NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 650, 29 October 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

General satisfaction will bo felt at tho decision of-the Government to subsidise tho money collected for the establishment of a .memorial to the late Sin James Hector. The canvass for subscriptions for this worthy, we might eveu say this necessary, object has met with much less success • than is creditablo to the friends of science and tho lovers of the country's big men. Only £420 has been raised so far, but Mit. Martin Chapman, who was one of tho deputation that waited on the Prime. Minister yesterday,' said that tho promoters of the'movemeht expect to. raises £500. The Government's subsidy, which Sir Joseph Ward promised with a pleasant readiness, will bring the total to £1000. The interest 6n this sum will onable-a substantial annual prize to be granted, and. this prize must naturally be of a kind that will encourage scientific research... Tho intention docs not appear to be to confine the Hector Prize, as it may'be called/ to University students., Thero are a dozen ways in which it can be bestowed, and the promoters, of the fund may bo trusted to seo that the money will bfe fruitfully expended.' In deciding to perpetuate' Sir James Hector'b memory otherwise than b.y a dead image of stone or brass, the originators of the-movement have followed the almost universal method of doing honour to the servitors of ,Science.. No scientist worthy' of_ the name—and Sir James . Hector's scientific Achievements were large ■ and substantial—can feel anything but" scorn and' impatience; for. the idea that- when his work is doiie a pillar or a bust should be provided to mark the fact that he once lived and laboured. The scientist realises nothing W acutely as'that ho is only hand-.' ing q& the"'tbrch, "helping the race towards a fuller/knowledge of the truth about the Universe. There is nothing that ho knows so' woll as that almost everything has yet to be discovered,' and if he has the true scientific passion he can wish for nothing better than that his labours shall be'remembered in a way that will widen tho frohliirs of knowledge. .

The falling off in the' Customs rtvenuo for tho September, quarter of the current year'by over £100,000. is no lieht> matter for the -Minister of: Finance!• The figures for, the: September quarter for the past four.years are as under:—

£ 1900 goo 112 ■■ 1907. ' ; 807,842 :// IiMH 818,742 " "Hi) 700,9H : This falling away cannot be attributed fct> Customs concessions or anything' of that kind, but is' plainly 'to 'a 'shrinkago Of trade, tho result of. the period of depression through which the, country has just passed. Importers have <bccn moving cannily—maiiyof therrij-twelve months ago, burned their fingers with over-im-portation. ' Tho good times with a consequent freo. circulation of ,-u.oiiey:encouraged them to order heavily, and whiri the slump; came 1 they'-hay largo part ot their'stocks left on; thoir- han^a.o s jlp tho majority of eases .a 'satisfacfory .recoycry has now been made, but thoro 'is no doubt that:the'-cxpcrioncO-'gone through 1 has led to the exorcise of more • than; ordin : ary caution, and the result is seen in the falling offi;in Customs'revenue. ,;-There is good reason,: howeyer,: to look'forward to a steady recovery. Money is easier. The prospects for the export trade arc decidedly good. Not .only has there been a- recovery in - prices, but- coupled with the prospect of favourable markets, is tho promise .of 'a substantial increase in the volume of our exports. - The wool clip is certain to. be large and' the. output of dairy produco is likely to exceed all previous records.. In . tho circumstances the prospects for the trader and the Minister of Finance alike ftrd hopeful.

'M'Labbk,.' MiP.j. intends to /ask' the.Minister for Labour : whether ho will take stops to prevent a; recurrence of "such,'an.''attack as that made-by Jin. Kettle,S.M., on; the workers' representative at Auckland '' in connection with a prosecution. against a- certain •' employer. Mr. Millar will have little difficulty 'in answering Mr.: M'Lahen; [ ho will jP'robably point out' that! the Minister for; La-l bour has nothing to do with the Magistracy. Thi: question^■vraisq'd-by , Mr; M'L.ARESi howevor, is of some importance. Whether'.Mr. Kettle's observation was a proper or.c to make from the bench, may bo a matter of opinion. The latitude that must be.,permitted to magisterial and judicial utterances ;is exceeded; when< a Magistrate or; a.Judge commits himself to an opinion upon a political topio.\ MR. Kettle was .not required to express' the opinion 'complained of, and it would be much better if Magistrates! generally held themselves, apart from, such debatable matters. But a Magistrate, might reasonably feel that it is desirable that,- in dealing with a case, he should lay. down 1 a general principle for the guidance of a given set .o! persons, or the publio gonerallj?. Ho might, for instance, feel that it. is in the public, interest, that he should warn a labour union that-has .brought an action before.him .that it is acting uri-, wisely in being 'influenced by mischief-, making agitators. But when he goes outside the immediate matter betorc the Court, he is getting, on to dangerous ground.' 'We are hot at all certain, however, that Mr. Kettle'hs.s done this- He could, no doubt, have choscn milder language in which to express his viewß, and ho may. have been .unduly severe on an individual where he could have been more, effective had. ho i voiced only a .general principle. But it is a dangerous thing to ask the Government to interfere with a Magistrate, in the performance of his duties. .'' '. '■ "