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Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14099, 19 July 1911, Page 8

Just now, when there is much talk of religious scruples forbidding people to register under the Defence Act, and members of the Society of 'Friends speak of leaving the oountry rather than submit to tho Act, the experience of a little, isolated Russian community in Asia Minor is of interest. Three hundred and fifty years ago a number of Russian Cossacks loft their country and settled in Anatolia, Asia Minor, rather than havo their names written down for census purposes. Such an act, they held, jeopardised their chances of salvation, and enabled the anti-Christ to set his seal upon them. In Asia Minor they and their descendants kept intact the Russian customs and speech of 350 years ago, A few months ago the peril came upon them again. The Turkish Government, having decided to call upon its Christian subjects for military service, demanded the enrolment of all men of military age. This timo there was dissension in tho camp. The young men argued that since they could not avoid enrolment, it were best to serve in Russia among their own kindred, and finally thoso who wished to leave were allowed to do so. The remnant live on, "a tiny ethnological island among the races of Anatolia," but they, too, will no doubt have to enrol. The story shows that it may be very difficult to find a haven where one can livo his life exactly as ho wishes to do. Our friends who talk about emigrating may havo the misfortune te go where they will bo worse off than they aro here.

"fto havo no objection to the Mayor abusing us if he thinks it necessary or desirable to do so in furthorance of his attempt to foist a loan of £100,000 on tho city, but he should not misrepresent what is said in this journal. In urging that further expert advice is required in regard te the scheme we have never suggested that it would bo nocessary to send out of the oountry for it. Wo have not forgotten, however, that this is the same Mr Taylor who exerted himself to the utmpst to got the City Council to pay a Swiss engineer two thousand guineas to come to New Zealand to report on the Waimakariri water power scheme designed by Mr Dobson. Apparently at that time he did not consider the City Engineer "second te none'.'jl hpr was he at aU concerned on the subject of "a prophet having no honour in his own oountry." We are gradually coming to tho conclusion, however, that further expert advice will not be required' in regard to the proposal. It will be rejected by the common sense of the people,

The Mayor was good enough last night to express some concern as to what might happen to us when we got to heaven. That is a subject on which at present we hardly feel prepared tp accept him as an authority.

It appears that the reason why the Mayor refuses tp give the names of tho streets on which the loan is proposed to be spent, is that if this is don§ the people will look at it from " a parochial point of view." Under our so-called democracy the- control of the public expenditure in Parliament is practically taken out of the hands of the people, having been usurped by the Ministry of the day. We should be sorry to see tho same autocratic principle embodied in our municipal government. Surely it is an elementary and fundamental right of the ratepayers that before they are asked to -vote any loan they shall know how it is to be applied.

The question was asked at the Linwood meeting last night whether it would be necessary to rpise the tram lines in carrying out the proposed scheme of road improvement, and if so what would be the cost, The Mayor said the question would be replied to by thp City Engineer, but unfortunately the promised explanation was not given. We trust we shall Hut be coi*_,ti -_-d unfit for prolonged residence in heaven, or even too parochial, if .we urge thai

this is a subject on which full and explicit information ought to be given bofore the poll is takes.

We may yet learn the full extent of the Coronation honours list. Up to the present, in addition to what proves to be the very condensed version cabled i direct from London, we have had a fairly long list reprinted in the Australian papers from the "Times of Ceylon," and now oomes a still longer one from tho same source, and we do not know yet whether this, is the last chapter of the serial. Tho latest instalment is decidedly interesting, the special feature being the fact that the Order of Merit was conferred on Sir Edward Elgar, foremost of living British composers. Music thus becomes represented in what is at once the most eclectic nnd the most exclusive Order in the world—eclectic because admission into its very limited ranks depends entirely upon what a man is and not upon who his parents wero or how much he is worth; exclusive because the one great qualification for the distinction is the possession of outstanding genius. In this rc-.pect Sir Fdward Elgar's rank in the world of music is unchallenged; he is recognised by all whoso opinion counts as ono of tho great composers of his age. His genius sheds lustre upon his country, and his new honour adds distinction to the distinguished mon with whom he shares it.

Mr Percy Hunter, director of the Immigration and Tourist Bureau of Now South Wales, Lis won tho admiration of the Americans, who, in recognition of tho zeal and energy with whioh he has been playing th© part of. apostle of Australia, havo dubbed him 'tho livost wire that Australia has yet sent to the United States." We could do with a'few "livo wires" of his kind in Now Zealand. Among other things, ho has secured for the benefit of Australia valuable data from experts on modern methods of irrigating grain and fruit crops; he has impressod upon home-seekers the opportunities that await American farmers in Australia; ho has made arrangements for a representative of New South Wales to bo stationed on the Pacific slope, to foster trade between tho two countries; he has interested many prospective tourists in the attractions of the Commonwealth. But, best of all, ho has induced the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, composed of twelve hundred representative business and professional men, to pledge themselves to organise an excursion of one hundred delegates from various parts of the United States to Australia in the latter part of next year.

Travelling by the Vancouver steamer to Sydney, these American visiters will go up to Queensland, tour that State, traverse Now South Wales and Victoria, visit Adelaide, go across to Tasmania, and then come to New Zealand, touring first the South and then tho North Island, and rejoining the Vancouver steamer at Auckland. The whole trip round Australia and New Zealand will last about six weeks, and the survivors should feel, when they get home, that they- have "had the timo of their lives." The idea is that a similar party of Australians and New Zealanders shall visit th© United States in return, to study tho progress of that oountry, and to (Strengthen the friendship between ite people and those of Australasia. It will be doing the Spokane Chamber of Commerce no injustice to suggest that it haa not overlooked the possibility that these mutual visits may advance American, trade in these ports.