THE WORLD'S PRESS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 171, 25 August 1914, Page 4

THE WORLD'S PRESS.

LATE MR CHAMBERLAIN. He (Mr Chamberlain) had ridden on I the two great waves of popular feeling in his time, sincerely believing that in so doing he was serving his country best, and now he offered to ride a third; but there was no wave there, and with strong dramatic effect the power at which he had grasped passed from him and his party into the hands of a less brilliant statesman who had sturdily faced unpopularity during the Imperialistic period, standing his own ground and waiting till the country came back to it. Mr Chamberlain's, from that point ! of view, is the tragedy of the failure that comes of a too quick instinct to apparent success. —'' Manchester [ Guardian.'' GOLD FOR ENGLAND. i At the time of the Morocco trouble the Kaiser is said to have ordered the bankers to add £6,000,000 in gold and the same amount in silver to the £(5,000,000 already in the war chest. A later estimate of the gold held in the banks of the various countries gives approximately these -figures:—France, £145,000,000; Russia, £180,000,000; Germany, £66,000,000; England, £40,000,000. These figures only refer to the banks, and therefore have a limited though interesting significance on the position a year ago. What is possible in the way of accumulating gold is shown by yesterday 's statement that since August 5, the Bank of England had received £9,000,000 worth.—'' Daily Telegraph.'' BRITAIN NO RECREANT.

Whether the worst or the best is before us, Britain and her sons overseas would not tolerate at this moment any course other than manful acceptance of the risks and sacrifices demanded of them by duty and honour. Their forefathers never blenched in the hour of danger, and neither will the Britons of the supposedly luxury-loving twentieth century. Our nation has not sought this war; it has not departed from the policy of peace-seeking, although year by year the unprovoked menace against it was growing and the balance of naval power was being shifted to its disadvantage. But there are moments in the life of nations as of individuals when to be inactive is to be recreant. — '' Australasian.'' OF STATESMANLIKE IDEALS.

Faith and courage were Mr Chamberlain 's greatest qualities. He had no patience with the timid, the weak, or the unstable. He was himself so great, so strong, so direct, that he could not understand those who were built of material less firm. lie had ideals, too; practical, statesmanlike ideals. No man can be great without ideals, nor can he hope to remain great if he fails to endow his ideals with worldly strength and practicability. All these things Mr Chamberlain did. —"Express. '' THE "FOUR SEVENS."

But the "four sevens," on which the famous Imperial wireless contract was largely based, has now expired by effluxion of time, and we may hope now to see a well-distributed trade in wireless installations. The conditions are on the whole favourable to its growth, but it will take time to develop; ami until there is sufficient competition to regulate price it. is the duty of the Government now that it is making wireless telegraphy compulsory on ships, to secure that prices are equitable.— "Daily News."