NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1075, 14 March 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

There is a growing outcry in America against what we know hero as "the roads and bridges" member, but what is known there as the "pork barrel" Congressman. The current number of the World's Work, under the title "Wasting the Government's Money," gives a. host of details showing how enormous sums are wasted in public' buildings, ; etc., through the rapacious demands of Congressmen for district votes. If a Congressman, it states, docs' not bring home some "pork" in the shape of appropriations for public buildings, pensions, rivers and harbours, Army posts, Navy yards, or some similar piece of "honest graft," he has not "played the game" as it is played in Washington. To quote: To spend thro-j-qunrters of his time begging favours for constituents was not whet the Constitution intended that a Congressman's duties should be, yet that is the unhappy lot of nipny of them. Their constituents demand the "pork" and an adept bpggm- can get a good deal of public money for his district.. Much of it is probably pure waste ro far as the Government in concerned. .The Congressman may know that it is not V wise eiponditnro, but h- miist got what he can or be left behind in the race. There is little us? in our talk of economy, retrenchment, efficiency and of overhauline; the LusiiiK-s systems of the Departments while Cnnprt'ss appropriates 52 million dollars fir river and harbour improvements and 22 millions for public buildings by a system in which the political benefit derived by tiie distribution of this money has at least as much influence as tho necessities of the Government. How like this is to the conditions which exist in New Zealand to-day. The remedy' pointed out by the World's Work is "to change the rules of the. game so that the more, self-respecting members will not bs compelled to beg for 'pork' to distribute—and so that others will bo prevented from doing so." No one denies the need for public buildings and public,, Works, but the appropriations should bo made to meet the needs of the State and not with the idea of distributing legislative favours. It is interesting to note that tho proposal made for bringing about the desired change in America is exactly the same as that mado hero. Congress, it is urged, should annually appropriate a certain sum and an independent board of public officials should then apportion this sum with a view to the needs of the State rather than to the exigencies of politics.

The influx of Japa-nese labour to New Caledonia, while apparently highly satisfactory to New .Calc ; donia, is causing some' uneasiness in Australia. It_ is 'Urged that the Commonwealth will shortly have to seriously take in hand the whole question of labour in the Pacific. There is said to be plenty of capital available in Australia for investment in Pacific Island, ventures likely to stimulate the trade and commerce of the Commonwealth, but the labour problem presents a barrier not easily overcome. The natives of the Islands are not as a rule given to hard work .and the resources of the Islands in consequence are not developed—in fact, they arc hardly touched. Moreover, should any development take place, there is not sufficient native labour ■ available, and foreign labour would have to bo imported. From where? : The success of the Japanese in-New Caledonia naturally has raised the question of Japanese labour, and unless 'the Commonwealth can see its way to do something it is feared that the Japanese may spread to other parts than New Caledonia. As a matter of fact Australia can do little or nothing in the matter of supplying labour for the Pacific Islands. It has not sufficient labour to occupy and develop its own waste lands. The success of the Japanese so near at hand may, however, have a good result in forcing the Commonwealth Government to display greater activity in the work of filling up the waste spaces in its vast territory with immigrants from overseas. This means of swelling the population may not be a popular, policy"-with the Labour caucus, but even that-all-powerful body cannot altogether ignore the possible peril arising out of Australia's- vast ; unoccupied spaces.

The Prime Minister sprang; a surprise upon the Dominion in his speech on Imperial matters at Sydney. How much or how little consideration he has given to his Imperial defence, proposals we cannot say, but whatever may be said for the sentiment underlying the idea ho put forward we suspect that ■ its shadowy outline' is all that exists in Sir Joseph Ward's mind. Putting aside tho platitudes with which the speech was so freely, sprinkled, the plain fact of the proposal is that Sir Joseph-Ward suggests that in proportion to population each portion of the Empire should bear an equal share of the cost of Imperial defence; and in return, therefore, should have a proportionate representation on an Imperial Council of Defence. We wonder whether the Prime Minister has any real idea of what this would mean in the matter of cost to New Zealand. Does he realise that at the present time the people of Great Britain pay per head more than three times what the people of New Zealand pay for national defence? Is he prepared to commit the people of New Zealand to additional taxation amounting to at least a million per annum for"the sake of representation on an Imperial Council of _ Defence , ! No doubt this country will have to take an increasingly larger share of responsibility in the. matter of Imjjerial defence l but it will have toj

bo on carefully considered lines, not in the hasty and extreme fashion suggested by the Prime Minister. Sir Joseph Ward is on much safer ground in 'Urging that there slwuld b? greater unity of action amongst Dominions of the Empire in planning their systems of defence, so that they might work on some broad general plan as far as possible; especially as to naval defence. This is not a new idea by any moans, but it is one that should be encouraged, and Sin Joseph Wαm> would do well to concentrate his attention on this aspect of Imperial defence.