NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 671, 23 November 1909, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

;'-. We had' an article the other day upon tho awakening of French' statesmen to thd'evil of the. roads and bridges member, apropos: of some: important ■ speeches by 'h Messieurs Poinoare, ■■: Buiand,'. and CtEMBNCKAD'. Last/night's mail.brings.us the text of' M. Briakd's speech ,at Perigueux on October - 10;; The ;blight upon the Eepublicari- form 1 of government, he. saidi' was "mainly due to the: fact that Deputies had been unablo to defend themselves'against narrowing parochial' influences :and the claims' of their- constituencies": - ..■ - :. ': /:■:'••

; : .The great remedy for this was the education of the electorate.. The elector'must learn to fornv a high estimate of bis privilege and to exercise -it .with a. deep sense. of, 'responsibility. Electors' must also realise, that 'once they had chosen their Doputyho. rightly passed, out of their immediate control and'was "no longer merely their Deputy: but aiDeputy of France." ,Oh thf!, other and all others in. positions of public trust must cease' to he so amenable- to petty, local influences and . inThey must 'learn■ to be able to say "No";..iri .the very' interest of those" who'attempted to obtain favours from : them. at the expensd • of; the State.- ', ■• '..

The French Premier, we should add for. :the .benefit of those. Radicals';.who •■ are asked "by the friends of the present system of pubiic'works 'expenditure, to believe that a change would be, '"undemo-; cratic," is a famous '• Radical .;:. himself. But "he is too good a nationalist not to see that; the "roads and bridges" member, and conditions that; encourage the production of that species, are a menace to the State. Human nature, however, is weak; and if the, temptations to intrigue, and: parochial'log-rolling are preserved,' neither .the electors nor tne Deputies will rise above their:human weaknesses. The. only cure for "roads arid bridges",.politics,' arid the consequent waste of' public money and degradation of politics, is:the removal; of .the conditions that subject national interests ■to local ;.influences. Only by establishing independent Boards to control the public services and the expenditure of public moneys can members be;freed .from the pressuro: 1 of ; , "petty arid intrigues."".:'. Only thus can Parliamcrit be transformed from a gathering of local delegates into a, national assembly.' , ; ".'■"'''■'

.-•'■ Ah .iriterestirig little; quarrel between the Westminster .Gazette and Mk. Oeoege Edwaedes, the well-known - theatrical manager, has been: attracting much attention in England. The Gazette's critic, in the,'; course'of a highly eulogistic :notice' of Tlie 1 Dollar Princess, ono':. of Mrt. Edtvabdes's productions, observed' that the "book" of- the piece was "most(tiresome." ■ Mr. Edwardes wrote a sharp letter to. the editor, in the course of'which ho said that it appeared to him "to be an ariomaly. to. advertise in one column and to be attacked in another,", arid ip his hatred of this ''anomaly" he withdrew.-; his '-advertisements.-'.from' the Gazette. i.The Gazette mado the obvious reply, and in a dignified summing up of tho episodo, left the public to pass judgment on this "unwarrantable attempt to curb the free expression of honest opinion in the ; press.", . Tho ..Manchester Guardian, in .supporting . the ; Gazette,mado this.excellent' point: v"A: hiari cannot -'hclpj. being -sensitive; the; degree of sdnsitivoncss,. in . thcatro: : 'managers : is; often, indeed, a measure of their past praiso and of tho habitual adniiratibn that they receive." The Yorkshire: Post, tod, had.'an illuminating word on a topic .by;:nd;.means,newi If-a critic, it -sugentitled -to perform his .duties honestly,: there, is. no use in having competeriti critics "atvall. ■■'. Mr. Austin -HiaEi6oN.iinia^ettfir. tc:iho:.Qazette^\it

the whole 'thingin a'nutshell:' "If. managers, are .to arrogate to themselves the right of_ intimidation, the sooner the commercial managers substitute paid-.no> tices' for independent criticism the better." It does: not require ah extraordinarily sharp connoisseur; of > analogies to see the resemblance between,. Mr. Edwardes's methods and tho methods of the Ward _ Administration. The only criticism in; itho one case, : too,. is l the: only criticism in the other. : For if a newspaper is not entitled to express its real political there is no use in having honest newspapers. We dare say, too. that, Sin Joseph ' AVard's resentment ot free criticism is'sharpened by his long experience of praise and admiration. And as for the substitution of "paid notices" for' independent. criticism, we have,these r paid notices in,New-Zealand already.^Theatrical.managers and Liberal' "politicians are wonderfully alike in their behaviour towards some kinds of "anomalies.", '.;'■'. ■ . / ' ■'

' The latest news from Greymouth would' seem to indicate that ..the', miners', employed in the State coal-mine are going to strike for improved conditions of la-, hour. 'It is significant .that while in Australia; Labour, leaders are' clamouring for nationalisation. of •. coal-mines as a preventive of strikesj discontented workers in. the. State-mine'in; New Zealand' are reported,to be on the verge of striking. The public know little, ■ if anything,; of the merits of the men's claims, but the strike, if it eventuates, will be: a very Eerious matter'.for, the Dominion: at; the present juncture; We would suggest to' the Minister in charge ■ of. the .that the .time.', is opportune; to take, the public into his confidence by submitting a full statement of the position reached. The negotiations' appear to;_ have arrived at a deadlock, and the points remaining in disputo might well be .disclosed. Until, this is' done there is .not; much use in attempting to discuss the merits of the situation.' .. ; ,:: •■.;.'. .^iX'.,: ;.''.-•