NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1087, 28 March 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The safe return of the Antarctic exploring vessel Terra Xovn from the Far South will be noted with satisfaction. While most people recognised that there might be many good and satisfactory reasons which would account for the delay beyond the duo date which has taken place in her return to port, no one could be ignorant of the danger attached to the navigation of the ice-strewn seas of the Antarctic. Few could fail to realise the risk the vessel find her crew ran of being caught in the ice-pack which forms in these far southern latitudes with the approach of winter. That the dangers to be faced arc very real is shown by the penis cncountored and overcome on the voyage south with Captain Scott and the members of the expedition. The brief story which we publish this morning from Captain Scott shows that the explorers have already experienced a large share of hardship and danger, and this at the very outset of their journeyings. Fortunately the initial misfortunes do not appear to have had any serious effect on the prospects of the party and the latest advice is of a hopeful nature.

1 The right of holding open-air meetings in city streets lias, within the last few days, been discussed in the Magistrates' Courts of this city and Christehurch. The case at Christchurch arises out of the action of the City Council in confining the speakers to one portion of Cathedral Square, and as the magistrate has not yet given his decision, comment must be withheld. In the AVellington eases it was shown that the Socialist party had a permit from the City Council to speak at certain street corners. The police charged certain speakers with having caused a crowd to congregate in Mercer Street one Saturday evening so as to impede traffic, but as the permit did not contain any reference to police control, Mr. lUddell, S.M., dismissed the information. It is understood that this omission is to be rectified in future, and we have little doubt the police will exercise with discretion and without favour the regulative power which it is 1 absolutely necessary they should have. In a city like Wellington, with its narrow and busy streets, it is often difficult to keep the way sufficiently clear for traffic and at the same time to leave the right of free public speech inviolate. The removal of the Queen's Statue from Post Office Square will not make the task any lighter. The streets, it must be remembered, are. for traffic, and the right of free speech docs not include the right to compel all the uters of a busy thoroughfare to become part of the audience. Every citizen has a natural right to address his fellow-citizens in the places where they congregate, but he has no right to hinder them in the pursuit of their own lawful avocations. As for the Socialists, who seem to be doing most of the openair speaking in this community, we, who do not agree with their opinions nor admire their most characteristic forms of oratory, should not on that account be less desirous of seeing them permitted to enjoy a right which may at any timo become of great value to other causes.

| The municipal rolls will close at 5 o'clock to-night, mnd citizens who have not yet registered their claims to the right to vote at the coming, elections of City Councillors have therefore only a few hours left within which to repair the omission. From an official estimate it would appear that there are about 4000 of these negligent or delaying ones, and no doubt the enrolment claims of a number of these will reach the Town Hall to-day. The total enrolment up to last night was 23,204, and it is probable that, when the ' office closes to-night the final total will not fall very far short of the 31,878 of the old roll before the purging. Included in the final total will be about 12,000 names on the supplementary rolls, all of which stand for new voters, or voters who arc resuming their rights after a period of neglect. A considerable proportion of these, fresh enrolments must be credited to the activity of the Labour party, the only body of citizens who have made an organised and sustained canvass for enrolment. They claim to have secured, by the special efforts which they made on the last two Saturdays, 1500 and 800 or 900 claims respectively. Of the 1202 claims handed in yesterday, 920 came from the Labour party. They will, of course, look for their reward on polling day. We could wish that interests of a more general character, and especially those which make for careful finance, and against unnecessary additions to our municipal business undertakings, had achieved as much. We- should like to again remind the citizens that in addition to the old freehold, residential, and rating qualifications, every man or woman who is over 21 years of age and has lived one year in the Dominion and three months in the city is now eligible to become a voter, and that no claims will be received after 5 p.m. to-day.

A correspondent makes protest against tho suggestion that Colonel Collins should go to England with the New Zealand Bislcy team as its manager. Colonel 'Collins, ho points out, is Auditor and Con-troller-General, and our correspondent evidently thinks that in the absence of the Minister for Finance from the Dominion it is more than ever necessary that the AuditorGeneral should be at his post of duty. Presumably this means that he fears that the Prime Minister's colleagues, owing to their unfamiliarity with the financial side of things, may require close attention. We do not agree with this view, but it certainly does seem a little curious that the Auditor-General should be able to give so much time to matters outside his Department. Colonel Collins, we know, has done a great deal for rifle-shooting, and on his previous trip to England with a Bislcy team is said to havo contributed a good deal to the success of the team in the position of manager. He is a very sbrcwcl adviser and has manv years' experience of riilcmcctings to guide him. We have not the least doubt that lie would make a very excellent manager for this year's team, but are there 110 others in the Dominion loss favourably situated than Colonel Collins who could be relied 011 to fill the position ! We arc not aware that the Auditor-General is specially ontitled to six months' leave from his official duties at the present time, and if he is not, then it certainly seems to us that someone holding a less responsible public office should be chosen for tne holiday jaunt,

After all the position of manager of a Bisley team is hardly of sufficient importance to warrant the highest officer in the Public Service abandoning his duties for six months in order to fill it.