NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 268, 6 August 1920, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

In high politics tho League of Nations may not liavo achieved much to dale. In leaser matters, in their way almost as important, it is steadily laying the foundations for co-ordinated international effort. A case in point is the establishment o£ an international medical organisation foreshadowed in « cabin incssitgo this morning. Epidemics in modern days need something moro than efforts at local control, and medical research would be doubtless mare fruitful with an international bureau to collate results and arrange for more: systematic investigation over wider fields. In Britain a Medical' Consultative Council appointed by the Government recently reported ou tho steps to be taken to provide more effective medical treatment for all. Much attention has been given of late in this connection to-what has been called the "undiscovered country" of medicine—the recognition ' and treatment of disease in its earliest incipient stages before it has become established. Sir James Mackenzie has devoted himself to experimental work on these lines At St. Andrews, in Scotland, with the co-operation of the general practitioners of the town. Already some valuablo results have been arrived at. Hitherto medicine has confined itself mainly to established disease. A man becomes ill and the doctor makes him well. That is the old idea. The new one is to recognise definitely the earliest premonitory symptoms and euro the disease before tho man ever becomes ill. '* * # #

A correspondent this morning directs attention to the disgraceful state of tho approaches to Thorndon Railway Station. This is tho main entrance to the city, and in thp present winter weather it is surrounded by a sea of mud bearing more resemblance to an up-country cowyard than the approach to a metropolitan railway station. The same conditions prevail in a lesser degree at Lambton citation also on wet days. It should not be beyond the resources of the Bailway Department and the City Council between them to provide the,-public with some means of getting aboard tho trains in wet weather without wading across bogs and mud pools. ,

Having proclaimed the doctrine of selfdetermination, and fired tho passion of self-assertion in fifty races in Europe and Asia, tho United States retired into its shell and left tho Allies to deal with tho ensuing uproar and chaos. It has refused to meet in executive council, and has refused men, money, or goods to its own creation, the League of Nations, but in words it is still I liberal. To-day we are told that Washington is giving "serious consideration" lo the Polish situation. It will not withdraw from its present position of neutrality, but American representatives may attend the Allied' Conference to deal with the Polish crisis. America, finding neither a man, a gun, nor a dollar, will not ccase to criticise, to complain, lo interfere with the doings of the Allies, and Mr. AVilson in tho White House seems as ready as eyer to dictate his wishes and his censures. This state of affairs will continue until March, 1921. In November a new President of the United States will be elected, but he does not take office until Maroh i next. In tho meantime, the three Allied nations must do their best to clean up tho ruin in Europe. In tho parable, tho

priest and the Lcvite, when they "passed by on the other side," apparently refrained from offering good advice to the stricken man they would not help. America has improved the occasion in this respect. * * * » In the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening Mr. H. li. Holland, M.P., referred in critical strain to tha immigration of domestic servants, and incidentally observed that in New Zealand there were twenty thousand more females than males. The pathetic picture ho drew of "twenty thousand women who would never know the joys of motherhood" is spoiled by the fact that ho was seriously astray in his statistical

information. Referring to the "Year Book" he would have found that though the departure of troops brought tho female population of the Dominion ahead of the male population in 1910, the mala preponderance yras again established by the end of July. 1919. Figures for the March quarter this year given in the "Abstract of Statistics" show that the excess of male population was then nearly 15,000. Mr. Holland wanted to know what the position would bo when another ten thousand women were brought into the Dominion. On present indications an essential feature of tho position will be a surplus of something like five thousand more m less eligible, bachelors. Since single men as well as single women are likely to come out in fair numbers ns immigrants this relative position mav be maintained for 60me time to come. * * * »

A most unreasonable attitude has been taken up by one or two Opposition members of Parliament in regard to the tentative steps in naval policy taken by the Government For those who care to descend to such tactics, it is, of course, an easy matter to pour ridicule on a "one-ship navy," but iii the judgment of all thinking people this ridicule will recoil upon its authors. As the Prime Minister observed yesterday, tha cruscr Chatham is a useful, if unpretentious. unit ill the , naval organisation of the Empire. Iti.is more important that in maintaining nnd working up , to the point of manning by local recruit- | ment even a single ship the Dominion will enter definitely upon that active participation in naval defonce which it evidently must be prepared to .broaden us time goes on. All things must have a beginning. and the early steps tho Dominion is taking towards assuming a ! really responsible and active part in tho vital matter of naval defence will not appear from any sound and genuinely patriotic standpoint a suitable target for cheap humour. * * * » Wellington's total municipal indebtedness at present amounts to slightly over 1 two millions. sterling. At last night's meeting of tho City Council the Mayor brought down the schedule of the new loan proposals. These total the formid- ■ able amount, of approximately .£1,700,000. I Th# principal items making up this sum are:— £ Water supply 522,738 Street improvement ... 120,000 Tramways 232,500 Power station 380,000 The total is a very large ono and means a considerable extra burden to the ratepayers. Nevertheless, the greater part of the works included are urgently necessary. Some will bo generally regarded, we (hink, as surely luxury undertakings in view of other far moro uigeut need 9 Wo fail to eee tho necessity at tho pre-

sent time, for instance, of piercing a new tunnel to Hataitai or building hot salt-water and Turkish baths. However, Ihcso items an.d others 011 which many ratepayers will feel doubtful can apparently all be voted for separately. Tho really urgent works are tho water supply improvements, the new power station, and the laying of permanent street pavements. The loan is for so large an amount and the works so varied that n much fuller explanation of the proposals seems desirable than is possible at the 0110 solitary public meeting required by statute.