CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 1, 2 June 1913, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

THE FIRE BRIGADE BALL. What has come to be regarded as one of the most popular functions of the year takes place at the Theatre Royal and to-morrow night in the ball held to augment the funds of the local fire brigade. The function is generally as interesting as it is enjoyable, a feature being the part taken by the host of juveniles, specially trained and dressed for the occasion. This year, Mrs. Dockrill and her willing helpers are, endeavouring to make the ball more attractive than ever in every respect, and are sparing no pains to attain that end, so that the public may rely upon getting their money's worth." But the function is entitled to support on other grounds. The Brigade is certainly on a better footing financially now than it was prior to the establishment of Fire Boards, but to enable it to maintain an even keel and do justice to its work, the brigade has still to rely upon a measure of help from the public. This can be given by supporting to-morrow night's function. And the brigade deserves the fullest measure of support, for the members spare neither time nor energy in the service of the town, expecting neither fee nor reward. To their enthusiasm and efficiency is no doubt largely due the immunity the town enjoys from fire losses. We therefore hope the public will show their 'appreciation of the services of the,brigade by rolling up in large numbers to-morrow night, and thus help a cause that certainly deserves'assistance.

LEPPERTON JfXCTION. Much confusion and annoyance, and not a little amusement, result from the manner in which three trains arriving at Lepperton .junction at f> p.m. daily, are dispatched. Almost every day some wayward one is discovered earnestly endeavouring to reach Waitara by travelling in the train due to arrive' at New Plymouth at .3.30. Tins may be amusing to the casual spectator.'but it i-> not so to the traveller, who lias to leave the train at Corbetl road, and invited to walk across country to Waitara. The trouble arises from the fact that the train from south wails on the Waitara line, just in front of Hie Wai- | tara train, to let the train from New Plymouth pass. Passengers from New. 'lymouth to Waitara then cross over

and frequently hoard the train hack to town,, instead of that to Waitara. The notice hoard marked "Waitara train" is so placed that it might apply to either train. If this were altered, and some verbal indication given as to which is the Waitara train, travellers would have no excuse for error. As it is the mistake is as easy to commit as the fault is to remedy.

THE BARE MAJORITY. While we do not think that the Prohibitionists will seriously attempt to form a new political party with the bare majority as the only plank in its platform, we anticipate that candidates on both sides will And the Prohibitionists thorns in their flesh next year, and that with the Prohibitionists as a whole the attitude of candidates on the licensing questions will overshadow consideration of general politics. In view of the great numerical strength of the Prohibitionists, it is quite possible, if the majority question is not satisfactorily settled in the meantime, that the results of the next general election will have no exact bearing upon the political opinion of the i country—lnvercargill Times.

NO COMPARISON. There is no comparison with the present situation and the one that existed at the time of the Boer War. Then England commanded the seas; to-day she does not. Then the Empire was able to carry 250,000 troops to South Africa without hindrance, but the next war—if war there should unfortunately be—will be with a Power, or Powers, that have strong navies and .powerful armies. How, then, will Mr. Allen land his 8000 New Zealand troops in Australia or Canada? How are they to get there? And when there, what are they to do? If Australia is at war, then the Empire, which includes New Zealand, is also at war, and this Dominion will want at home all the efficient men she can produce. It is not conceivable that she could convey a contingent of 8000 men in safety to Australia or Can-, ada if the Empire were at war with any Great Power. When Australia or Canada have been reduced to a pass that 8000 men from New Zealand are urgently needed it will be time to write "Ichabod" across the portals of what was once a great Empire. All of which means that the sooner the Government decide on their defence policy and let it be known the better it will be for those of us who are looking for guidance.—Dunedin Star.

FIGHTING WITH FIRE. The president of the San Francisco State Normal School, like so many other reformers who are content to spell their title with a small "r," believes in beating the devil by taking control of his agencies and turning them to the uses of virtue. "We parents," he says, writing to an American newspaper, "have come to realise that some new breeds of social evils have been whelped with which we must now do battle. The public pool-room, serving as a harbor for the flotsam and jetsam of r the community; the dance hall and the social club with their evil associations; the automobile joy ride; the roadside inn; the sensual tendencies of the modern dance; the unblushing degeneracy of much moder nfiction—these are a few of the foes that are openly menacing civilisation and against which some defensive power must arise. We must fight the social activities having harmful associations by social activities having helpful association. We must fight fire with flrfe." The.president tells of a decently regulated, dance hall at Santa Barbara, which quickly put an unregulated vicious public hall out of existence. The o!d-time evil resort was closed by force of competition, just as many of the evil places in this country would be closed if more of the local reformers held the view expressed by the American teacher, and took pains to put it into 1 practice. Even the prohibitionists might find it easier to get the devil out of the public bar by going inside and checking his methods, than by shouting at him from the street.

A "FREAK" YACHT. Sir Thomas Lipton has ordered a new yacht of special design to be built for next year's race for the American Cup. His challenge to the New York Yacht Club to meet him with a 75-fboter having been declined, he sent an open challenge, merely specifying the dimensions of nis own boat, and this was accepted by the Americans, and Sir Thomas says frankly that the new yacht will be "a freak," designed solely to meet a defender of the light, unseaworthy type which was opposed to the earlier Shamrocks. Shamrock 111. has won six out of; eight international races during the last year or two, and has secured twentythree first prizes in regattas round the British coast. The new boat, Shamrock IV., will be tried against Shamrock 111., and if the builders are successful, will show a substantial inrease of speed. Then the ticklish task of sailing the challenger across the Atlantic will be faced.

LABOR AND LIBERALISM. Labor's references to Liberalism consist in jibes and sneers, which should at least have the effect of recalling Liberals to a sense of self-respect. In the eyes of Labor, Liberalism is merely a "wing of Capitalism"; and, furthermore, from the point of view of party politics, Labor gives its opinion of the value of the suggested alliance with Liberalism bluntly when it refers to "the dyin<* Liberals." It is an astonishing thing to find any political party willing to truckle for what it believes to be an advantage when its advances are met with such rebuffs.—Southland Times.

A LESSON TO DISCOURTEOUS PEOPLE. Some of the discourteous people who are always late for .public performances were given a lesson at a concert by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra the other day . The conductor had bi-en annoyed by people moving noisily in their seats while the orchestra was playing the first number, and he arranged to begin his programme with Mendelssohn's "Scottish Symphony." As there are none of the usual pauses between the movements of this work, the people who were outside when the doors closed had to remain there for about thirty-five minutes. When they crowded in they found that they had missed one of the important features of the concert.

SOLVENCY OF THE"OUEEN CITY." The Mayor of Auckland lias thought it necessary to explain that the "Queen City" is still solvent, in spite of its debt of a million am] a-half, but really there was no occasion for the explanation. The debts of New Zealand cities, even Wellington's obligation of two millions and a-quarter, are mere bagatelles compared with the amounts some of the cities of the Mother . Dmitry' have borrowed. Sheffield, for instance, with :i population not four times ;r, lai'ire as that of Auckland, owes ;<•» millions; Koelulalc. with a populaloov ::n nno ] ( >ss, nearly three millions; am! Willinirhain,' with a population not twice as lanrc, nearly six millions. The*" •»•:■ examples taken at random from fix- Municipal Year_ JWk. Then; arc s. ■->>•: . 0 f niunicipalities up and down tlio more lieavilv burdened and Awckhnd miVlit breathe freclv even if it were carryimr another million and a-hnlf on its broad shoulders.—Lvttelton Times.