TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8339, 23 January 1907, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

I The recent threat of the German ' Imperial Chancellor that the Kaiser may resort to a military despotism if the Social Democrats and their allies succeed in the pending elections, shows that the Government are by noTmeans confident of the result of the appeal to the country, which was precipitated through the refusal of the Reichstag to grant the supplies asked for the subjugation of the natives of South-West Africa. A 'cable message published a few days ago, showing that locked-out workmen are using their freedom as agitators against the Government policy, affords further evidence that theJJlmperial policy'is losing the support of the masses of the German people. The adopton of a simple device is reported to have made a revolution in street-cleaning in the Sydney suburb of Newtown. Hitherto, the sweeping of the streets, designed to abate the dust nuisance, has aggravated it by the clouds it has raised, to the discomfiture of foot passengers and shopkeepers, and complaints were innumerable. At a recent meeting of the council the Mayor said that Mr Young, the borough overseer, had overcome the whole trouble in a very simple way. ■•■ His little device- consisted of an inch spray-pipe fixed to the sweeping machine, and the <pipe is fed. from a hundred-gallon tank fitted on top of the machine. The whole thing cost only 50s. There was no additional expense incurred in working the machine, and the result of ' recent trials had been highly successful. A striking feature of English if riot of all political life (says the Port Elizabeth Herald), is that men seem to be able to fasten their attention on only one theme at a time. This might be well, were the concentration to continue till the problem was solved. But only for a certain period does it remain the question above all others. Long before ' a satisfactory£solution has been reached it has to give place to some other matter, which serves as an apple of discord. To this may be traced the cause of the unsatisfactory progress made towai-ds the solution of our real national problems. Another cause may be found in the so often called necessary. evil of party. Party politics are much the same as they, used to be, but the parties are for ever, and rapidly; changing. A curious feature of these parties is that, while they differ on national question 3, they ;owe their origin to individuals. The result is that whereever there is a man of original cast, and decided powers of leadership, he either supplants sonie other leader or i fnrms a new party. The people in th? Old, Country are in a strange position to-.lay. Either there are none who possess the necessary ! powers of leadership, or' the nation is richer in such men than if has ever been at any previous time. If ! the former is the case, then these numerous sections are digns of weakness and decay; if the latter is the case, then, though the parties be many and opinions varied, the final result will be for the nation's good. It is understood (says the "Auckland Star) that the Crown Solicitor is at present investigating charges that the Labour Department contem- { > plate '.making against the tramway j men in connection with the recent strike. Should it be found that , sufficiently strong evidence in substantiation of the charges is forthcoming, the matter will probably • be sifted at the next sittings of the Arbitration Court. Subsection 1 of clause 15' of the Amendment Act/ 1905, of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act reads thusly:—"Any industrial union or industrial association or employer, or any worker, whether a member of any such union or association or not, which, or who, shall strike or create a lock-out, or take part in a strike or lock-out, or propose, aid, or abet, a strike or lock-out, or a movement intended to produce a strike or lock-out, shall be guilty of an offence, and shall be liable to a fine, and may be proceeded against in the same manner as if it or he were guilty of a breach of an award." As the Tramway Employees' Union took no action in the recent strike, it is considered probable that several of the leading spirit's in connection with the affair will,be proceeded against, while the company may also become involved j in the charges.