NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 52, 24 November 1928, Page 8

NOTES OF THE DAY

As was to be expected of him, Mr. Coates has. adopted the right procedure in regard to clearing up the political situation.. He has decided to call Parliament together at the earliest opportunity—the first week in December—and take a vote of the new House of Representatives. It is in keeping with his character and sense of duty that he should have taken this direct and straightforward course without any attempt to evade or delay a decision as to the fate of his Government. * * * *

The Presbyterian General Assembly, in Auckland, and the chairman of the Methodist Synod, in Dunedin, have been animadverting on our public morals. According to a report presented to the Assembly by the Life and Work Committee, moving pictures continue to exercise “a most pernicious and demoralising effect on our young people. When they are not openly immoral,” we are told, they are innane.” At the other end of the country, the Rev. H. E. Bellhouse declared that the defeat of Prohibition at the recent poll was to be attributed to “moral laxity or moral anarchy”; that the Prohibitionists found themselves in the midst of “a distinct moral slump, and that “this widely diffused demoralisation of the people was chiefly responsible for the defeat of Prohibition.” One may hope, for the sake of the social influence which it is the business, and desire, of the clergy to exert in the community, that they will see the uselessness of such extreme criticism. There is a real danger that resentment may be created thereby amongst the public, and that would not be a good thing for the influence of the Church. & ♦ * ♦ ♦

New Zealand audiences sometimes have to yawn through the presentation of some American-made screen inanity, and there is little doubt that sex is too frequently oyer-emphasised in film plays, but the Presbyterian Committee’s objections to the films are too sweeping and extreme. They take no account of the fact that many excellent film plays are presented, with a large amount of interesting film news matter, educational films, and quite clever screen comedies. The logic of the southern clerical commentator on the Prohibition reverse may be dissected without going into .the merits, of this particular issue. . Mr. Bellhouse’s suggestion that the moral laxity of the people was chiefly responsible for the setback need not be seriously discussed. If the truth, were known the adverse vote probably was an expression of disapproval of mistaken methods adopted by Prohibitionist leaders. The intolerant all-or-nothing attitude has made it impossible for Government to legislate for the reform of the traffic pending such time when, if ever, Prohibition may be carried. This attitude has led to a revulsion of feeling which it may take years to overcome, and then only by the adoption of different methods. * ♦ ♦ »

Amongst the many problems that beset the civilised world the storing of records is fast reaching an acute stage. Nobody can deny the importance of keeping records, but even to-day the Public Record Office in London has been full to overflowing for two years. This building containing two hundred large, rooms was supposed to be large enough to hold two centuries of records; it has been going a mere eighty odds years to date. A century ago the British Museum contained a mere 120,000 volumes. Since then one copy of every book, newspaper, or document printed has been pouring in until to-day there are nearly three million documents. The large libraries at Oxford and Cambridge have been full to overflowing for some years and the new library at Cambridge, costing half a million pounds, will not materially relieve the problem. Unless we find some method of reducing the bulk of these records it will not be many years before whole cities will have to be put aside to hold them.

There is a touch of petulance in the resentment displayed by the Leader of the United Party to the suggestion of a fusion of forces between the Reform and the United Parties. Unless we are greatly mistaken the idea of a coalition between the parties was first advanced by Mr. Ransom, Deputy-Leader of the United Party. Mr. Lysnar and others have expressed similar views, and there is no doubt a big body of opinion throughout the Dominion which regards such a step as sensible and desirable. But the measure of success gained by Sir Joseph Ward at the polls—limited though it may be so far as the strength of his own following is concerned—would appear to have upset his perspective. With 27 followers and four Independents pledged to him on a no-confidence motion, in a House of 80 members, he continues to issue daily bulletins of his intentions as though the 49 members on the opposite side of the House were of no account at all. It is a very peculiar attitude, to say the least of it, for a party leader to take in his position. It may be that the United Party has preferred to turn to the LabourSocialist Party for support and that a Ward-Holland agreement is contemplated. In that event the sequel may resemble the experience of the young lacjy of Riga who wept for a ride on a tiger,