CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 162, 8 January 1914, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

j:nrt'ATiN(; tiik democracy. The promotion of a university extension movement in, at all events, some of our leading centres, is a project that should commend itself to educationalists and to the (lovernment of this coun : try. It is true here, as it is in Amedica, that men and women tire cheated out of thebest of life by reason of their inability to -pursue studies denied them in youth, and Unit their lives are limit,ed by their labor on the one hand and iby commercialised recreation on the other. Such a movement, wisely directed, would wean a host of men and women from petty pursuits and timekilling devices, in which they find no real satisfaction, and would ii'mno their •hours of leisure profitable to thcinserves •and to the community. The proposal opens up larger possibilities, 100. No shrewder blow could be struck at the purveyors of foolish fallacies'which now pass muster with the crowd as political prim ijilcs and heaven-inspired panaceas. In fact, to put the matter in a nutshell, an educated democracy is the only possibly democracy. While the present lack of instruction prevails, the democracy is a ready prey to any adventurer with a long tongue and a "desire to cut a ligure in the world. An educated democracy would bo immune from most of the petty social'disorders such as demagogues breed; the structure of society would be made firmer and more scenic. —Dominion.

TUB PIUCK OF INSULA NCK. AVe feel satislio.l that tin; universal training of our youth and manhood tliat has Ih'ch determined upon bv the Logis•liitii.ro has (lie cordial support, goodwill and co-operation of the vast niajorit,y of the- people It is prompted' bv no spirit of jingoism, no love of war, no nntiei|v.ition even of war, but, as Sir lan iramilion succinctly puts (lie position, citizen service is tile priee we should pay for insurance, To that small element in the community thai opposed compulsory training through conscientious scruples, holding the exalted hut impractical view lliat all men should live at peace, and that in a proper civilisation there is no place for grim and hitter battle—to such as these there 'is a reasonable appeal, or there should he. m the argument that war is far less likely to eventuate if. we are •prepared than if we simply fold our •hands and- remain helpless.' In fact •nothing could so readily invite iuva-' sion- and court defeat—a* the adoption of the policy of opponents"of (he national defence system.—Wellington Times.

WOHKKUS IN" UCSSIA. Statistics issued bv the Rn-sian factory inspectors indicate Unit working■class unrest, which had been allaved during the years lflOS-10, has more recently reappeared in Russia in a steadily increasing ratio. While in Mill) the total mimber of strikers was ■17.1100, it rose to 105,0(10 in I'll l ;,nd i;s:;.OOo' in 111 12. It has been estimated that during the late year 1.2lS.llfl(l factory hands participated in shakes, in addition In 21.").000 others who are. employed in establishments not under the Factory Act. Tht> enormous number of strikers'j s to be attributed to the fact that, under present conditions' in Russia, economic strikes necessarily become transformed .into political demonstrations. Recently their number has been considerably increased by "sympathetic" strikes, designed to -how solidarity with the Moscow tramway employees'; and by strikes of protest against the persecution of the Labor pre-s and the trial of llcliss. CANADA AND Till, NAVY. A w.'Vf movement in Canada, wliicn possibly may develop sume iiilluence in regard both 1, 0 (|,,. immediate naval tannic organisation is the recent revival of the CaiMilian League. Its protagonists are Mr. Cooper, of Toronto, editor' •of the Canadian Courier, who has eousistenily advocated the principle ol' a Canadian N'avv, and Mr. Ilawkcs. an Englisbman of wide experience, cd'tor of thi! Canadian, who has identified bra ■ self thoroughly with Canadian natioilP sentiment. The general-objects of the League are to promote Canadian solidarity, to educate the vast body .or' foreign immigrants iir the responsibilities of Canadian citizenship. e-pcciallv ! ill iclilbiii to defence, and to ■'main- ' tain Canada, as a self-governing nation | within the Empire." lint the ' iinniedi- t ate motive is to urge the two political j parties to agreement, oh a naval policy, ; consonant with the spirit of Canadian- j ism, i.e., on the basis of a Canadian j Navy. Messrs Cooper and ITawkcs

make it ckar that, while firmly upholding the principle of a Canadian X,i ,y under Canadian peace control, and opposing that of "contribution," they are not by any means satisfied with either the performances or the promises of Sir Wilfrid Laurier's party. 1 BRITAIN AM) CKP.MANT. Among the "best sellers" in Berlin just now is a book by a (ierinan naval ollicer, entitled "The Collapse." Its object is to show the folly of war against (Jrent Britain. As a result of a great battle off Heligoland the Oerimui navy is annihilated as a lighting force, anil all the British Drcaclnoughts are destroyed or crippled. British airmen in a waterplane then destroy Wilhclmshaven dockyards. • A short time after (ierman Zeppelins return the compliment by wrecking Plymouth, Portsmouth and Harwich, and doing great damage in London. Then peace is declared, and by that time the foreign trade of the belligerents has passed to the United States, and they lind themselves reduced to the level of third-class Powers and fourth-class nations. TUN RAILWAY SEKVICK. Of late years the ltuilway Department has been pursuing a cheese-paring policy in regard to advertising its special train services, with the result that the- travel- j ling public are put to a great deal of j inconvenience, whilst the Department | suffers considerable loss. It fails to see j that-publicity is just as necessary to the j success of its operations as it is to the success of any other commercial under, taking, and that it pays, and pays well, to advertise adequately and intelligently. Take, as an example, the Department's treatment of Taranaki in connection : with the recent holidays. In the principal papers it inserted in one issue an attenuated notice,- the chief feature of ! which was the intimation, "For further j particulars see posters." In other centres, full particulars of the altered time- • tabio are published, and the publ'c have an opportunity of making their arrangements without having to bother about going to the stations to look up c«mplex posters.. But Taranaki lias always been scurvily treated by the Railway Department, and will continue to be until such time as the members for tlio district make their voices heard a little more than they have in the past, and give the Government to understand that ■ we must be treated as are other parts I of the Dominion. •

WORDS OF APPRECIATION'. Writes the Lyltelton Times: Some of tlie North Inland towns arc developing the science of, advertising by attractive and effective methods with an energy which even so large and solidly established a city as Christchurch might imitate with advantage. Now Plymouth, which has been a "dead-end" since the completion of the Wellington-Auckland railway, has an Expansion and Tourist League, a body of patriotic citizens who believe in their town and district, and who are advertising the attractions and resources of the place by the issue of booklets and other literature, which are distributed wot only throughout the Dominion but also throughout Australia. The New Plymouth people clearly do not believe in leaving everything to the Government, as is the easy ami trustful i way of many other communities. On the other coast of the Island, Napier's Thirty-Thousand Club has just carried out a very successful Mardi" CJras festival designed for the purpose of advertising the town and the Hawke's Ray province, generally. The citizens of Napier, like those of Taranaki, have a thorough faith in the efficacy of what the Americans call a "publicity campaign." Their great ambition just now is to bring the population of their seaside town up to thirty thousand. Possibly they would a Main their object more speedily by combining to get the great one-man 'sheepruns of Hawke's Hay subdivided for Woser settlement, a step which would immensely benefit town as well as conn, try. _ No doubt, however, some of the Napier patriots are now beginning to realise the great truth that the development of (lie town and the opening up of ■the backblocks should proceed side, by side, and thai the host stimulus to a citv is a closely settled rural district behind it.