TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 826, 28 September 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

The Otago Daily Times considers the movement for the establishment of a National Memorial to Mr Seddon is languishing in a serious degree—the inevitable effeot of the neglect on the part of its organisers to take advantage of favourable opportunities. The journal adds:—"The amount that will be collected now will be appreciably less than would have been taken wh6n the movement might have been successfully launched. There may ba reason to fear that the accomplishment of the design to establish a national' memorial may yet have to be abandoned in favour of local memorial schemes." \ /

Mr Massey, oritisiug the Minister of Public Works on the employment of traction engines in roadmaking beyond Taibape, said in the House of Kepresentatives on Tuesday, a fraction engine in winter occupied seven weeks and a day in travelling seven miles. "It was a terribly bad season and bad roads," replied the Minister. And then the Leader of the Opposition told another unhappy Taihape experience, concerning a traction engine of the department which left at 9 o'clock on to deliver metal three miles away, and returned at 2 o'clook the next day minus three trucks! Again the Minister murmured it terribly wet season up on She main trunk works. This was too much for Mr Massey, who exclaimed against the Ministerial shortsightedness £hat bad not made provision for a northern winter. He did ( not know what Mr HallJones's experience had been in Canterbury; but it whs a faot that in tbo uorta they had rain in the wintertime! The Minister was crushed under this piece of information—and cdllnpsed into utter silence.

The Minister for Lands, by talking to the reporters, -is anticipating the debate on the Land Bill, doubtless with a view of disarming some of the criticism which is sure tj be direoted at tho limitation clauses, qays the Ohristahuroh Trdftb. He explains that it is not proposed to interfere with the prooess of borrowing for the ro-purohase and subdivision of estates, but thh process is beooming too muuh of a burden, and it is neaessary to find another less expensive one. It ban always been trumpeted forth that the money spent on the repurchase and settlement of estates was so reproductive that it could hardly be regarded as a burden on the oountry at all, but apparently Mr M'Nab d"es not share the optimism of his predecessors, and is shrewd enough to foresee that under the stress of depression the security might not prove so giltedged as it looks in the halcyon days of prosperity. Still, because the country can't go on spending money indefinitely in buying back estates for settlement, that is a curious reason for a programme of spoliation which is at the expense of the private individual, instead of the Slate

At a recent banquet in Melbourne, Colonel Price attaoked the Commonwealth Government. Ho had, he said, recently received a letter from General Pole-Oarew, which he would uot read, but which proved the shocking perfidy of the Commonwealth Government. A gentleman who had been Prime Minister had asked him about the value of the letter, and be (Colonel Price) had replied, "About £IO,OOO. I will keep it. i have got you on toast, anyhow." He referred to the heotor-

jog and bargaining and the dirty work regarding the ohoioe of an officer to command the Commonwealth knew, because he bad been in tbe thick ot it as tbe ohusen senior officer of the Auetxa lian foroes wh«s carried ont negotiations with Lord Roberts. Unfortunately, they bad not got the right man out there. , Those who bad not auoh knowledge and experience as himself could not get behind all the tricks played and the frlotion that existed. After arguing strongly in favour of a volunteer system of delenoe for Australia, and referring scathingly to men who entered the foroe to earn "cow money." Colonel Price spoke of the Defence Department as doing "a corrupt dirty, detestable thing."

It used the fashion for people of means in tbe Old Oountry to get rid of undesirable relations by sending them to the Antipodes, where they figured under tbe comprehensive title ofremittance men. Some philantbropio people in England imagine, apparently, that the same thing should be done, with undesirable aliens, and'on account of the lesser expense Canada ija usually the oountry selected for their reception. Some time, ago a Russian of tbe lowest class, who had deserted from the army in -order to escape service against thß Japanese, came to England, and afterwards followed by his wife and children. Within a few weeks of landing.the man was arrested for a cowardly stab bing aPair and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and deportation as an "undesirable." He was, of course, to be sent back to his own country, but it was pointed out to tbe Home Seorefcary that as the prisoner bad deserted from the Russian Army he would certainly he shot as soon as he landed in Russia. Under these circumstances the Home Secretary orderel that be should be deported "without escort." This meant that be might go to any country that would receive him. Tbe sequel was seen at the Thames Police Court, when a solicitor attended to explain that a fund was being raised to send the prisoner and his family to Canada, but as ihe promoters had not yet got sufficient money be- asked that tbe man should be allowed, seme time to enable bim to get there. '-Jtherwise he would be arrested for not complying with the deportation order. The reply was an empbatio negative. The magistrate said that it seemed to him most reprehensible that wben a Court had decided that a person was not fit to remain in Great Britain that the colonists of Canada should be threatened with his presence. He oertainly would give no assistance in such a case, even if he had the power to do so. This decision will oertainly meet with warm approval in the oolonies. Tlfe magistrate's pronouncement that what is not good enough for the Home Country is not good enough for the colonies, is a very timely expression of the true Imperial spirit.