NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1479, 29 June 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

When he reads his Hansard proof for yesterday the Hon. A. M. Incus will realise, perhaps not without roncern that he has added -a'..seventh-- to the six standard joke-ideaa of-.man-" kind. Me. Massey had been 1 pointing out that everybody, -.in , London knew already, from t-ho. advertisements in the papers, the text of the prospectus of the 4|-million Kloaniv Why, Mr. Massey naturally. asked, should the New Zealand taxpayer still be denied the inform.-ifcion'.'pre-' seated to the London public? We pay the bill, he we in New Zealand aro more interested ! ■ than anyone.' And Mr. Myees n plied, in all seriousness (driven to it by this telling point) tilit ifc\wa&£romStlie. London people that we were borrow--ing the money: we were not raising it here. The natural inference—the inference Me. Myees's: argument required—is that the prospectus was for London consumption only. We have _ little doubt that when the item reachesjK. Amer-J ica _ some joke-designrr will cast the idea into poignant four-line di;ilogue, and father itv. on; ;.'SEN.iTqre SJiiTinor Chauncey Deplw, oi e\«n on Mb, Roosevelt. In-the.'; meantime we can all enjoy the financfal"»ia.?j(cf| that confesses that you.must;:.say;ioriething to the lendei and another thing altogether (nothing at all, if possible) to the boriowri.

IS sober French quarters grave : anxiety has been caused^by^fche.Vitf : ;. crease of crime in Francs and the leniency; with which Soften? treat violent assaults: Or"- murders; While many French papeis nttn bute the increase of crime to the leniency of juries, there is, mUch f reason? to suppose that both are symptoms of'ono disease. The London Tablet says that the explanation is the weakening of religious instruction'; and of the knowledge of the religious sanctions of moralitj, and it quotes some striking statistics from an-ai'ti-cle in tho Gazette tie France- *"In'1882 the so-called "neutral", system;: i-c., a system of education'absolutely without' religion, was established:.:: Between 1883 and 1893-- the ■ ■■■number l of child-criminals incieasod bv 2> per cent, the popiilaHon'Scmaiiiini'j stationary. Between 1893<;and'Si897-3 "the seven millions twecn seven and 1G piod'ir V. "linos' twice the number of crimes commit? ted by the 20 million- adults and others over 10," It is a .strikiug:'fac!i that "in Paris, of 100 children prasecuted, scarce two com#frofrf;reiig-, ions schools : 98 are from!.the.i'n'eiytral' schools'." These figures.are quoted in the Gazelle article froni : an-article in the Itcvuc des Ucitz-Moiidesytim. some respects the authoritative review in tho world, and one even less likely, if :sufh' .a.: thing is possible, to print .unsound articles or articles wanting in authority or responsibil ily,'-i nun'. ;-;iy. the Edinburgh or tin; Quarterly. These startling figuresiy>vbi;phji:siiqwthe statistical side ';mqjaj' weakening of social France, which is one of tho most striking-'of' factVjfpr t.ho modern Spciolppi*! cm lr i vd to prove too muck, They do at the

very least furnish a warrant for that] exclamation of the Soeiaiist deputy ] who 'is, quoted by the Tahiti- as saying that,, "by killing God we have: .destroyed morality.'' F ranee, of : ■ course, may im unique in being ill- J suited to sustain secularism in education ; but there are tlie facts. ' ■'

. Tm; i?iOHT Box. James Bp.yce .wiris in the House oil Thursday aifernoon. He .o.ugnt to have been ;prese.nfc: yesterday, for he would have lieai'd the member ffcsr Aw-ai'iva,—Sic tjiily hereditary noble on the premises—declare that he troubled himself less a!unit Thk Doinsios than ■abou't "the iclirt/oii h'ijs boot.' There ai'Q some obvious tilings 10 say about this, • If the honourable baronet rcall.v worries more about "(lie .('irt on his;.boot'' than about The ])omi:\iox, we can only say that his private conversation must consist wholly, and,unpleasantly-,' of. ta'K about the state of his talk, one niight call it, apropos Sei boit 'cs : ; Boots seem to occupy much of . his thought, Last short session he-could thing .(if no .more finished reply ita, sonic crificisms. by M it, James AttEifi than that Mk. ,Ai.i,EN.knew no more :)ibont loaivflotatUin "than my boot does:'' {Hansards Vol. IST, Page *W.) . But what has Mr.. Brvce to dp. with all..these boots, it may be. asked i : jiitlgfid by ins address (o the Univers.ity. students .. yesterday, .would,had.he been present to he.'r the member for . Awarua, -have, .realised j hat ;.there'v:a ; English,'as it is.spoken Zealand, that he never dreamed of. ■■■. He (just missed,; i t-iß' sad : to' ro[lect,one of the most striking features of: New. Zealand politics

The snpeiseDsion of Mr Htpou> BEALCHAMK on the Board the "Bank of \ T cw Zeahnd by Mit David N\ era 1 ! - bosses ir. trouble.. 'It will be ■'remembered';that,;by." w;ay to a. tentative, suggestion ■ that Mp„ _BEAtjCH.\Mp,,sds being gncn a bad mark, for his warnings to. the public in..hiS'.Chtiir.:;:addrcsses,- -the w-'then Prime Minister .stated,: on March 10, .that. Ms,, denied reappointment on fhe'grotind,of illhealth. (Mi:. Nathan's appointment ■iri his stead.;hadfbemt;:ahnounced 'On; Maich o ) On letuining to New ■/Zealand . lie the eorresppndenco;;riHis:.letter to, ..the,then Prime. Minister,':conveying his intimation .that-ill-health .would :,make;i m possibl6:;.;hisVcohtinuanceZas : : a'directorjVdkl'notireacit.thisi'couii-:, j try. until several-,.days after he had. ■ been superseded.by a gentleman less likely ..to offend •( he "Liberal;', bosses: ; The reason for the 1 change which the. head of. the Government at that time : gave, for Mk. . Bkauciiamp's supersession was thus obviously, •as Mn. ;Beauchamp showed. \ cry plainlv-. nv the interview ..we published on May! 18, a bogus and false excuse. Having ibeen-'so'. thoroughly, bowled out, . one would have, supposed that,, tho member for Awaruit would hold hi; •tongue hard.. But:last night he let •;all the cats:oul of the-bag. ite said •that, the majority of the Ministry; jwere opposed to Me. BtiAucinMp's'irc-: --appointment. anyway^;,Comment -is' needless. ; .!' Liberal" horsism has bimf ply. convicted : dictiveness and want of ordinary cdndour and .fairness to the public.

Quite, a large crop- of political £ "possibilities"'' hayd'>ap.iniugvAip; : ' : cUn'V • ing the 'past' clay or two and form the subject , of in ; the lobbies at Parliament^House. :vThc ■ downfall' l of the; Mackenzie ■•Ministry' is generally anticipated, and it is freely tbaHMt%;;tho .anxious of . those, who are "hoping'for (thisv/tflflZejaro:. several:-followers-of ■ tho,:party in-power. --Thercasorris not far lo seek. They have ln 6 t their. chance .of portfolios- under the .MACKENZiE.rep/jKe'j/and are ,living«in' ;tho hope that a general shake-up will. follow on the defeat'of the present in" a redistribution of offices in which they might share. . They realise that what-ever-happens theVMACKENZiEjtMinis-! try is too weak to carry on for any .length'of';time,'- and prefer-ap-parently the chances ofan' early ; , %:thiß;;;rißksj- ,! attachirigMto*:''a ..delay .which is-more 'likely to oonr-fif. tho Reform .Party, than",anyone .else. faiR i Joseph Ward, plainly is'not'at .i.all inclined,to .tako"a-sback~sctft>nor .is Mr. R. M'Kekzie or Mr/Wilfohd. -The -Mackenzie Ministry is, ~in,.consequence, in. a' very*unhappy'.'posi-! ;, Prime, Minister win; tamelv . acquiesce in. the. plans. for.'supplanting prepaied. toydo.; : .vand, -as hei 'is not'■likely to be unaware of what is ..6o»ig °n. he.'may "take the gloves coff sap .awpa,rty « caucus' to-day.':?and; supposed adherents. . The . internal troubles of ,the' Ministerialists do-not •aUect, the.,situation -so.far as tho Re-. ;form-.party's .prospect;- arc. concerne;?s to" strengthen them.'. J hey remain solid and united - and confident of securing a working nisi ijovityv.; :