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Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14314, 27 March 1912, Page 8

The '"Investors' Review" of February 16th mentions a rumour that the Government of New Zealand had been selling a large amount of 31 per cent, stock in the market without public advertisement. We <lo not know whether this is true or not, but the action of Sir Joseph Ward in allowing the most favourable time for floating a loan to

slip by without taking advantage of it is bound to place us in an awkward position. The selling of stock on tho London money market in the manner indicated may have been necessary, owing to the coal strike and other causes making it hopeless to get the money from tho market openly by the public issue of a loan. There is no question that tho postponement of the operation was fraught with considerable risk, and if it was done by the Finance Minister for tho purpose of embarrassing his successor, it showed a disregard of the country's interests which was almost criminal.

Mr Edwin Arnold. J. P., visiting Justice of Wellington gaol, sends us a strongly worded appeal on behalf of prisoners' wives and children in NewZealand. He draws a contrast between tho sorrowful lot of the families of al>sconding husbands and prisoners, struggling with poverty, and looked down upon by tho world, while the prisoner himself is well-fed, well-clothed, with a doctor to attend to all his pains. Ho declares that he has seen a wife and mother, a woman of irreproachable character, ashamed to show her face in tho street, because of tho wrongdoing of her husband, while her poor children were upbraided because their father was in prison. Some women make a desperate effort to provide for themselves and their little ones. "Hut," ho asks, "what often happens directly it is known the husband is in gaol? The poor woman is not wanted. She is put off directly from her work, She is now morally a leper in the eyes of those who employed her." We hope this is an exaggeration, as also Sir Arnold's account of the suffering and destitution endured by these unfortunate women and children.

It is one of tho most regrettable facts connected with the punishment of criminals . that the punishment falls with great severity on innocent persons, namely, their wives and families. It is difficult to sco how this can bo avoided. Society, at'any rate, sees that these unfortunates do not starve, beoaur.e if they are unablo to earn a livelihood, they are provided by the Charitable Aid Board with tho means of subsistence. Mr Arnold urges that prisoners should be i>ut to work and made to earn something to bo sent, out every month to help their wives and children. Wo quito agree; but tho difficulty is to dense some plan which would enable them to earn their own keep and something over. Unless they actually earned this surplus, any amount paid over to tho wives and families would bo just as much of a State dolo as if it wero paid by tho Charitable Aid. Board. Still there is a growing opinion that, if only for their own moral bonefit, prisoners should be mado to do somo useful and reproductive work while under detention, and tvo hope to sco this reform seriously taken up and extended.

It will be seen from a Washington cable message that Mr James Bryce, now British Ambassador at Washington, intends to visit us shortly. Tho distinguished author and diplomatist is writing a book on Democracy, and ho wants to study the developments of the movement in Now Zealand. Sinco Mr Froudo was here, wo Jiavo probably not been inspected by anyone so distinguished as Mr Bryce, and wo may bo quito sure that ho will be much moro accurate in what ho writes than Froudo was about Australasia in his "Oceana." Mr Bryce is a very remarkable man. He has tho distinction of being tho author of two books acclaimed by the world as the best on tho subjects in question—"Tho Holy Roman Empire" and "Tho American Commonwealth." Tho latter is tho most accurate and most impartial examination of tho American democracy, and the sympathy Mr Bryco has shown there for American ideals made his task comparatively easy when he went to Washington to represent Groat Britain. He has written a, good deal besides these books, and all his life ho has been interested in a great number of things, living tho strenuous life both mentally and physically. At seventy-four ho is still vigorous in mind'and body.

Such a man, who knows history thoroughly, has mado a special study of tho greatest democracy tho world has produced, and has been a member of two Liberal Cabinets, (should bo unusually well qualified to -write a standard book on the government and social conditions . existing in these Dominions. Ho will conio to us at a timo when many thoughtful people, whoso humanity is unquestionable, aro profoundly dissatisfied with Democracy as it lias been recently expounded and developed- It will bo extremely interesting to sco what this shrewd and woll-cquipped observer has to say about its promise. In New Zealand and Australia he will find plenty of material to work on-

Tho idea of tho French playing football has ceased to bo amusing, but, so slowly do insular minds loso their prejudices, thero is still a touch of novelty about it. However, Franco, on tho football field, has "arrived." Last year Franco beat Scotland In Paris by a point, and while tho defeat was avenged by Scotland this year, tho Frenchmen havo again shown ?x----cellent form in their internationals. They made a good fight against Inland, and a cable message this moming states thai Wales, which last season was the premier country, beat them by only six points. So narrow a margin shows how much better French footbnll must bo than it was when the "All Blacks" visited Paris. An English paper, reviewing the match with Ireland, writes of the Frenchmen's speed and brilliant attack, and great improvement in defence. The French teams, it says, aro now quite in tho, first class, experimental fifteens cannot bo opposed to them, and those who play against them should receive International caps. If a Xew Zealand team ever goes to Paris again, tho match there will be very much less of a picnic than the first ono was.