THE BEST CANDIDATE.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 162, 10 July 1924, Page 4

THE BEST CANDIDATE.

The compromise candidate chosen by the Democratic Convention after bo long and vexed deliberation, is also the best candidate. Most British observers of American politics will have picked out Mr. J. W. Davis as the most promising of Democratic possibilities, and they find their view supported by the American editor whom we quoted the other day. "It is conceded," so he wrote in May, "that in character, ability and reputation, Mr. Davis is the best qualified man in the party for the Presidency." He is only fifty-one, which is young for a President (Mr. McAdoo is over sixty); he has had a distinguished public career as Congressman, Cabinet Minister and diplomatist; and no scandal has touched hia reputation. British people have a special interest in him, for he succeeded that noble friend of Britain, Walter Page, as Ambassador to Britain when Page's health broke down near the end of the war, and remained there until the Republicans took office in IQ2I. To follow Page was difficult, but Mr. Davis succeeded in winning a reputation for ability and understanding of the country to which he was accredited. He is a strong supporter of the League of Nations, and of adherence to the World Court. That he is a Southerner may tell against him in the Presidential campaign, but a more serious handicap may be his association with J. P. Morgan and Co. When he returned from Britain, whero American representation makes serious inroads on the Ambassador's private means, he resumed practice at the Bar, and among his clients was the firm whose mere name "is used in certain parts of America to scare little children." When it was suggested to him that if he wished for the Democratic nomination ho should give up&his corporation practice, ho replied spiritedly that he would not be untrue to the trust his clients had bestowed on him. In spite of these handicaps he should •be a strong candidate, and if he is elected the Government and honour of the Union will be in capable and clean hands. A small Australian mail of 12 bags ; for Auckland is on board the cargo j steamer Katoa, which left Newcastle yesterday and will be due here about Tuesday next. Seventeen bags of Australian mail for Auckland are also on the Moeraki, which left Melbourne at 3 p.m. on Tuesday for Bluff. The . danger of accidents owing to 'cyclists riding without lights at night was brought to the notice of the Hamilton Borough Council last night by the Hamilton branch of the Automobile Association, who suggested a by-law providing that all cyclists must carry j I lamps or red reflectors on the rear of | their machines. The council viewed the ■ proposal favourably and referred it to a committee. "We've got a credit balance of 2/7." That was the boast of Mr. R. C. Bishop regarding the finances of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand at a meeting held in Christchurch. The prob- | lnrvi of raising the financial wind was the chief item of discussion of the Court of Directors of the society. For the last month, receipts amounted to £21 10/ C, plus a balance in hand of £33 18/10. The expenditure was £55 6/9, leaving a credit balance of 2/7. ', A mild case of measles was discovered among the passengers by the Marama, when she was being inspected by the port health officer after her arrival in the stream at Wellington on Tuesday morning from Sydney. The patient was a small boy. and he was removed to the hospital. The quarters occupied by the child on the ship were fumigated by the port health authorities. Owing to the ignition of a tin of petrol, a 15-year-old girl named Violet Curham, whose parents reside at 35, Ascot Avenue, Remuera, received burns on her feet and legs. She was admitted to the Auckland Hospital yesterday afternoon, but her condition is not considered serious.

few days' fine weather this week enabled the contractor for the formation of the Ellerslie end of Ladies Mile to complete laying the first coat of the bitumen surface over the whole distance. The road is now open again to vehicular traffic. At trmes sympathy is felt for tenants who are turned out of dwellings in these times when houses are scarce. A case came before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in which the landlord stated that there was £3S 5/ arrears of rent, and that since the tenants had been in possession, only one fortnight's occupation had been paid for. An order for possession to be given within one week was at once made. "There will be many people taking up potato growing in this district next year," 3tated Mr. C. Morgan Williams, of Ohoka, at a meeting of the Waimakariri Harbour Commission. "How do you account for that ? I 3 it because of the high price given for potatoes last year?" Mr. E. D. R. Smith asked Mr. Williams. "Partly, and also because dairying is unprofitable," was tlie reply. Many dairy farmers are chaining over." A firm of solicitors brought a case to recover costs at the Magistrate's Court this moriimg. Evidently the plaintiff was sure of winning, for upon Mr. W. R. McKean, S.M., giving judg- • ment for £2 12/6, counsel remarked that his firm did not want the money and handed to the clerk of the Court a type-written authority duly stamped, to hand the amount of the judgment to Mr. P. A. Cowie, for the Mission to Seamen. j Motorists will be glad to hear that the road over the Rangiriri Hills should be , ready for traffic by next year. At last ] night's meeting of the Auckland Auto- ! mobile Association Mr. M. 11. Wynyard stated that there was a large metal dump at Meremere, and shortly the metal would be spread. There were also , other dumps along the road over the ' hills. Ho said that the road should be ! ready by next year, with an unbroken j metal surface from Mercer to Rangiriri. That there aro cases of real poverty in Palmerston North needing attention I was revealed at the monthly meeting of I the District Nursing Guild on Monday, I when Sister Berwick, district nurse, j stated that during the last week there ! had been a fair amount of sickness, and that there was a great deal of poverty through men being out of work. "Since completing my monthly report," said Sister Beswick, "a letter has arrived from Dr. Godfrey urging help for some of the poor folk of Palmerston North. The case he mentions in his letter I have been attending. The little three-year-old boy who died was so ill-nourished that he had no chance to recover from any ilhW.s, and the two children taken to the hospital later by myself are still there. The last report I received of them was that they aro just the same, with no improvement, and all this is due to wrong feeding, owing to lack of funds. This is only one case," she added. A business man who is interested in financial matters pointed out to a Wanganui "Herald" representative that whilst there are many complaints of the scarcity of money at the present time, there are evidently many New Zealanders with cash to spare. He stated that it was estimated in well informed circles that at least 14,000 people from New Zealand will visit the Wembley Exhibition this year, and putting their average expenditure down at £400 apiece (a very low figure), the total drainage of New Zeolanders' resources under this head amounts to over £3,500,000. Mr. C. S. Stevens, of Whenuanui has lost a valuable pedigree bull, Noble Duoro, under peculiar circumstances. The animal was pastured on land topdressed a month previously. Four days ago it showed symptoms of intense pain, and though restorative measures were applied, the animal died. Examination snowed that the intestines were highly inflamed, clotted with blood, and lined with a white substance. It is well known that, cattle should not be grazed on newly manured land till heavy rain has fallen, butMt is difficult to see how the bull collected enough to have such a serious result. "I am an Indian gentleman of means a-nd good character," wrote _. Brower to tho Palmerston North Borough Council last evening in applying for a street barrow license. The application was referred to the finance committee.