the world to do. The schoolmasters may deplore the brutalising eii'ect of rabbiting on the children, but; the rabbits have got to be kept down, and that's all there is about it. And again it is a real absurdity for schoolmasters to talk about an overplus of "unskilled labor' in a few years. Australia wants millions of laborers, and the increase of people will mean the decrease of rabbits. It is obvious that in the vast trackless ex-j pauses of Australia, rabbits breed undisturbed in millions of millions. In case doubters who have never realised the terrific fecundity »f tho common rabbit, are disposed to take the "millions of millions" with a "grain of salt," it is only necessary to mention that the Australian Governments erected the longest fence in the world entirely on account of rabbits. This fence, between Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory, is 3000 miles long (or about three times as long as New Zealand), and much of it cost £4B a mile. It is little wonder that little Australians hate the rabbit. Also all the schoolmasters in the country will be unable to stay the slayer, whether slaying brutalises him or not. Now, if the schoolmasters had only suggested means for wiping the curse out!