TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9282, 6 December 1895, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Hawaiian Impressions of New Zealand.

The two Hawaiian politicians, the Hon. W. O. Smith, Attorney-General, and Mr G. N. Wilcox, a member of the Senate, who have recently paid

New Zealand a visit, left for their island home by the List mail steamer, and before quitting Auckland were interviewed by a Press representative aa to the reault of their tour and their impressions of the colony. Mr Smith explained that, ai was mentioned when they arrived here, the objeot of their visit was to learn the details of the working o! the New Zoaland amended Land Act of 1895, certain features of which, adapted to suit the circumstances of the country, had been adopted by the Hawaiian Government. In their travels through this colony they had been very interested in all matters of Government, which naturally presented some features in advance of what they had been accustomed to. The Government, remarked Mr Smith, seemed to be of a> decidedly paternal character, and there certainly seemed to be possible dangers. His feeling was that there was danger in going to extremes in labour legislation, but we had a safeguard in the reserve force of intelligence among the people. There was also great danger, he thought, in oar far reaching State undertakings. "The enormous amount of patronage placed in the bands of those in power might prove a source of evil if you ceased to have men of the highest character at the head of affairs." Mr Smith was only some three or four weeks in New Zealand. If he had been here longer one might almost suspect him of being sarcastic. Some of our problems of Government, he naively remarked, struck him and hu companion as rather perplexing, but be again expressed his belief that the high standard of intelligence among the people afforded strong grounde for confidence and hope. A good many residents of the colony find the legislative problems set them by the Government much more than "rather " perplexing. We hope, for our own part, that that reserve of intelligence, on which Mr Smith evidently thinks the future prosperity of New Zealand depends, will have made itself very prominent before this time next year. Mr Smith

ventured to suggest that we should be quite as well off with biennial sessions of Parliament as with aunualsessions—a very excellent suggestion, showing that our visitor recognised that we are getting a great deal more legislation than is good for us. There are two things, ab all events, in which Hawaii is decidedly ahead of New Zealand, and they are the telephone system and electric lighting. "In Honolulu," he said, "we have over 1200 telephones connected with the central svetem, aud they are worked more satisfactorily and with far less delay than those of your colony. We do nob use the old fashioned telephone euoh as that you have in use here, excepting perhaps in the country districts." What will our only PostmasterGeneral say to this frank criticism ? Wβ are less concerned with Mr Smith's assertion with regard to electric lighting he had seen no city iv New Zealand so well lighted aa Honolulu, for with the exception of Wellington none of the cities in this colony pretend to be lighted by this means, and comparison therefore becomes impossible. In conclusion Mr Smith said that he and his friend were charmed with the beauty of New Zealand, and had received a great many kiudnesses on all hands. They had learned much that was instructive, and had seen some things ib would appear well to avoid. We should think so.

An Alpine Fatality.

The past summer in Switzerland produced the usual crop of Alpine accidents, oue of which resulted in the death of

an English lady under dreadful circumstances. The lady in question, Miss Sampson, with a female friend, Miss Grows, and two guides, had done a great deal of work among the Alps ducing the season. The party had climbed together several noted peaks, including the Matterhorn, Little Matterhorn, and Monte Rosa, all difficult ascents. In the opinion of the guides both ladies, who had spent several summers in the Alps, were accomplished climbers. On the date of the accident the party were making an ascent, and at the time it occurred were engaged in renewing some ice steps to cross a crevice and glacier chasm, when, all at once, a terrible roar over head made them look up, and they saw their horror a mass of stones from the rocks above flying straight at them. The place they were in was one where a hurried or false step might have been fatal, and besides they had no time to escape, for in a second or'two the avalanche of rook was upon them. Miss Grows was struck on the shoulder and knocked out of the steps. " I thought she was dead," said Biner, one of the guides, when describing the affair subsequently. " I struck my axe into the ice with all my strength and so prevented the whole party being hurled down the precipice. The rope cut through my fingers to the bone. My companion Carrel had crossed a crevice, and was able to shield himsolf. He drew Miss Grows ■ to the upper edge of the crevice, and thus both were out of danger. All this took place in the twinkling of an eye. Stones dashed continually upon us from the heights, and Miss Sampson and I were exposed to Iheir full fury. After receiving the first blows poor Miss Sampson hung insensible on my rope. I was some* what proteoted by the bag on my back filled with clothes. A wooden bottle With iron hoops whioh I also carried there was smashed to bits, and I received many blows, Blight and severe. ,The awful ehowar. lasted about five minutes, when it ceased, and we hastened to leave the spot. Mias Sampson had not the strength to rise. The poor lady moaned incessantly." Showers of stones again began to come down, and for an hour the party hard to make their way over a fissured glacier exposed to a continual bombardment, the guides having to take it in turns to carry Miss Sampson. When they at last reached a place of safety and placed her on the ground she tried to raise herself and then dropped back dead. Assistance was procured from a hub where some English tourists were resting, and the body of the unfortunate' lady was carried down to a Tillage. The other lady is described as be*ng almost more dead than alive with grief over the tragedy which had robbed her of her friend, and had added another to the list of victims which the Alps annually exaot from those who'tread their solitudes.

A Diplomatist on Diplomacy.

At the banquet given by the British colony in Berlin to Sir Edward Malet, the British Ambassador, on hia re-

tirement from the Service, the gueafc of the evening made a most inceraating speech, in which ho touched on the qualities which go to make a good diplomatist. It bad been urged, he said, that t it would be better to till his place with some outsider of distinction than with anyone belonging to the permanent diplomatic service, and he then proceeded to chow why this should not be done. The peculiar thing aboub the service was that the greatest ability was heard least about. It was the duty of diplomatists to move noiselessly in their business, and as this was the eureat proof of merit, so one might ba certain the moment a fuss was made about a diplomatist that something waa wrong, and that ho had failed in hie calling, the object and essence of which was to keep things smooth. For this reason, therefore, it was questionable whether very brilliant men, who would not be satisfied with achieving diplomatic victories in silence, were fitted for diplomacy. "I remember years ago," said Sir Edward, " a distinguished outsider being sent to represent us at af distant post. He was resolved upon success, but he waa also reaolved that his successes should be known. So he telegraphed them to one of the most influential of the daily papers, and we all dwelt, not perhaps without envy,. on the picture which was presented to us of the potentate to whom he was accredited writhing in the irpn graepof our representative. But when these* reports came to be translated into the foreign Press the vigilance and'the jealousies of foreign nations were aroused. Reprisals were threatened in other quarters of the globe, and in cbe end our Minister waa requested to come home. The Diplomatic Service hoard othimno more. In another case ,a brilliant lawyer was appointed. Hβ went to his post determined to uphold the flag.-as it had never been upheld before, and succeeded. Within a shore space he bad so quarrelled with the majority of his colleagues that when he gave an official dinner on the occasion of the Queen's birthday, they neither came nor sent an excuse. He afterwards contributed in a slashing style to a rupture of relations, and this really showed much talent* for the nation was both a peaceful and a friendly one, He came away in a whirl of fireworks which left him in the dtrk.and the Diplomatic Service saw him no more." Sir Edward Malet then made a rather neat simile. He compared the world to a huge body, clad in a garment of states. The diplomatists, studded all over the earth, were the unobtrusive buttons which held the garments together. As long as they performed this fauction satisfactorily,: they passed unnoticed because the garments continued to fit properly. It waa only when they broke loose or came off that they became an object of attention and discussion. "For instance, I am going to come off, and on that account alone I have recently been more written aboub in the

papers—l say it with pride—than duefog all the eleveu years that I have been Am bassador." It is to be hoped that the nar* ticular button who has been seleotedto succeed Sir Edward Malob will do his woft as well as that gentleman. Unless all casts are wrong, and all appearanoei deceptive, the ou the Conti vent will be very busy within a year or tva in keeping things smooth.