NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1196, 3 August 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

"We'now know what Mr,. Massey's feelings must have been when Mn. C. Loughnan rose up out of the illimitable inane and hurled a ludicrous "challenge" at him. For we discover from the Timaru Herald that Mr. Oraigie, M.P.—whom wo arc glad to hear is still up and about—has been hurling challenges at The Dominion. "lie challenged The Dominion," so he said in a speech at Timaru on Monday, "or any other paper or member of the Onpcsition, to disprove that he had put more on the public Statute Book than any other member in the House." It may be cowardly of us, but we have no hesitation in running away from this challenge. To meet it. we should have to follow Mr. Ceaigie through Hansard, and it would be sheer cruelty to ask anybody to do that. AY'e have pleasure in passing the challenge on to some of the other new members—the Rev. E. H. Taylor, for example—with a warning that Mr. Craigie is_ a terror. Far more interesting is this passage from the report of his speech: . In The Dominion and other Opposition papers, it was said that Mr. Craigie was after the "Loaves and the Fishes." "So long," said Mr. Craigie, "as the present system continues and until we have local government, I will look after my •own electorate, f would like to see the district from the Rangital'a to the Waitaki have a local Parliament to spend money raised in the district on ourselves for this district."

Mr. Cjiaigie is'quite right in looking after his district. The trouble is thatv these "parish pump"' delegates who nestle snugly in the Ministerial fold look after nothing else. They can see nothing but their district. It is to be hoped that the Ruapchu will arrive in time to allow Sir Joseph Ward to he present at the discussion of Mr. Newman's Hereditary Titles Prevention Bill on this, day three weeks. If he cannot he there, it cannot be helped, as that is the last day upon which the Bill can be discussed. We suspect that the Government will endeavour to avoid a division on the measure, for the Ministerialists know that the public will resent it if they do not support the Bill and that the baronet will resent it if they do—a nasty dilemma. Mr. Poole had something to say of the baronetcy yesterday; ho has not yet recovered from his shock. In the Legislative Council Mr. Bigg expressed what is a very general opinion' when he suggested that a title may indicate anything but merit. As matters stand anybody may call himself a duke or a knight or a professor. People do not do so without warrant for the good reason that they would not willingly make themselves ridiculous. Titles after all find their level. Unless it has merit behind it, a title cannot command respect from a community that knows the holder of it. -Sir Joseph Ward's haronetcy may connote merit to some section or other of English society; but in New Zealand, to put it mildly, it has created no enthusiasm. It will probably be taken, therefore, to the place where it may be worth something.

Although during recent years very liberal drafts have been made upon the generosity of the Wellington public, we are sure that the public will give a hearty support to to-night's Poster Ball in aid of the Society for the Health of Women and Children. It' is really a reproach to Wellington that it supports only one Plunket Nurse as against two such nurses in each of the three sister cities. The services rendered by these nurses, in attending mothers and spreading correct views about the feeding and care of babies, are of very high social value. In calling attention here to a notice of the ball that appears in another column, we would only emphasise the fact that the appeal is made on behalf of those mothers' and babies whom the Plunket Nurse alone can save from the consequences of ignorance and want of means. Such an appeal should bring a handsome response.

The attitude of the Government in connection with the Ghristchurch North election is delightfully amusing. The cardinal fact of the political situation is the greatly increased public distrust of the party in power, and one would suppose that as a mere matter of tactics the Government would be ready to risk a rebuff for the sake of its readiness to submit itself to the test of a poll. No doubt the Government will quietly bring Mr. L. M. Ism all the support it can, and possibly it has some groiyid for hoping that if he is elected Mn. Isitt will be quite as "Independent" a3 Mn. Myers, the last "Independent" member elected. But as to nominating a candidate whom everyone shall know beyond doubt is a YVardist, the Government declines. _ Sir James Carroll made a definite statement to tills effect last night. The fact is, ni' course—and it will be obvious to most people—that ilie Government shrinks from the risk of ruining the chances of a potential supporter by running its brand on him. It is reallv a very amusing commentary on the "bluff" of the Ministerialist ramp 'lint it shrinks from an honest tost of Dublio op.inicm about it.