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Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14406, 13 July 1912, Page 10

It is interesting to note, in the Sydney "Telegraph's" very full review of the tvool trade of New South Wales for last season, that Japan is a better customer than the United States. Dvr 7 ing tho last five years the number of bales of wool exported from Sydney to Jarem has been 76,661,. and to the United States 74,574. During the last three years tho numbers have been, roundly, 60,000 and 38,000 bales respectively. Of course, some New South Wales wool may have found ita way to America from tho London sales, but ' four-fifths, of the wool grown in the State • finds purchasers at tho local sales. Japan's trade is evidently worth cultivating. Mr Foxhall, tho English secretary of the Japanese Consulate-General in Australia, who has just returned to Sydney from a visit to Japan, suggests that the attitude adopted by some Europeans makes trade with Japan more difficult. But it is really rather difficult to. believe that ''among the Europeans who have lived in Japan for ■ a number of yours there is a pathetic I lament for tho days gone by when a European could ill-treat with impunity a Japanese who had offended him." Mr Foxhall tells of ono man who complained that times were not what they were twenty years ago. "Then," said ho. "if a Japanese gave you cheek you could knock him down. Now, if you hit one of them, he will either hit you back, or give you in charge." The number of persons who resent Japan's development in this singular fashion must, however, be wholly insignificant, and their influence, such as ivmay be, can hardly affect commercial relations between Australia and Japan.

Some singular revelations made by tho Melbourne* "Ago" somo two or three months ago should have the effect of increasing materially the Australian business of some English ironfonnders. Tho "Ago," giving chapter and verso for its assertions, charged the Victorian Minister for Railways and the Railway Commissioners with granting large preference contracts to tho German firm of Krupp's, at tho expense of British manufacturing firms, and with doing this in defiance of the policy of the State, the Government having a few months ago passed a special resolution to tho effect that in all Government contracts substantial preference must be granted -to British manufacturers. This preference, wo are told, had been regarded for a. long time as part of the public policy of tho State. Two years ago" tho Commissioners, with tho approval of the Minister, accepted tenders from Krupp's and two British firms for the supply of tyres, and up to date have given one-third of tho orders to each of tho threo firms, the payments amounting to some £30,000 each. Considering that the German tender was only 5d per tyre—less than J per cent. —below tho British tenders, the "Age" wanted to know why the Commissioners over-rode tho policy of British preference in favour of tho German firm

Further, the Commission were charged with letting a contract to Krupp's agent in Melbourne for the supply of wheels and axles to the amount cf £25,000 odd. In this case no tenders were invited. The departmental officers stated that they invited by letter quotations from firms, that Krupp's quotation was the lowest, and that they were tho only firm who could fill the order in the prescribed time. The British prices could not, however be ascertained by the "Age." Vho Cabinet eet up a sub-committee , to en-

quiro into tho charges, and their report, which is not yet published, is claimed by the "Age" to endcrso every allegation that it made. The committeo's findings, our contemporary asserts, include statements to the effect that tho Commissioners declined to give orders to world-famous British firms whose material is used throughout the British Empire, and that, spread over a period of three years, tho aggregate orders placed with Krupp for railway material "actually exceed those placed with British firms." The Premier admitted that a system had grown ud by which orders that might have been placed with British manufacturing firms had been placed with foreign tenderers. Tho Commissioners have therefore been directed that, all things being equal, orders aro to bo given to British manufacturers as against foreign tenderers. And when they recommend that a foreign tender be accepted they must, in future, givo the Minister their reasons for doing so. On the wholo the "Age" seems to havo done a rood stroko of business for tho British manufacturer.

Mr J. 11. HowoH's protest in this issue against the proposal to sell the sea frontage of tho New Brighton Domain reserve for building purposes, will receive the sympathetic support of many residents of the borough, and a still larger number of tho regular visitors thereto. Tho single advantage of tho scheme is that it would furnish tho Borough Council with somo funds for tho improvement of tho Domain. There is, by the way, the further possible advantage that the occupants ot tho houses on the reservo sections might add a trifle to the receipts of tho beach tram-line, which is certainly in need of more traffic. Againet theso benefits there is tho prospect of exchanging an open spaco fronting the beach and sea, destined some day to be one of the holiday places of Christchurch, for a double row of small cottages, which, except for an intersecting road, would shut off access to the shelter of tho sandhills and tho Domain from the beach. We admit tho desirableness of improving the Domain, and could wish that the authorities took more care of it, as it is. But any improvement effected at the cost of disposing of part of a public recreation reservo would be very dearly bought, and whatever tho New Brighton people may decide, wo do not believe that Parliament would listen for ono moment to tho proposal.

The discussion at tho annual meeting of tho Liedertafel last night as to the necessity for a Town Hall may do something to stimulate public opinion on the mattor. Tho President pointed out that tho £300 which "the musical societies of Christcburch probably spend annually in rent would go a long way towards paying for. a hall suitable for concerts. But wo prefer to regard that sum as only part of what would be paid by all tho organisations which would make use of a Town Hall if Christchurch possessed such a building, and wo hope that Mr Millar's suggestion that tho other societies should bo approached in the matter will be acted upon. Ono thing is certain —Christ-chui-ch will never get a Town Hall until some individual or some organisation takes in hand the task of convincing tho public not only that tho undertaking is desirable, but that it is feasible. . Now that the idea of borrowing large sums for the renovation of the roads has been dropped, tho way is open for a determined effort to provide Christchurch with a Town Hall which would bo a credit ko the citizens.

Socialist conferences in tho Old World are sometimes marked by most unsocial behaviour. Tho . recent conference of tho Socialists of England afc Manchester was tho occasion of scenes that convince us more than ever that Hfo under a Socialist regime would be intolerable. Instead of setting an examplo of brotherly love, delegates howled and banged on their desks when "comrades" (ironical term!) wished to speak, and fulminated furiously against tho decisions of tho committee that dared to enforce rules for tho control of the conference. The gathering was simply an orgy of ranting abuse, in which Socialist turned and rent Socialist when ho was tired of throwing tilings at everything outside tho brotherhood. Mr H. M. Hyndman, masterful as hois, Lnd tho greatest difficulty in asserting his authority as chairman. On ono "comrade" referring to another's speech as ''crafty and insulting," tho conference broke into an uproar. Mr Hyndman rang his bell furiously, but tho delegates stood waving their arms and screaming at tho top of their voices, and the" chairman had to ehout to make himself heard. "I have presided at a great many conferences," he called out through tho uproar, "I havo been present at a great many bear-gardens, but I am bound to say that I have never assisted at a conference that was less amenable to discipline than this." The joke of it was that the day before Mr Hyndman had referred in and contempt to a "capitalistic" paper for describing the proceedings ac a beargarden! But Mr Hyndman said harder than this to his "comrades. ,, "Four or five men," he told them on the second day, ''behaved yesterday like infuriated Anarchists drunk with malignity and conceit." After +hat no "capitalistic" paper need bother to think of comment on such .scenes. It has only to quote "Comrade , ' Hyndman.

Some little time ago one of the anonymous publicists who periodically write, from tho unplumbod depths of their ignorance of European affairs, predicted tho collapse of France, owing to tho alleged dissipation of tho peasants' savings. A curious commentary .on this extraordinary misapprehension of the facts is furnished by tho details of the subscriptions received for tho latest loan issued by tho City of Paris. Tho loan was for the sum of . £8,200,000, divided into nearly 720,000 shares, and tho amount was subscribed eighty-two times over! Close upon sixty million shares were applied for in one day, and as a deposit of 8s was required for each share, the banks received nearly twentyfour millions sterling in tho day. The bonds bear interest at 3 per cent., and were issued at only a slight discount, but there is a speculative element about them, duo to tho fact that at periodical drawings tho winning numbers participate in bonuses of varying amounts. This, no doubt, accounted to Eomo extent for tho rush for shares. But apart from this, the fact that applications for cither.one, two, or three shares moro than covered the issue is striking testimony to tho great reserve of capital that lies in the hands of Jacques Bonhomme. ' .