ITEMS FROM OUR MAIL FILES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2063, 26 September 1885, Page 4

ITEMS FROM OUR MAIL FILES.

Tiik of the Cirolme Ishnds l<y the Oeinnn f! >v eminent his created an internation \l bree/j eousideiahly in excess of the value of the propel ty involved. The Caroline Ishnd*, otheiwise known as tho New J'luhppinc Islands, me Mtuited between the Philippine, the Led rone, and the Maushall Islands and Pi;hu. T'uy lv in latitude .V and 12" N and longitude I.T) and I (i.V I',\ They are of coral formition, and hay c an aiea of about a thousand miles, and a native pjpulation (of tho M ilay rice) of about twentj -eight thousuid souls. They I) iv c abundant supplies of wafer, hshand fiuit, but pioduce. htlle else of any \.iluc The ('ruoliite-, weic discovi led by Lopt/ de Yillalobos, in I S IS, and named in lionoi of Chaileis Y. Since then they ha\e nomni'illy belonged to Spain, and have, in a fictitious soit of way, formed part of the tcrutory subject to the dominion of the Governor ot the Philippines. There hits never howevei, been any Spanish settlements and the Spanish claim to them is purely technical. In a technical way, however, it appears to le perfectly good, and their recent appiopnation by Germany is an unwarranted viola tion of vested rights, which has no other justification than that of might. Their value is so very slight that Bismarck's inordinate eaith hunger most have canjed him to lose his wits before he authorized their annexation. In this incident is found another instance of the idiocy of the Iron Chancellor's famous "Colonial policy" — a policy which is several ceutuiies behind the times. The Queen'o speech, as read from the throne on the poroguiug of the British Parliament is, when considered as a declaration of Ministerial policy, a very flat and meaningless pioduution. The present Government since its advent to power has simply been carrying out the policy it incessantly denounced its piedecessors for pursuing. In some meavire it excused itself for this course by pointing to the exceptional circumstances under which it took office and the neces sity of placating the laige adveise majority which faced it. It also claimed that for the time being it was essential, in order to maint tin the national ciedit for fair dealing, to administer the foieign affairs of the countiy upon the lines laid down by Gladstone and his associates. One would think, however, that tlie time had about come for a change of some sort ; that at the veiy least things had advanced far enough to permit of ade claration of Conservative policy. In view of the fact that the time foi holding the Autumn elections and selecting the new Parliament is rapidly drawing on, this neglect of the Salisbury MinUstiy to give some indication of its aims and purposes in regaid to public affairs is nothing less than rank covvaidice. Surely the new government dots not expect to retain power as a Conservative Administration cany ing ont the Libcial policy ? Tlie French have icvived an old Revo Intionary law, which makes the State take charge of every seventh child of a funily in necessitous circumstances, fiom the age of sis. An attempt to establish scholarships in all the colleges for the benefit of this child, whether necessitous or not, was, hovvuvcr, voted down. The object of tins ligislation is to diminish the French leluctance to haviug children. It is in vain that statistics are laid befoie patents almost every week in every periodical in the country showing that the population of France is stationaiy or declining ; that as a conscijiicncc thoieof she is threatened with the pennant nt loss of her present pla<e among the intiong : that colonisation is made impossible, and the country Hooded with foreign muni grants. Nothing makes any impression on them. They evidently have childien for their own comfoit, aad not for the public good. Tlie assumption on which the new law is based is that people will vv illingly incur the care and expense of bringing up six childien in order at last to have another which they can impose on the State Hut thi" is probably chimerical. There is now the usual number of children which Piencli patents nre willing to have without a State bounty, and wise statesmanship seems to us to suggest offering the bounty for the fourth and not for the seventh. As a measure of protection— as it undoubtedly is— it seems very droll. The signs of the times all point with more or less dnectness to that readjustment of alignments in political organiz ntion in the British Isle, which has several times, recently, been piedicted in this column of the News Letter. In this connection a rcmaikablc and notewoithy aiticle has appealed m the last number of the Edinburgh Review, entitled "The Farting of the Waters" Its object is to show that the point of severance between the Liberals of the old school— that is the Whigs — and the Liberals of the new school— that is the Radicals — has been reached. This article assails what is known as the caucus and all its works, and glorifies the consistency and high principle of the Whigs Finally, it emphatically declarer that the Whigs and Radicals can no longer tail in the >-anie boat. Coming from such a souice these statements aie entitled to gravct consideration They must be regarded as the mouthing of live, active sentiments, for the Edinburgh Review '.% a Whig publication, wl.ich is careful of its utterances almost to the point of dullness It never indulges in sensational pyrotechnics. On the other hand the Radicals are bold and outspoken in their intention to drive the Whigs either to the rear, or else outside of the Liberal party altogether. Libouchere, who may be taken as a fair exponent of Radical sentiment, says : I am peipetnally being written to by Radical clubs asking me whether the members of the club ought to support thin or that candidate In all cases they should exact specific pledges before doing so, for, as Lord Salisbury rightly says, general pledges can be evaded. In no single case should a Radical vote for a man who declines to pledge himself for the abolition of the House of Lords, the disendowment and disestablishment of the Church, the refusal of additional grants of money to the ftojal Family, free education, Mr Bioadnurst's bill in regard to leaseholds, and Mr Chambei lam's gi eat principle that the ue.li must pay ransom for being ncli. A candidate who will give these pledges may bo le garded as sound in other matters. They are excellent sample blicki. If it bo naid that Radical abstentions may bring in a Conservative, my answer is that .in open enemy is better than one within the camp. Rarely, howevei, will this be the case. When a half he.irtod Liberal finds that he will only run as a Candida ta to lose, he will either swallow the pledges, or give place to a better man. In the next Parliament we must crush and pulvenze, not only those who call themselves Conservatives, but those who aie Conservatives and call themselves Liberals. These bad red hei rings havebeen the cause of all Mr Gladstone';* dilliuiltics, and they haidly conceal their exultation at Ins defeat, whilst Ah Chamberlain is to them the Beast of the Apoealjpie. And for my part, if I had to chotse between the two, I should prefer an honest, conscientious Conservative to a half hearted Radical. Tlie latter aie the Pecksniffs of politics, ever plotting, intriguing and sneaking up backstairs, and signing secret lound robbins in opposition to the opinions of their constituencies. Their piece nee in the Radical ranks is baneful. Letthun by all means go over to the Conseiva tives They have no following, and their secession would no moie alfect the force of the Radical stream than would a dozen or two old women diminish the current of the Thames at London Bridge if they were to pass a <lay ladling out water at Staines. " Then- is no ambiguity about this language. It m a clear, deliberate dedaiation of war — war to the knife and knife to the hilt.

Thfrk arc more letters registered i'l tlie Auckland postal district tliun in any O'her distnct in the colony.