NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1261, 17 October 1911, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

It is a good many years since people began to write and talk of "the awakening of China" as an event of the future, and now tho awakening of the ancient country I appears to have come, and in a shape that was not generally foreseen. The present revolution has come with a rush, measured by the standard of time in China, where everything has been vast, slow, and immemorial. Five years ago fivo Imperial Commissioners wore sent on a tour of the civilised world to report on the various systems of government, and an Imperial Edict promised a constitution in the noar future. In 1908 a more definite decree announced the convocation of a Parliament and the proclamation of a constitution in 1917. The progress towards constitutional government went rapidly forward, and the Provincial Elective Assemblies, established in 1009, were supplemented by the Imperial Assembly, which met last year. The present outburst against the Government is the fruit of a twelve-year-long agitation by the Revolutionary party organised by Dr.. Sun Yat Sen. There are three parties: the Constitutional Monarchists, who wish to maintain the Empire and the dynasty and effect a reconciliation between the Manchus and Chinese, while moving towards a constitution; the Republicans; and the Constitutional Democrats, who care less for the form of government than for the economic development of China. The Manchus, who came as conquerors and who have preyed ever since on the Chinese—every Manchu family to this day is subsidised by tho Government—have become weakened in numbers and in morale. The success that has so far attended the revolutionary movement is due to tho spread of education and Western ideas, the development of a new military spirit, and the rise of a vigorous native press. Dr. Sun Yat Sen, replying recently to the suggestion that a revolution would fail through foreign intervention, said that the revolutionists would make no more mistakes. They would take care to respect the right and safety of tho foreign community and to avoid any injury to commerce. Commenting on this confident statement, a writer in the Westminster Review last year doubted whether the leaders of revolt could control their followers, and contended that success could come only to a silent and rapid revolution in the capital itself. A Chinese missionary of long experience, writing in the New York Independent, was not any more hopeful. The vastness of China and the necessary differences between the people in its various parts, tho inability of Chinese to trust each other, the difficulties of communication, and the Manchu dominance in the army —all arc factors against success. For the present the tide appears to be ilowing against the dynasty. The army is strongly sympathetic towards tho revolt, and the Kc£ublicana ajo-

pear to be remembering Dn. Sun's advice to leave the foreigners alone and to aim solely at the Government.

Mr. Fletcher, the Government candidate for the Wellington Central seat, had the advantage of what was on the whole a : sympathetic audience for his opening ae'dress in the election campaign last evening. It is perhaps not fair to judge a Parliamentary candidate outright on his maiden effort, and for this reason we shall touch very lightly on Mr. Fletcher's speech. Possibly he has something in reserve which may be disclosed in future addresses, and if this is so he has been badly advised in not bringing forward at least some of his more illuminating ideas at the outset of his campaign. So far as we can see there is not a single original thought or idea in the whole of his i address—nothing beyond an interesting enough review of his own personal career and a few generalisations on certain of the political questions of the day. Me. Fletciieh, we should imagine, is capable of something lwtter than this. He must realise that he cannot expect the electors ] of a constituency, so well informed as | Wellington constituencies arc on political matters, to ca-sfc their votes for a gentleman, however estimable hc_ may be in other respects, who j skims over the larger issues of the ! moment with a few casual and pleas- | ant-sounding observations concerning his interest in the well-being of his j ! fellow rncn. Some of the matters I touched on in the answering of ques- ! lions displayed a very elementary ' knowledge of political ocomo'ny; and ! he got on to very dangerous ground I indwd when he endorsed tho sugf gostion of an export duty on our I primary products as a means, in I certain circumstances, of forcing { down the price to the local consumer. : -Mr. Fletcitcu may think that such a i policy would benefit the city people I at the expense of those who ta.rm our [ country lands, but he hae a very narrow outlook indeed if he thinks ihe can penalise and discourage the j primary producers of the country without injuring every class of tlw community. On the other hand, his ■ answer to the anti-military quesI tionor who objected to the "new dc- ; fence system was sound and com- : m?ndablc. As a public speaker Mn. ! Fletcher is crude aiid uninspiring, ! but he will no doubt improve as ti.- ■ contest progresses. Last evening Ikj was very fortunate in securing so ! admirable a chainr.n?i a-s that old electioneering campaigner, Mn. 3. i who controlled the prai'iI firing, particularly at question time, j with firmness and pood nature, find j enlivened what would otherwise have proved a rather dull meeting.

TnE Public Works Statement was | only available at a Into- hour last | cloning, and in consequence it has! not been possible to give it any close. ] scrutiny for purposes of comment. ! It should bo noted, however, that, as ! anticipated, the expenditure provid- j cdfor under tho Public Works Fund ; this year is very heavy. It is election j year, and in consequence the votes ] are made liberal with a view to > sweetening the electorates. Whether I tho country settlers who arc chiellv ! appealed to in this way have eucK siiort; memories as to overlook the ' fact that the public works election promises of IPOS have been shamefully broken year after year since remains to be seen. This fact, however, cannot be ignored: the proposed miblic works expenditure in tlio Statement laid before Parliament last evening totals £2,921,fi05 (exclusive of separate accounts, which would bring it up to over three millions), and yet tnc largest sum ever .spent by this Continuous Ministry in any one year under the Public Works Fund was £2,183,2-15, in 1903-09. Large amounts are voted, and, as we have recently shown in connection with the votes for backblock roads, much of the money is not expended—the settlers are buoyed up with false hopes. Another point worth noting is the fact that it is proposed to borrow another million and a half for nublic works purposes, and half a million for water-power, although on the Minister's own showing it will give him with tho money available over a million pounds more than lie requires. We pointed out some little time ago that there were ample funds available for public works purposes without so large an addition to the public debt, and that Mu. Millar, when ActingMinister for Finance, in a speech at Duncdin stated that he did not think it would be necessary to borrow for public works purposes this year. But the craze for borrowing has no doubt led to him being over-ruled in the matter by his plunging colleagues, and the piling up of the debt goes merrily on. In addition to the borrowing proposed under the Public Works Statement, the Government I already possess the power to borrow several millions annually without any reference to Parliament.

The ill-health of Me'. Moss, the Reform candidate for the Parncll scat, is very unfortunate for the Opposition party, as well as for tho candidate himself. Me. Moss had laid himself out for a vigorous campaign, but unless his health improves he cannot hope to carry out his intentions in this respect, and it may bo necessary to find another candidate. ' Me. Massey appears to have contemplated filling tho possible breach himself, should it have occurred, but is reported to have now pledged himself to his old electorate under circumstances which are perhaps flattering enough in their way. Still, we should have preferred to think that his services were available for Parnell should they have been required. As it is, the Reform party is somewhat awkwardly situated in the matter of its candidate for tho contest with Sir John Findlay. It has to look around for an emergoncy candidate in caso Mk. Moss may not be' able to stand tho strain of the contest; and tho discovery may come so late as to seriously affect the chances of the emergency candidate. In the circumstances the obvious thing to do, it seems to us, in the event of Mn. Moss being compelled to withdraw—which we sincerely hope will not bo tho case—is for the supporters of the Reform party to throw in their lot wholeheartedly with the workers on the side of the Labour' candidate, Mn. Mack. The greatest need of the moment, as we have frequently pointed out, is the ending of tho days of tho Continuous Ministry, and thus enable a proper investigation of the position of the country'saffairs to be carried out from tho inside by a new .set of men. Wherever there is no Opposition candidate, and wherever a Labour candidate is left in the second ballot with a Government f candidate, tho friends of Reform Aould vote with Labour. The Reform party and Labour arc in disagreement on many points, but_ they have a common enemy who is a menace to the vcll-boing of both and a dancer to the whole community, 1 United they can crush that enemy,

strengthen the respective causes they arc fighting for, render the country a great service, and inaugurate a new and a better era in the public life of the Dominion. In the readjustment of parties which must follow Labour has everything to gain—the defeat of the Government will mark the first real forward step which Labour has made since it fell a victim to the promises and professions of the Administration.