NOTES OP THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2162, 30 May 1914, Page 4

NOTES OP THE DAY.

The critics of the Government who have been displacing such fcrein.cndons industry in inventing fairy ; talcs concerning the Reform Party's fviyal oefeii.ee pi'Df pssls will not he inclined t» thank the Dnfence Minister for Ms very clear statement of ] ■ the actual position of things in his' speech at Lawrence on Thursday: evening. The Wardists have adopt-' ed rather curious and contradictory ■ tactics respecting the Government's altitude! on this question. 'In oire ■ breath y hey ridicule the proposals as providing fer a "toy navy, and in the next they seek to alarm the conn- ■ try with the prospect of an enormous. burden for Kaval Defence. It is regrettable that they should strive to make tii« Defence question a party issue, and it is still mure to be deplored that, having demo so, they eating*, deal- with it fairly and .honestly on the actual merits of the proposals brought forward, Hcw6vei% having embarked on their campaign of distortion and misrepresentation, they thoroughly deserve the exposure ■of their attempt to mislead the eftun- : try and the censure which must follow, It is nnt ; necessary to repeat , here Mr. Ai.lex's very lueid statement of the position. The outstanding fact is that instead of the Government beiiig committed te some costly and extravagant scheme, as

depicted by its opponents, if, has 'iiiW, . fcurrrd no obligation which will cost ; the country -one penny ,p.ie© more than it has been paying for years past. But what. it ■}s i doing: to spend a porlkn. of the £100,000— which t.ij the past, was sent, as , & \ money contribution to tlie .British.: Admiralty—in providing for' tho training of a certain number of young Now. Zea landers so that in time to conic they niny assist in the : defence of their country and of the Empire. The. balance of the. money will still be sent to the British Ad- ■ mir-alty. It would be superfluous to discuss the ad wantages of this policy of • developing: a'' .sense , pi local and personal responsibility as; against 'the _ payment of fr : . : mere money tribute, to our kinsmen to fight for us. We have dealt with the question on many occasions in. recent times. For the moment the ■ point of interest is tha exposure of' the dishonest attempt, which the opponents of the Government have been engaged in, to create the impression that. Ministers intended to commit the Dominion ,®o some costly and extravagant scheme of naval defence which tvonld press hardly oh the people of New Zealand and perhaps cripple thft natural development of the country. It is also worth noting; : ih this re.sped: that the Minister of : Dwrxoe lias been able to, show a . slight reduction for the year in the cost of the- military defence system. , Perhaps the critics of the Govern•fflsai, who aw. continually changing their ground, will object to this sav* ; ■ ing being ■ made.

Having packed ''Parliament" off to ihe country, Yuan Sma-KAr, the cable messages tell us, has restored the oi'd system, of provinciEl administration in China. The end of the threes and pangs of China's revolution is that this wary_ veteran has made himself High Priest and head <•({ State and Chuyeh. The Monarchy is dead, the Republic is extinct—and now Yuan does all the borrowing, Tho European correspondents on the spot- in Peking ore divided in their views of the dictator of China. To sonde lie appears a mercenary despot, and to others an enlightened statesman who realises ( that a slow and gradual advance, is what his conntry needs, Sinco the day? when he drilled the army of Chi-li Yuan has been regarded as China's great apostle of progress. It may be that the Chinese veteran has learned what some Western countries may. yet dis*. : cover—that a fog of vague talk is no ■ : Pure for ills in the body politic, [ That an Australian piano mannfac.- : lurcr should have to put German ! label? on his goods before the people of Sydney would buy them i 3 a strik* ' ing commentary on the way the pub- : ; lie does its shopping.. "If the buyer j wanted aft AnstraHan-rnade piano it was sold as sw-h; if be wanted 4 German, witness called it- Gorman" —so ruii'S the. cnWied report of the evitlenc'.'. given before the .Tariff Com.iaksi&n in Sydney. It is amusing, but ns with pianos So with nearly. <nei : y other article which we buy, There is tfc typical story told of a nuin who wanted a a overcoat. The : alcstnan showed the .iscit he had and named the price. The. customer tried ihe cont on. aad finally thought be would like "something a little bct,tcr." In .dud course tho same coat rd-

appeared folded in a box and wrapped in tissue paper. Tim salesman truthfully announeod lint!, ttee was risal.iy no difference between it a-ftcl the co&t previously shown, birt the customs* refused to bo pcfsaad* etl, paid aiw.it fifty pur cent in jultnr.ee of Iho original price, and left the shop ft satisfied mfiji. Sjiicli ftfttfiitices am doubtless smart in their way,- but as most business houses ha ve discovered, the ro'toni froro theft is infinitely less satisfactory in the iftngt run than that iruni .a re put.::-Si on lor solid value and .service.

In waiters of propriety. ttWtt a : hard And fast line has to be drawn; sonwwhere, it is generally dilitenb to draw it exactly at the right place. At the one -extreme are the people who would put trousers on statues a,ad at the. otter that unfortunate type whose Reuse of (he fitness of tilings is mainly conspicuous by its absence. The By-laws Committee cJ ■tie City Council has, however, struck a happy mean in the new bathing by-law adopted by th& Council on Thursday evening The old rule Ilia) bathers ou (lie public benches should ■ Wear a neck-to-Kneo costume Was an excellent olio if properly observed., but. as everyone who has been nt T \ all ifi the summer kn.ow.B ( tho attire of some of the persons who lolled about tho. beach %m made a travesty of the by-law. The tow bylaw loaves free dam to those who rel- | is).! a swim with as light clothing as is_ compatible wiih ' decency, but wisely provides that, the 'bather who ; wishes to walk or lis about the public benches shall wear the Canadian ■Costume of jersey knickcrs. It remains flow for the Council to see that its decision is carried out.

A cablegram published in The Bojjisios on Thursday _ shows that . 1 the negotiations for uiiion between ] tjte_ Chureh of Scotland' and the j United Tree Church hnvo advanced another stage. The movement* is being opposed by determined minorities in both Churches, but it has th» hearty -support of overwhelming majorities both inside and outside ■ the Assemblies. Reunion, however.. ■ cannot be_ achieve/1 in a day or a. yeaa'. it is a long process and ninny cliflknlties bavo to be overcome, but the "niiionasts/' an both sides arc confident, that the two Churches will :■ eventually become one. The forces ilinking for unity are. so strong that, ; it is almost unthinkable that tlio movement can end in failure, Both: . Assemblies have nfiw approved a; draft scheme as a buns for further negotiation?. _ The main difficulty to be overcome is the question of State connection and spiritual freedom. The representative;; of the Church of Scotland have gone a long way to meet, the view's'of tiro Free Church on this point, but- they desire to preserve a sufficient amount ot State recognition .to ensav<! a national testimony to the Christian, faitii. Tliey believe that this -oan be done. wilfr out with (ho Church's spiritual freedom. There arc still many hurdles to get over, but .progress is certainly being made, and, with goodwill and wise leadership on both st-dos, there is ho reason whv a- satisfactory basis of union should rot be worked out.