TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8260, 13 October 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

Notwithstanding repeated statements that the rise of wages has exceeded the increase in cost of living in the United States within recent years, a careful examination of the United States Bureau of Labour's statistics does not show that to be the case in the 10 years' period ending with 1905. While the cost of living has increased 17.7 per cert in this period, the increase in wages has been only 14.6 percent. In making this study of retail prloes thejbureau selected [3O staple articles of food, and found that they averaged higher in 1905 than at any other time during the 16year period covered by the investigations 1900 to 1905 inclusive. The average for food weighted, according to family consumption, was in 1905 9.8 per cent, higher than in 1890, 14.9 per cent higher than in 1895, 11.2 percent, higher than in 1900, and 0.6 per cent, higher than in 1904. for the United States, considered as a whole, the average cost of food per family in 1890 was 318.20 dollars. In 1896, the year of the lowest prices, it fell to 296 76 dollars In 1905 it reached the highest point of the period being 349.27 dollars, a difference between 1896 Hod 1905 of 52.51 dollars, or 1?.7 per cent.

Not content with punishing Stoessel and Roshdestreneki, the Russian Imperial authorities are pursuing with vindictive energy even the subordinate commanders who were involved in the Far East. Admiral Niebogatoff, at the battle of Tsushima, was in command of a email squadron whioh consisted of two battleships—the Orel and the Nicolai- two coast defence itonulads—tbe Admiral Apraxine and the Admiral Seniavine—and a otuiser, the Izucurud. According to oue aooount, Niebogatoff's squadrou was thoroughly disorganised, the men mutinying even during the progress of the battle on the 27fch Mt»y, so that he could not return the Japanese fires. But whatever the state of affairs on board this squadron may have been Niebogatoffs ships surrendered to Togo on the seoond day of the battle, ly without resistance. The incident oauaod a great sensation in Russia, and the General Staff found it advisable to announce that Niebogatoff and the captains of the four surrendered vessels would on their return be counrtmartialled for incompetence or cowardice. JtJut there is incontestable evidence to show that under the circumstances Niebo.gatoff had practically no course open to him but surrender; and this attack and his captains musi be regarded as only oue of many attempts made by the Autoaracy to liverS publio attention from its failures and to discover viotims for popular vengeance in place nt those on whom should justly fall.

Considering the debt whioh the present and past Governments have owed to the Opposition, or ideas for legislation, the Premier's reoent reference to what he termed the Op position's ridiculous attempt to get credit for having tried ta benelit the workers was surely ill-considered, ibe occasion was tne attempt made by Mr Massey to amend the Advances to Settlers Bill in the direct ion of extending the benefits of the measuxe to workers in towns, '[be id«a was no new one to Mr Massey, for in his speech in Ohrisichurch in May last year he urged that a workman ought to be able to seoure an advance from the State to enable bitn to build a house, and tc pay off the amount in instalments. On the occasion under notice the new clause moved by Mr Massey, to assist workers in erecting homes for themselves, was strongly opposed by Sir Joseph Ward, on the ground tnat it would mean overloading the Act, whioh was intended for country settlers. It was, of oourse, defeated, but not until the Premier, realizing perhaps that, except for party considerations, his followers would have supported the amendment, declared his willingness to bring down this session if possible special legislation to give, effect to the proposal. Within ten days the Government Advances to Worker's Bill was introduced says the Ohristoburch Press, and the workers will be ungenerous indeed if thay do not recognize that they will owe to Mr Massey whatever benefits, they may receive under the measure.

The gasß is only one of many instances in whinn Opposition amendments have been defeated by the Government's majority and subsequently adopted by the Government as their own,jand paraded throughout the colony as a proof of the Uovertnenfc'a solicitude tor the workers.

The Australian Government has long been endeavouring to solve the problem of defence in a way whioh will be at onoe economical and effective, and will please the advocate of each and every one of the various sohemes which have been propounded. At last they have come to a deotaion whicii has yet to be approved by the Australian public before it can be regarded as an integral part of the Defence Polioy of the Commonwealth. They have rejected as too expensive the recommendations of the Imperial Defenoe Committee and have determined to creep timidly towards the realisation of Captain Cressweirs scheme for growth of an Australian ' navy' from a "wasp fleet" designed primarily for harbour and coast defenoe. We may safely assume that this is in no way the measure of what the Protectionist Premiei, Mr Deakin, and his Labour ally, Mr WatsoD, regarded as sufficient to place the island-conti-nent in a position of security against that Asiatic invasion fear whioh bangs (ike a cloud over the hopeful anticipations of every thoughtful Australian. It is only the measure of what the majority of the Commonwealth people are prepared—in the opinion of the popular political leaders—to pay towards their own defenoe. And the lesson of it is that before the colonies have any legitimate right to criticise Imperial Naval Defence as it exists, and as if'is becoming under the strenuous tuition of Sir John Fisher and other naval reformers, they must learn to think more and to say less, to ghold their beads a little lower while they thrust their tbands deeper into their pockets. The truth is that all the British ports of the world have hitherto been so effectively protected by the imperial foroes that they regard any call for defenoe nurposes upon their consolidated revenues with grudging amazement.