NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 218, 9 June 1921, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

Deletion of the clause in the Education Act empowering parents to object to their children learning history is urged by the Auckland Education Board. Probably few parents are aware that they can have their children exempted from attending history lessons, and fewer still have any desire to withdraw them. The provision was in the Education Bill as introduced, in 1877 by Mr. Bowen. It

was designed apparently as a concession to those who feared that a sectarian bias might be given te <ho 'history lessons. Mr. Larnach, on the* Committee stage of the Bill, moved io strike out the proviso, but he found only three supporters and 54 members against him. Since that day it has reappeared unchallenged in each re-enactment of tho Education Act. Mr. Parr proposes to improve the history course, and Auckland considers this makes the repeal of this curious exemption desirable, so that history may be put definitely on the same footing as other subjects in the’ syllabus. The clause belongs io other days, and whatever need once existed for it has long ago disappeared. It might very well be noted for omission on the next overhauling of the education law.

Mr. Justice Salmond’s commendation of the Dress of New Zealand for the rigour with which it keeps out of its columns defamatory matter has been fairly earned. The newspapers of this country are conducted on the whole by men who have as keen a sense of their responsibilities as have journalists in any other part of the Empire, and who deserve an equal freedom with them. Unfortunately the New Zealand Press is at times ’hampered in its duty to tho public by an archaic law of libel. In the British Isles and Australia a freedom has been, given to tho Press that the Parliament of New Zealand has failed to grant. Our obsolete law of libel inflicts on editors many possibilities of vexatious proceedings on. trivial grounds, and fails to give that privilege to fair and accurate reports of public proceedings of various kinds that has long been accorded elsewhere.

in inviting an American citizen to ad-

dress the Imperial Conference on the subject of a Constitution for the Empire, Mr. Lloyd George has taken, an unusual step. Public opinion in most of the Dominions at present is opposed to anything in the nature of a written Imperial Constitution, and the mere fact of the British Prime Minister putting up a speaker on the subject may cause him to be suspected of designs on their independence by Canadians, South AfrL cans, and Australians. For Mr. Lloyd George to have taken the unprecedented step of inviting a foreign speaker to address the Empire’s Prime Ministers on a matter of first-class Imperial policy may be taken to indicate that he regards with considerable favour the views of that speaker. The views to be expounded, by Dr. Butler, president of Columbia University, are therefore liable to' be re-

garded as coinciding in the main with Mr. Lloyd George’s own personal leanings. It is possible, however, that the motive in. inviting Dr. Butler may be to pay a delicate compliment to the United States. It certainly emphasises the regard and esteem in which American opinion is held when Brother Jonathan, in the person of one of his distinguished sons, is invited to give our inmost Empire family circle the benefit of his research and study. We are saying to the American people in a very practical way that w« British, officially or otherwise, do not regard, our cousins ocross the water as strangers by any means. Such acts of international good/ will, exploited to the full as they will be by a Press with a keen eyo for the picturesque, are not without their value in creating an atmosphere that makes friendly and close cooperation possible.

Yesterday’s deputation to the Minister of Internal Affairs secured an assurance that henceforth an explanatory note will bo inserted in the various statistical publications stating that figures showing the overseas trade of the various porta do not represent anything of the sort. What they do represent is difficult to fathom. From Air. Downie Stewart’s explanation one gathers the figures were compiled in the present extraordinary fashion with a view to "boosting” the smaler ports. Everything coming from within a specified area—Tauranga, Timaru, or elsewhere —has to be credited to that port, no matter where it is shipperl. What useful purpose is served by figures compiler! on so remarkable a basis is incomprehensible to the lay mind. An explanatory note over the table is no substitute for thp real figures of actual trade. The incorrect figures wil|’ continue to appear, and will lend themselves to exactly the same misrepresentation as before. Tho various harbour boards keep their tallies of the actual quantities exported, and the Customs experts should not find it an overwhelming task to run out the values. The position occupied by Wellington os the commercial centre of (he Dominion is at present glaringly misrepresented.

The investor with money to spare is being afforded ample opportunity just, now to assist in the task of tiding the farming community over the financial stress due mainly to the slackness in tho wool trade. A few weeks ago the Canterbury Fanners’ Co-operative Association invited subscriptions to an issue of 7J jier cent, free of income tax bonds, and met with a liberal response. A big Auckland association followed on similar lines; and now the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Co-operative Association has gone one better by proposing to issue 4)75,001) worth of 8 per cent, free 'if income tax bonds. As in Ihe oilier ,-ases, this money is required to firiame

farmers who do business with, the association, and who have not yet been eble to dispose of their wool elips. Eight per cent, froe of income (ax is a high rate to pay, and will no doubt, prove attractive to many people who have money to invest. The recent im-

provement in the. wool market, though modest enough in itself, bus been a move in the right direction and has tended to brighten the outlook a little for the farming community. It will be some time, however, before the financial stringency which is embarrassing so many of the wool-growers passes, and in the meantime tho farmers’ co-operative associations, and others, are doing their best to meet the needs of the situation.