WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 271, 21 August 1925, Page 8

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM

(By

T.D.H.)

If the Government did complete tba' South Island Slain Trunk railway tin deputationists would have to figure out some other reason for their annual free trips to Wellington. The London “Times” warns Britain that a handful of 60,000 Communists in Russia was able to disrupt a nation of 150,000,000. —Worse still, one Tsar was able to bull-dose the same millions. With so much interest now being taken in the Arctic, the question arises as to who owns the North Pole. Only a few months ago the Canadian Parliament passed an amendment to the North-West Territories Act which virtually imposes Canadian sovereignty on all land north of Canada as far as the Pole. Clearly the question of Arctic ownership will soon be raised in an acute form. The coast-lines of four countries—the United States, Canada, Norway, and Russia—extend well north of the Arctic Circle, and so far as. sovereignty in the Arctic has been internationally considered there is a tacit agreement that each of these countries has a right to all land lying between their northern coasts and the Pole and inside the meridians of longitude bounding their territories. Probably Denmark might have some claim on these grounds, as Iceland, which belongs to Denmark, extends just north of the Arctic Circle between the meridians 13 deg. 22 min. and 24 deg. 35 min. W. * * • ,In . discussing the point the London "Observer” remarks that the ownership of the Pole itself is a much more difficult matter to decide.. If priority of discovery is the test, it belongs to the U.S. for Pearv planted the Stars and Stripes there 16 years ago. But it marks the point where all’ meridians meet and all winds blow from the south, and it lies due north of every country whose geographical position entitles it to Arctic sovereignty. The United States claims it and Canada claims, it. An international conference—or perhaps the 1.-eague of Nations—might settle the point, and conceivably admit the U.S. claim bv right of discovery. And then it might be necessary to define a limiting parallel of latitude, north of which priority of discovery should vest sovereignty in any nation whose nationals discovered new land.

Apparently New Zealand is owner, or part owner, of the South Pole, for the only limit to its Ross Dependency is that it includes all islands and tereitoites between the 150th and 160th decrees west longitude, "which are situated south of the 60th degree of south latitude.” This takes us right np io the South Pole itself, though possibly we have to share ,the actual Pole with Norway as Amundsen hoisted his flag there first.

In an American warship it appears that the officers live in “rooms,” and not in “cabins.” A visitor. to the Pennsylvania remarked that in the course" of a quest for a certain officer’s room he began to wonder whether he would next encounter an elevator and be directed to the forty-ninth floor, or something. Though Britain and America both speak the same language, many words are variously used in the two countries. On shipboard generally the American uses “state-room” where the Britisher uses "cabin,” but it is curious that whereas the British naval officer has his cabin, he messes in the ward-room or the gun-room, but this seems about as far as rooms have been permitted to go on British warships up to the present.

The railway centenary which has just been celebrated in Britain has ,caused one writer to recall that “railways” in the United States are invariably “railroads.” This was the original term, but in BriFain rail-ways, spelt at first with a hyphen, soon gained the lead, and railways it has been ever since. Ruskin in his tirades against the steam engine twenty years later clung to “railrfiads.” While America sticks to this term, which commemorates the descent of the railways from the old coaching roads, it has, on the other hand, discarded the string of, stagecoach names which still survive in Britain. The Englishman talks of “drivers," “guards,” “booking offices,” just as his ancestors did in the days of horse traction, but in America it is “engineers,” "conductors,” and “ticket offices.” * * • Many words which English . people, regard as American slang are in reality old English words which have died out in their native home, but have lived on across the Atlantic. Thus in parts of the United States an, outlandish countryman is called a “hick.” This word has dropped right out in Britain, but was current coin two centuries ago, as, for instance, in Steele’s comedy “Grief a la Mode": “Richard Bumpkin: Ha! A perfect country hick—how came you, friend, to be a soldier?” “W.H.M.” writes from Taihape:— That the complaints as to destruction caused by deer are' not unjustified receives striking confirmation from the following ‘local’ taken from a recent issue of the Taihape “Times”: A resident of Putara, in the Wellington district, shot a stag which on being opened contained five trout about seven inches long. Hie previous week a bird was shot which contained four fish. , This is onlv another instance ot the remarkable change of habits that seems to occur when an animal, usually harmless in its native land, is introduced into this country, and suggests a further ground for the theory that the antipodean situation of New Zealand relative to the Old World has a far-reach-ing psvehieal effect. No doubt the acclimatisation societies will be in a quandary as to which of their importations is entitled to the most protection, but it remains to be seen whether the trout will later, on be able to turn the tables on their new enemy.

Lord Westbury, when Lord Chancellor sixty years ago, was out driving in his coach one day when t’if horses ran away. “Drive into something cheap,” was his injunction to the coachman.

FAITH, AND I'M IN LOVE AGAIN.

Faith, and I’m in love again, though none- there is to guess it (Splendours on the city streets and roses in the air), . All ntv heart’s afire again, but why should I coajgss it?. What’s the gain of getting back the chains I used to wear?

Ache of empty arms again, but I’ll not let her know it . (Books beneath the balcony and wine beneath the stair). All the world's at odds again, but how am I to show it ? Where’s the good of being caught in coils of tumbled hair?

Faith, and I’m in.love again, and I’ll be gav about it (Friends and many plays to sec and gattdv clothes to wear). All my days are glad again, and I can live without it, But oh, the face that follows me and haunts me everywhere! —J. V. Nicholson.