TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8252, 5 October 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

la the House of Representatives on Wednesday the Oou. Mr McNab gave the following classification of knds: First-class land is that which ia suitable for division into areas not exceeding GIO aorea and usually includes either purely agricultural laud or mixed agricultural andpastoral country with an unimproved capital value of £1 an acre or over. PeooncyflaEß laud is that which is capable only for subdivision in areas exceuding GiO acres but not over 21)00 acres and generally comprises pastoral country, the minimum unimproved capitaJ value or whiob is 5s an acre. 'There are so many people who, I whenever their country's interests J are at stake, f'o&l compelled to eide against her. It is the same spirit that strives to keep the oouutry weak, thereby exposing the Empire to the rapacity of the world," said Lord Miluer in a speech last Sat urday. Lord Miluer is probably inclined to exaggerate the depth of the spirit of aut»-nationalism, but his warning is wise and timely. There is tar too ready a disposition to create internal dissension on the Imperial issue when the interests ot the nation are at stake, and when English people ought to stand together as one man. The pro-Boera, the pro-Zulus, and fcho pro-Germans, may, after all, only represont a small section of the community, but they make a great deal of noise, and their clamour may easily cause a Government to waver when firmness alone can save the situation. In Australia they don't call these unpatriotic folk "anti-uatioualists:" they use a much harder and a more inelegant name.

Although juvenifo taste iu literature probably varies almost as much as adult taste, it is possible to form some idea of the standard works that appeal most strongly to the children in our elemeutary sohools. The Eduatiou Committee of tho London County Council supplies somo statistics showing the books chosen by a large number of prizewinners, but they would bo more valuable if a complete list of the available prizes were added. The literary taste of the Board school prize-winners could be gauged with more accuracy if one could ascertain what standard works were rejected by the majority; and one also re>quires to know to what extent contemporary authors are represented in the catalogue. It is of interest

to find, howerer, that half--a dozen works of imagination that have pleased generations of British children retain their popularity, Grimm's fairy tales were seleoted by 1,790 prize-winners; "Unule Tom's Cabin" was almost as popular; and "Robinson Crusoe" was a good third. "liava Andersen," Tom Brown's Sobooldays," and the "Swiss Family Robinson,' were also largely ohosen; while below these in popularity stand "Alice in Wonderlaud," "Little Women," "Westward Ho!" and a dozen other eld favourites. These selections snow that elementary scholar's taste in fiction is creditable, though it would, perhaps, be considered old-fashioned by upperolass children of corresponding age. Opinions differ aa! to the value of our elementary sohool curriculum, but; all will agree that the acquirement of a healthy taste in fiction is a promising sign.

The growth of the Socialist movement in the United States has inspired the Wall Streut Journal to comment on the extent of the property interests likely to oppose Socialism. There are 318,736 stockholders ia national banks, about 300,000 in other banks, 327,000 in railroads, 500,000 in industriall corporations, 5,739,657 owners of farms, 500,000 manufacturers, 42,000 wholesale merchants, 73,000 bankers and brokers, and 7,696,229 savings bank depositors, or a total of 15,496,621. Deducting 5,000,000 for duplications, there appear to be more than 10,000,000 persons who, the WaJl street Journal believes, would naturally be opposed to interference with the rights of private property. Upon the assumption that each of these represents a family, the paper argues that the force militating against Socialism consists of 50,000,000. In the absence of any acurate statistics, it is impossible to pay how near this estimate is to the truth. It has been pointed out. however, that the journal has, apparently, not taken inlo 1 consideration the fact that many' savings bank depositors may not be antiSocialistic, aud that the same may be said of numerous farm owners. There has ako been a tendenoy among persons of large means, such as Mr J. G. Phelps Stokes, to join the Socialist cause.

If the position of tho English Independent Labour party was interesting at the beginning of the session, it is doubly interesting now, and is becoming a source of some embarrassment to the Guverument. In vain has Sir Henry Campball-Ban-norman tried to bring about peaao by concession to the new party. Bis complete surrender over the Trade Disputes Bill is perhaps the most striking instance of his anxiety t,o please. The Government brought in a Bill to give trade unions reasonable immunity from actions for damages; the Labour members and their allies in the Ministerial party said that it c'id not go far enough. The Premier thereupon nonchalantly remarked that he really did not see why the Labour members should not have all they wanted, and the Attor ney-Genoral had aotually to amend tho Bill against his own convictions. The result is that tho Bill aa passed by the Commons places trades unions absolutely above the law. No actions can bo taken against them as a result of tbo acts of their members. Aa Sir Edwaid Carson said, the principle of the Government has been that tho nnionß can do no wrong. It is a good thing that it has yot to run the gauntlet of the House of Lords, but it is very possible that the latter, having its hands full with the Education Bill, will refuse to take the responsibility of rejecting another Government measure.