WELLINGTON NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 250, 31 March 1915, Page 7

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

THE GERMANS' PROTEST.

The two young Germans who escaped I temporarily from Somes Island this 'week have explained to the police that i their escapade was intended as a protest against the treatment they had been receiving on the island. Their primo grievance seems to be that they had been employed on road works, which they regarded as more "suitable for convicts" than for interned , Germans. TTie Minister of Defence (the Hon. Jas. Allen) explained in reply to a question upon a point that the aliens confined on Somes Island were simply prisoners of war, as far as their status under international war law was concerned, and they could properly be required to perform duties of a non-military character. British, French and Russian prisoners in Germany were being put to hard labor of a very severe kind on public works and agricultural operations, ami if they refused to obey orders, they would stand a very good chance of being shot. German prisoners in New Zealand were treated a great deal better than British prisoners in Germany. A visit to Somes island is not easily arranged under present conditions, but the descriptions supplied by men who have seen the prisoners' quarters lately suggest that the Germans and Austrians there are faring very well. They are housed in the quarantine buildings; their diet is liberal and they are' supplied'with books and newspapers. Such work as they arc required to perforin is not unditiy arduous and the island is Targe enough to afford them a means of outdoor recreation. No doubt the life they lead is monotonous, and it is unfortunate for these men that they happened to be in New Zealand when the war began. But they have no reason for reproaching the New Zealand Government, which has shown no unnecessary severity in taking the steps demanded by the stern necessititcs of the international struggle.

PEXMAXSIUP. Some time ago the Public Service Commissioners issued a circular dealing with tlie handwriting of the civil servants. The circular emphasised the importance of good hand-writing and laid down a few very simple rules for the guidance of oflicers. The primary rule was .that each letter should be so formed that, standing by itself, it could not be mistaken for any oilier letter. Some superior people affected to he amused by this attempt to instruct members of tlie civil service in one of the "three H's," hut as a matter of fact tlie circular has begun alrcadv to bear good fruit. Some of the time that used to be lost through had hand-writing is being saved, mistakes are being avoided and a new stan- ' dard is being set for the younger civil servants. A rule prevails in some I branches that a youth desiring promotion must apply in his own handwriting, so that his superiors may sec if he possesses what is regarded as one of the primary qualifications. But one gathers frojn the Public Service Commissioner? themselves that the position is still far from satisfactory. "People are slow to appreciate the importance of this question of Handwriting," said a Commissioner the other dav. "Imagine what troubles may be caused in a business house or a State Department by the man or boy who docs not write legibly. V.ii-.l handwriting means tVuHy records, misdirected letters, waste of time ar.d loss of money. It seems to me that the schools are not giving enough attenf!./ii to penmanship. Many of the boys who come to the State Departments for employment have never learned to writ-; properly." There are some schools where special efforts are made and an excellent standard of penmanship is attained, Iwl many business people who come into contact with boys and girls fresh froiu the public schools have to confirm the statement of the Commissioner.

INCREASE IN OCEAN FREIGHTS. Ocsan freights have risen again nr.d the extra charge levied by the shipping companies will be reflected in prices :wl costs all over the country. The :neve layman is rather helpless when the experts begin talking about eommandeTed ships, war risks, congested trade and the inevitable 'laws of supply and .-'ikwand." But one may confess to a ecrtain doubt as to whether the community is being treated fairly by the shipping companies at this juncture. The increased freights imposed by the compr.w: represent a war tax levied by prhvte interests. It is true that certain steamers have been commandeered by the Admiralty and the colonial Governments for use. as auxiliary cruisers and tn.isports, but the owners are being recompensed by cash at highly remunerative rates. It is also true that some vessels have been captured and sunk by the enemy's cruisers and submarines. The owners have been protected against loss however, by the Imperial Government's scheme of war insurance, backed by the State guarantee. Trade has become congested in certain channels, but that means large cargoes, which should t:c profitable at the old rates. One gathers that a section of commercial opinion I in Wellington is strongly opposed to the I action of the shipping companies and it I is being stated freely that the producers and shippers generally are undergoing I exploitation at the hands of the concerns ' responsible for the rise in freights. The truth will be told by balance-sheets at a later date, and if the producers .find then that "war profits" have been taken at their expense thev. are not likely to forget the fact.

LOCAL MANUFACTURES. The Dominion's manufacturers, represented by the Now Zealand Industrial Corporation, have been making their periodical protest against that curious prejudice which causes people to demand imported goods to articles of local manufacture. Coninionsensc and patriotism are upon the side of the manufacturer in this matter. The boot factories of this country can produce high-class footwear in all the varieties that any reasonable person can require, but in order to secure a ready market for it they must use deceptive brands or at least allow the retailers to pass it of! as "imported." The buyer has made up his mind that he must have British or American boots and the salesman has neither time nor inclination to argue the point. Ask the average tailor for suitnigs of local manufacture and h* will think it neeessarv to .eoggcsr, by his manner at least, that imported stuffs are preferable. Vet the chances are that ne is handling large quantities of colon al cloth ami selling it to >ati>iicd customers who nevir discover (hat tile wool on their backs lias been dyed. spun, and woven as well as grown in New Zealand. Thousands of housewives will buy imported tinned fruits and condensed milk, to mention two well-known lines, in preference to the New Zealand products, de-pit- tin. fact that the local articles are cheaper and at least as good. The prejudice that makes such things possible is not easy to understand, but it exists and the manufacturers of the Dominion have got to face it and overcome it.

TITC MAIL CKNSORStIIT'.

Tlow many people are aware that a mail censorship covering practically all on- en- corn-pomlwico is in operation in New Zealand? Tu each of the central post ofiie-s of the Dominion there is stationed a censor whose duty it ia to smji inward and outward correspondence

whenever any apparent possibility 'exists of the use of the mails for the purposes of an enemy. The letters are opened in a special room by means known to postal experts. They are scanned rapidly by the appointed officers and if found to be harmless from the point of view of the State are passed on to their destinations. No secrets come a;t of that room. The censors are men of standing in the community, sworn to silence and incapable of making any improper use of the information that they acquire in the discharge of their duties. But the public have received one or two indications that the work of these officers is not unnecessary. One gathers that on occasions the daily round of the censor has its humorous side. What is a perplexed official to do when confronted with a communication in Chinese or in that curious compound language written by the modern Assyrian? Problems of this kind are solved somehow and tho censorship is likely to remain in existence until the close of the war. It is not an institution 1 that would \c suffered by British people in times or peace, but war brings strange necessities in its train.

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. People who ought to ho in close touch with political affairs are saying again tliat Parliament will meet well in advance of the usual date, possibly early in May. But inquiries here give, one a,n impression that members of the Lcqlv lature have little reason to anticipate a call to Wellington in advance of the usual date for the opening of the session. The Government has a majority, on paper, of two votes at' the "present tim;, and unless the position is changed by the election petitions now before the courts, Mr Massey and his colleagues will lie under no constitutional obligation to test their position in the. House of Representatives'. If one of the petitions should succeed there probably would be a by-election. That would take tune and might easily fail to change the. state of parties. Under ordinary circumstances, of course, a Government not assured of a majority large enough to enable it to retain office would be expected to meet Parliament as quickly as possible, but these arc not ordinary times, and neither party had any wish to force the issue at the present' stage of the war. Whispers of coalition negotiations arc heard occasionally, but it seems safe to assume that the party leaders will not be induced to join hands unless the development of the great war makes the creation of a national Government imperative. The initiative in this matter appears to have come from outride the two parties. The Ministers certainly have no appearance of treating the loader of the Opposition as a prospective ally. Sir Joseph Ward lias had to mention this week that he was not informed of the impending arrival of the troops from Samoa. The welcome to the n>turned soldiers was surely a non-party event and the rather carefully staged reception on the Wellington wharf would have, been the more impressive if the leader of the Opposition had stood beside the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence.

APPLE GROWING. Kew Zealand apple growers made their first great mistake when they planted their orchards wSth the thin-skinned, varieties, only to find when the trees had reached maturity that tile fruit was unsuitable for export. That blunder was remedied, at a price that is a painful memory with some of the groweis, and during recent years a very profitable trade in apples has been developed with the South American market. Now the orchardists are making another mistake, according to the. New Zealand Government's trade commissioner in Buenos Ayros. Thev are neglecting to grade and pack the apples according to the standards demanded by t'l'ie South American buyers and a promising export trade is being endangered. It would he in the interests of the growers and of the. community as a whole that the Government should supervise the grading of apples, as it does the grading of flax. The foreign buyer has to take a cas' 1 of New Zealand apples on trust, since it is not practicable to open and oxannie every case in the stores at Buenos Ayres or elsewhere. If he finds later that Unpacking or the quality was inferior, hf does not draw any nice distinctions between brands. He determines not to buy any Now Zealand apples at all, packers attain an exceedingly high standard, and the honest conscientious exporter has to share the loss with actual offender. The Americans have solved tliis problem by creating large export companies which undertake the packing and marketing for the owners.

FIGHT FOR THE WORLD'S TRADE. New Zealand is hearing a great deal of the clash of armies'in Europe and very little of another phase of the great war. the fight for the world's trade. Commercial houses in Wellington, connected with the great trading and manufacturing concerns of the Mother Country, are receiving much highly important information that does not find its way into the newspapers. When the Imperial Government asked the House of Commons for a war credit of £100,000,000 withi n a few days of the outbreak of the war, Mr Lloyd George indicated that the provision for the "defence of the realm" was intended to cover important operations in, connection with the financial, commercial, and industrial life oi the nation as well as actual warfare on sea and land. We all know now how the State credit has been -ised with courage that has amounted to genius to uphold the great banks and insurance companies, to protect underwriters and shippers and to keep trade moving along accustomed channels. But the socialistic activities of Mr Asquith, Mr Lloyd Ocorse and their colleagues have gone deeper than most people, imagine. The Boa v tl of Trade, endowed suddenly with extraordinarily wide powers, is working hand in hand with manufacturers, exporters, and shippers in the effort to capture vacant markets for the British nation and to distribute in new fields the vast volume of trade that used to be transacted with the Powers now ranged against us in war. The Imperial Government is watching the supply of food to the people, lending support to industry, distributing raw material, handling industrial disputes and generally acting as the friend, adviser and, occasionally, mentor cf distressed private enterprise. It seems strange that New Zealand, reputed the most democratic country in the world, should have lagged so far behind in these respects.