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Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16228, 3 June 1918, Page 6

The Birthday Honours List for New Zealand, which we nrint in another column, contains a somewhat unusual feature in the knighthood which has been bestowed on Mr J. ~W. Salmond,* the Solicitor-General, such distinctions being usually reserved for those who have taken a prominent part in political life. Sir J. W. Salmond has not como very prominently before the public eye, but members of tho legal profession know him as a jurist of moro than European reputation, since his legal writings aro known wherever the English language is spoken. The distinction thus bestowed upon him is well-deserved, and it is to bo hoped that tho precedent thus set will be followed, so as to extend such recognitions to good work done in other branches of social activity not identified with politics. • That the Government are beginning to reoogniso the principle for which we are contending seems to be further indicated "by the C.M.G. conferred on Dr. Lindo Ferguson, of Ihinedin, one of the recognised loaders of the medical profession in Now Zealand. The same decoration is conferred on Colonel C. R. Mac Donald for his services as Chief Infantry Instructor at Trentham, a.nd Mr J. H. Richardson, tho Government Life Insurance Commissioner.

Very little has been heard of Sir Ernest Shackleton sinco ho reached Home after rescuing in the Aurora the men of his exploring party who had been stranded near Ross Island, in the Antarctic. Hia sudden appearance in New York in the middle of April explained, however, the silence regarding his whereabouts, at least for the previous six months. Ho had beerw charged with a special mission from tho Impe-

rial Government to South America, and had been in the Argentine and Chili since last November. The Now York newspaper men failed, if indeed they tried, to ascertain the object of Sir Ernest's mission, but presumably it was not unconnected with the war.

If Sir Ernest would say nothing about his mission, ho was not so reticent regarding the attitude of the countries he had visited. The -whole action of the Government of the Argontine ho found was pro-Ally, the great majority of the people were of the same way of thinking, though they trust their President, whoso pro-Ally sympathies have not yet compelled him to break with Germany altogether. Chili is absolutely neutral, said Sir Ernest, possibly because 0/ the large number of Germans in the country. But the Chilians appear to be finding out the Germans, for at the last general elections only ono pro-Gorman deputy out of the number who contested seats was elected. Only a very optimistic pro-German oould get any satisfaction out of such an indication of popular sentiment.