DOMINION TOPICS

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 35, 4 November 1933, Page 20

DOMINION TOPICS

Murder Investigations. It is of the highest importance that the two murder mysteries now under investigation should be solved. In one case the driver of a taxi-cab was fatally injured in the dead of night, evidently by a passenger who may not have intended to take his life, but who had no hesitation iu using violence. In the other, the theory of double murder is being pursued, the latest information helping to confirm the deductions made by the police. While justice always demands the apprehension of a homicidal criminal, public safety adds particular claims in the present instances. If these crimes are not expiated there will remain a justifiable anxiety in the public mind. There are men of wide experience and proved skill in crime detection whose services do not appear to have been requisitioned. It is impossible for too many skilled men to be thrown into the task of sheeting these crimes home. —“New Zealand Herald.”

Employment for Boys. Whatever criticism may be justified in regard to organised efforts to obtain employment for boys just leaving school it can hardjy be appjied to education authorities. The vigorous repudiation of the charges of negligence in this respect made by the Minister of Education, the Hon. R. Masters, can be well appreciated. The Minister, the department, education boards and school teachers of every grade have done their best to minimise the evil of idleness for ex-school pupils. Their efforts have been suplemented by many excellent private and public organisations, with results that have been very satisfactory. Unemployment among boys and girls just leaving school has not been eliminated, but it has been considerably reduced, and special efforts have beeu made to minimise as far as possible the ill-effects of such a condition on the young people concerned.— “Taranaki Daily News.”

Our Treasures of History. It is to be hoped that the recollections of Mr. Medland, a pioneer of Taranaki who died in Wellington, have been recorded by one of the public-spir-ited Taranaki citizens who have devoted much time to preserving the stories of those who served under arms in the early days. The late Mr. Medland was one of the party that went out from New Plymouth to the Whitecliffs sixtyfour years ago and recovered the bodies of those massacred by hostile natives. It was a tragic occurrence and the death of the missionary, Whiteley, was an instance of devotion to duty and of high courage that should be known by all the children in the schools of the Dominion. There are still with us men and women who lived iu those stirring days, but unless some systematic effort is made to have their reminiscences written down much of historical interest and value will be irretrievably lost. —“Christchurch Times.”

The Biiller Seat. It was the express wish of Mr. Holland that Mr. Webb should be his successor for the Buller seat, and he has been made the official Labour candidate. As was only to be expected, there has been some trouble over the matter. Mr. Webb is not now persona grata with the coal miners who are trade unionists, and who are the great majority iu an electorate whose boundaries are said to have been ingeniously devised to comprehend all mining areas and to exclude as much farming land as possible. In that electorate Mr. Webb has been spoken of as having “gone back on his pals.” In short, he is considered a capitalist, even a plutocrat. With his knowledge of mining, he has shown himself possessed of business acumen and executive ability. \s a distributor of the output of groups of co-operative miners he has been able to secure big contracts with the guarantee of continuity of supply.—Dunedin "Star.”

A Dangerous Principle. The whole principle of the Mortgagors’ Belief Act is dangerous. It. has been accepted because desperate diseases require desperate remedies and not because it could be justified in other than tlic most abnormal circumstances. The legislation is of an emergency character, in keeping with other legislation under which contracts have lost their old validity. It is to be acknowledged that it has, on the whole, worked with so much smoothness that dissatisfaction with t-he administration of it has not been openly expressed very strongly, and if the Mortgage Adjustment Commissions have leaned, _as has been said of them, towards the side of the mortgagor they may reasonably be held to have, in so doing, complied with the spirit of the Act. The legislation, however, goes as far as there is any need for it to go.—"Otago Daily Times.” University Students. Youths brought face to face with the difficulties of life, its seeming injustices, and the inevitable inequalities in any group of society, are most likely to think that there is a special mission of reform to be undertaken. Assorted discussion groups are part of normal student life, and the fact that some groups discuss questions which may be regarded as unsuitable by external critics is not of much importance. The effect of these talks on the future of the participators is negligible, and there is no need for the public to be greatly concerned about such manifestations of intellectual activity. Occasionally in their publications students are deliberately shocking, and almost invariably intolerant. Temperance cannot be expected in the judgment of youth, and the occasional assumption of superiority is merely amusing. Those written outbursts should be treated with good-humoured tolerance. —Christchurch “Sun.” Overlapping in Local Government. The control of the Christchurch domain provides a very strong argument for reasonable unification in local government. Outside bodies, all with their own reserves to maintain, are rated for the maintenance of what is essentially a city reserve, and what should be entirely a civic responsibility. It matters little now how the pioneers envisaged Ilagley Park and itis future. The evolution of the city am) the progress of settlement have settled the matter. The city, therefore, should be responsible for it. But hero we have a notable instance of the obstacles raised to unification for, when the City Council some years ago offered to take over the domain and the financial responsibility for it, the city’s representatives on the Domains Board refused to discuss the matter. There is much, therefore, to be said for the suggestion that the Government should take in hand the task of recasting the local government system.—“ Christchurch Star.”

A National Asset. Between the desire to settle land and the desire to preserve forest there has been a battle in which the first ’ has been allowed too much success. The latest threat to the Urewera Country is ominous. It has been pointed out over and over again that for the most part this territory is not suitable for settlement—that if bush is cleared from the hills, the soil will be washed into the valleys and serious floods will result. There should be some impartial body to decide between these rival claims; and it could also see to it that forest along highways was carefully preserved. At present it seems to be nobody’s particular business to preserve this beauty and dignity of Nature. If some department thinks the trees should go, they are destroyed. The national asset of our forests—an asset valuable beyond computation—should be considered from every point I of view and guarded with the utmost I care.—“ Auckland Star.” The Legislative Council. The announcement that the Government is considering schemes for reforming the Legislative Council will be welcomed. But it will take many months to devise and constitute a new council: and in the meantime it seems urgently necessary to strengthen the present council, which consists of 17 or IS active members whose ages average out at 73 years. A I correspondent contends, from an examination of the council’s sitting hours, that these members are not overworked. The test applied is, bf course, unfair, since the most useful part of the council’s work is, or should be, done through its committees. In any case, whether the council is overworked or not, it is quite apparent that I with its present membership it cannot ) function efficiently as a revising cham- | ber. The Government has a clear duty | to the country to appoint enough new members to make possible something more than a formal scrutiny of meas- ' tires passed in the House of RepresenI tatives. —“The Press.” Christchurch. Australia-New Zealand Trade. There is no reason in the world why Australia should obtain 30 per cent, more business than she extends. If ' New Zealand purchases her manufactured products and gives liberal pre- • ference thereon, reciprocal measures should be taken in regard to our butter and cheese. It is probable that the Commonwealth’s activities are so comprehensive that certain industries would suffer in the event, of competition by New Zealand being permitted, but compromise is the basis of all such contracts, and sacrifices must be made in some direction. In the past the main obstacle has been the inflexible position taken up by Australia, but she must have markets for her citrus | fruits near at hand, and even a popuj latiou of a million and a half makes a difference to business (hat cannot be disregarded. At present we only know • what concessions are offered by the j respective countries, and it will take • time to discover what the effect will , 'be. —“Southland Daily News.” Critics Rebuked. The discussion in the House on the Imprest Supply Bill found the Minister of Employment taking the. stand that while criticism of the Unemployment I Board was easy, the board was tack- | ling an extremely difficult task and was I doing much more than the critics suspected. That statement is correct. Much criticism is heard and this may give the impression that the bulk of the relief workers are intensely dissatisfied ; but it must be remembered that there is a large body of men on relief work who do not participate iu these expressions of dissatisfaction, who are making the ' best of adverse conditions, and are adding, through extra work, to the relief pay they receive from the Unemployment Fund. To-day the object of the Unemployment Board is to facilitate the transfer of men to industrial activities, and a good ' deal is being done in this direction, I despite the fact that almost every move the board makes provokes a new outI burst of criticism. — ".Southland Times.” Modern Education and Sport. Periodically it is charged against modern education that the pendulum of sport bas been permitted tn swing to extremes, and that present-day schools regard with more enthusiasm the eclipse of existing records by brilliant athletes than the scholastic attainments of more intellectual and less showy students. It is not true, however, that games have been permitted to make devastating inroads into the work of lhe schools of New Zealand to the detriment of real education. On the contrary, the success of many New Zealanders in the sphere of scholarship reveals at least the readily accessible educational paths provided for potential citizens to rise to distinction in the realm of intellectual leadership. But it is not scholarship alone, but scholarship plus physical and moral training, that provides a perfectly balanced system of education. The people of New Zealand would have little faith in their schools as cradles of citizenship, if they stood dissevered from the games that develop physical perfection of youth.—“Timaru Herald.” Japanese Competition. The chief features of the Japanese trade competition are its amazingly quick development and the substantial margin with which British and foreign goods are undersold. Twelve months ago New Zealand business men were aware of the menace of Japanese comnetition, but few suspected that in a few months it would become so intensified. embracing almost every trade and hitting British and New Zealand industries alike. It can be stated at the outset that never before in the history of modern commerce has such a determined challenge been issued for the markets of the world. Japan is straining every nerve and using every device to undercut trade opposition, especially in the East, the British Dominions and America. The continued depreciation of the yen has neutralised the effect of the tariffs raised against foreign nations till it. is evident that higher tariffs as a weapon of trade are powerless against Japan. —“Taranaki Herald.”