NOTES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9296, 25 July 1901, Page 4

NOTES.

With reference to the meeting of the International Congress, to discuss the questions of the cause, cure, and prevention of tuberculosis, it may not be generally known that although New Zealand's death rate from consumption is much lower than that of England, even in this colony more deaths occur from it than from any other disease. The whole world, indeed, is vitally interested in the problems which must come before the Congress.

In 1899, for example, the proportion of deaths in New Zealand from diseases of the respiratory system amounted to 13 16 per 10,000 persons living, while from all forms of miasmatic diseases the proportion was only 7.86. And that by no means fully states the case, for tuberculosis kills in ' many ways. The deaths in 1899, for instance, from consumption, totalled 593, but from all forms of tubercular disease they were 795.

* The union of the Presbyterian divisions of the Christian Chuich in Australia appropriately follows the consummation of political federation. As the Moderator of the first United Assembly put if. to bring about union there may have been some sacrifice of sentiment, but none oE principle. If in want of a rhyming motto to celebrate the occasion, and to stand as a guide-post to future generations, the Presbyterians of Australia might do worse than fall back upon Pope's generalisation . — In faith and hope the world will disagree, But all mankind's concern is charity.

Who are right, those members of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who objecs to dehorning cattle, or the National Dairyins: Association, who , uphold the practice as a beneficial one ? We think most practical persons will side with the latter. Dehorning can be performed by careful operators with little pain to the animals operated on, and when performed prevents cattle goring each other or human beings.

We are pleased to note that trade in the Mother Country is improving. The trades union returns show fewer members out of employment. In the shipbuilding trade this proportion is down to 24 per cent, and the building and other trades are reported as " improving." The particulars have a certain interest for us in the colony, for there is no doubt that the condition of the labor market at Home affects that here—if in no other way than by influencing the demand for our products.

The small section of the British Liberal party which still looks to Bannerman for a lead, which can tolerate Labouchere, and is not ill with an approximation to mal de mer every time it thinks of Stead, is now accused of dishonesty by the larger section which prefers Asquith and Rosebery as guides. The only marvel is that the accusation has been so long delayed. Those who promulgate it are probably emboldened by Lord Rosebery's recent plain speaking. V

His indictment of Labouehere's recent pro-Boer meeting as " organised hypocrisy" goes far to redeem his too charitable assumption that Labonchere is mad instead of bad, although it does so on the basis of a paradox hard to swallow. Thus, if the proceedings at the meeting resulted from hypocrisy, its promoters were deliberate in their double dealing. This seems to shut out the other idea of lunacy, for that at least must be consistent, if only with itself.

However, we can afford to overlook Lord Rosebery's transgression from the paths of strict logic. His heart is in. the right place, and his outspokenness has done good, we may assume, in encouraging the Liberal Imperialists to utter a few home truths concerning the treasonmongers who hang on to the skirts of the pal-ty.

By the way, what must Bannerman think of all this ? He threatened to resign if Asquith accepted a banquet tendered to him by his constituents. _ Surely the charge of dishonesty should spur him a trifle, possibly make him keep his word as to resignation. It would be a clear gain to the Empire if it did. For him to stand aside now would prove to the Continent a truth it does not relish willing acceptance of, namely, that the British people are united in the determination to conclude the war in South Africa only upon a basis which will for ever banish the possibility of another Boer-cum-Bond conspiracy.