POLITICAL POINTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue LXIV, 13 September 1902, Page 4 (Supplement)

POLITICAL POINTS.

If the New South Wales Treasurer is abld to exorcise sutticient inlluence over his colleagues the estimates as drafted will b» reduced by several hundreds of thousands of pounds. Mr. O'Sullivan nays he expects to have his road vote cut down to £600,000. La*t year it was £740,000, but it included artesian wells imd water conseiv.ition works, which meant an expenditure of from ££0,000 to £100,000. Tho wom.m-suffi'iigist movement in Victoria has> beon rukindlud by the icijent huci-ess of tho movement in New tiwuth Wales and at the hands of the Fodeial Oovcrnment, and also by tho return to tho StJto of Miw Vida Goldstein. The Treuvuier of Queensland linn given notice to amend tlia Income-lax BUI as follows: — If an income- does not exceed £100, the tax lo bo 10s ; if the income exceeds £100, but does not exceed £150, the tax to bo £1 ; if the income exceeds £150. the duty to be £1 for the first £150. Replying to a deputation tho other i d.ty tho Victorian Premier incidentally I n.iliu-itcd the coii'-ideiatiuns which would lullueucf tha (lovernniont in going on the loan m.tiket. Tho Government, he said, would not be timid in borrowing money while endeavouring to restrict current State expemliluic. Ono of thsir principal objects in doing mo was tlmt neuossiiry reproductive works might be more freely engaged in. It would be paltry and imprudent fc the Government to allow itself to be prevented from raising necessary funds simply beeauso tho niurket rales -weie perhaps a quarter per cent, higher than would bo required in other x eircunvitancos. The New South Wales Attorney-Gene-ral informed a deputation last week that he intended to introduce legislation dealing with neglected children, which would provide for tho registration of young persons selling articles in public places, the establishment of day industrial schools, the holding of Courts where young offeaders could be dealt with, and the creation of institutions whero very young children could be cared for while their mothers ore at work. A feeling is gaining ground in Unionist circles (snid The Time? in July) that the present reconstruction provides an excellent opportunity for strengthening the Government by the introduction of n greater business elcmeut. The remarkable administrative success of Mr. Chamberlain, the excellent results achieved by Mr. Ritchie, and the great promise shown by Mr. Arnold-Forster arc attributed largely to their early careers. A correspondent wrote to Rear-Admiral Lord CharlQj Berosford, M.P., asking whether ho was in favour of the establishment of an Australian navy. Lord Charles has replied tlmt he does nob agree with tho view put forward. In his Lordship's .opinion a separate now for Australia would be a- mistake. One of the main features in the strength of the Navy n-nd the Empire is a united fleet. A disruption of that unity has been condemned by all serious strategists. For the proper defence of the Empire the Nivvy must be a whole, and under one single dircclion. Lord George Hamilton stated, in reply to a question, that a sum of about £400,000 had been expended on the defences of Aden since » they were begun twenty years ago. yeuator G. Drummond, Montreal, (Canada, gave evidence recently beforo tho Select Committee of the House of ComruonH which is considering tho question of steamship subsidies. He stated that the general opinion of Canada was that a fceivice of steamers \vith a. speed of 22 knots should be run botweeu England and Halifax. This would require a subeidy of ut least £400,000 a yenr for ten yearn, after which the service -should he *nelf-*u}iporting. Canada would be prepared to pay half of this sum, and, if necessary, £250.000. A recent issue of the German journal Dor Tag contains >omo interesting ob•ervations by Baron yon Zedlitz, tho well-known Prussian Parliamentarian, on the future of German Kast Africa and the relations between Cheat Britain and Germany in that part of tho African continent. Buron yon Zedlita begins by remarking that militarism and missionary enterprise have been influences unfavourable to the prosperity of German East Africa in the past, and it is, he says, "more than doubtful whether Germany has yet learned IVo art of rightly administering tropical colonies." He then seriously discusses the question of handing «<ver the protectorate to England, a stop which, he says, would not bo in any sense' injurious to Germany, provided that "th« return made by England to her .for the renunciation of foast Africa" wus suitable in kind and quantity. The exchange of Zanzibar for Heligoland, he observes, in spite of predictions to the contrary, did nothing to damag* G«rmany's prestige TJne proposition now in question would be simply a sequel to that transaction. Charges of Anglomania, the writer conoludes, do not disturb him. The primary object of his suggestions is a correct perception of Germany's own interests. The year ended 30th June has been a record ono for Canadian trade. Tho imports are /valued ut £40,558,319, »n increase of £4,200,000, and the exports at £42,345,112, un increase of £3,000,000. The opinion in general in Jamaica that tho £10,000 which the Imperial Government lias piacsd at tho disposnl of the Government of Jiunuica ia utterly inadequate to enable it to make advances at 6 per cent, to the sugar estates in order to ensure the continuance of cultivation aDd the payment of an adequate rate of wages to the labourers pending the coming into operation of the Brussels Convention in September, 1903. It is stated that £100,000 would not be too much for the purpose. A Reuter telegram from Johannesburg describe* tho railway amalgamation of the South African States as one of the necessities of South African progress. Various fxtonnious will be necessury in order fully to develop the country, but at present all proposals must remuin in abeyance until some concerted action ia possible between the Cape and Natal, the two great railway rivals for the carrying trade of Johannesburg, who regard Delagoa Bay as the natural port of the country. The difficulties which tho German Government hus to meet in the Customs Tariff Committee are increasing dtwly, and (writes tho Berlin correspondent of The Times) it is a serious question whether the labours of the committee may not, after all, prove fruitless. If Count Posadowsky hus been correctly reported, his language certainly shows that the Government ii beginning to lose heart. Some allowance, however, must be made for the demands made on human patience by a Bill with 946 clauses, mostly disputable. The Novoe Vremya publishes an account of a short interview which one of its reprcientatives had with Signor Prinetti, Italinn Minister for Foreign Affairs, during his visit to St. Petersburg. The Minister is repretented as having dechired that the Italians had experienced great satinfaction at seeing a rapprochement spring up between their country and Ruania, and that they were deeply touohtjd by tho warm and cordial reception accorded to King Victor Emmanuel in St. Petersburg. The success of the King of Italy's visit to Russia is tho subject of comment in many of the Continental journals. In a section of the German press advantage has been taken of the opportunity to insist strongly on the estrangement of Italy from England.