TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 26, 31 January 1908, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

There is no pessimism about tho Hon. T. K. Macdonald. The A Glowing chairman of tho Harbour Forecast. Board has unbounded confidence in Wellington as "tho great chief port of the Dominion," and ho is not afraid to put his optimism into figures — a million, no less. "It would, therefore, l>c seen from his remarks," concluded his breezy speech yesterday, "that no less a sum than £872,8.5(i must be faced as expenditure to pia.ee the port of Wellington during the next thiee years in the position which its rapidly-growing commerce imperatively demanded." Tha sequel was that. Parliament next session should be a&ked £qi; authority to. be given the

board to raiso £1,000,000 for necessary harbour works. It is conceded that Wellington is a great port, destined to be ever becoming greater, but — to quote the chairman's own words — "the true interests of the port would be best preserved by oxercising great caution." The people need not be alarmed with a dread of another million debt in the immediate future. Tho general faith of members yesterday was in a policy of "make haste slowly." The speech was merely a personal opinion, lucidly and admirably expressed. The details will all come up again, and before any one of the new projects is undertaken, it will be sufficiently debated. "What is the time?" says tho city to the municipal Milk Side-tracking Committee. "It is five tho minutes' walk from the Milk Supply. General Post-office," replies the committee. "What do you think of milk?" says the city to the committee. "Wo believe pineapples are excellent for the digestion," responds the committee. It was indeed a strange report which the committee submitted to the City Council last night. It was understood that when the committee began its labours months ago, it was to produce sensible suggestions for the betterment of a milk supply, which can certainly bear much improvement. After irritating delays, after many promises, a report cam© at last, and it was a scheme for providing humanised milk for infants, at a depot which would cost £2250 to establish, £]000 a year to maintain, and about £603 to lose. Could anything be more infantile? Naturally, the council referred the i % eport back to ths rommittco, with the object of getting a, more comprehensive scheme drafted, but it is unlikely that the committee, unless it is reinforced with a live member or two, will do anythirjg with the extra time allowed. It has had abundance of time, and has done piactically nothing valuable. The city cannot afford to wait while a committee spends months on the- elaboration of a comedy which is no good to anybody. Tho ropcrt by the Ensineor of the Harbour Board on the pioTho Worker posa] to provide baths and the for wotersido workers is Bath. an interesting document. Concerning the desirn'pleivess of the scheme there can ba no difference of opinion. Most of the work, except in connection with coal, is clean enough, but any man isi liable to put in a. day, or even days in succession, handling cemsnt, bonedust, or similcr noxious material, and a thorough ablution and cliaugo of clothes at the "end of the day's toil would not only be a physical boon, but would tend to encourage the better class of men. It seems doubtful whether at present the board has the neos&iary statutory power, but this need causs no delay, for Parliament would have no hesitation, if requested 1 , in granting all necessary powers. \ The engineer points out that something more than baths would be necefsr.Ty. Baths would be of little usa unless the worker could change his ordinary clothes for a working garb, and this would involve the construction of hundreds of private lockers. ,He thinks, too, that if this expense is incurred tho board might go further, and provide in .addition engagement, looms, with reading-rooms and men's institutes. Desirable us this suggestion may ba fiom certain _ points of view, it can not be rated, like bathing accomaiodiation, as an aotua.l necessity for a decent and selfrespecting workman, and experience has shown that unless, careful supervision is exorcised such privileges are- liable toabuse. The expense would be considerable, even avoiding supeiiiuities, and the engineer, suggests, that a portion should fall on 'private employers. " ' The subject is now veiy fully, before tho -board, 1 , we hope that that body will see its, way to c&ect its object witliout inordinate outlay. To-motrow afternoon champions of the ' track will be pitted Champions against ano another at . on the the Basin Reserve. Tho Track. contestants for the shield have-, como from Auckland and Southland and the provinces botwesn, and they are all keen for the struggle. Canterbury, eager to wrest the honours from Wellington, is sending up a strong army, .Hid the final fight fa 11 tho trophy, so much coveted by all, will probably be between thess two provinces. Probably a victory for-Auck-land would be about the least popular, not because Auckland is Auckland, but because the Queen City has .secured almost every oth-er shield. If the men deserve to win, the trophy will not be begrudged them, of course, but Auckland already has annexed sufficient honours iii tho athletic world. Ona Ihinoc tho people may safely expect , is fair running by "all triers," trained to stay, and they should go to encourage pure sport to remain pure. Latterly the public has developed a habit of looking upon, athletic meetings as "slow/ 1 but there will be no slowness to-morrow. The events will follow fast; there will be movement all the time, with the added excitement that every race is a battle of. province against province. Again tho chairman of the Harbour Board has poured the Tho Slip broadsides of his wrath and into the ships of the The Sequel, persons who manoeuvred the patent slip past the board's port. There hac been much talk, much accusation, much recrimination, but even now the general public has not the exact facts of the case, though the people have a very shrewd suspicion about the course of events. Sympathy is mostly with the Harbour Board, of course, for it is a public body, and the average observer will probably remain in that frame of mind till more information comes from the gentlemen concerned in the case. •Meanwhile, tho way is still open for a peaceful settlement of the matter between the board and tho Union Company. The board is determined to acquire the slip, by compulsion if necessary, but it is hoped that there will be no .need to resort to costly legal process.. It should be possible to arrange terms by which the company would secure the land which it needs for storage purposes, and the interests of the city would not suffer. ' The public, we think, will be glad to know that the City Council A City has engagod Mr. Maughan Organist. Barnett for a year as organist, and that he is to give a series of forty recitals during that period at a moderate fee. Apart from the unanimous recommendation of brother musicians, Mr. Maugban Barnett's special fitness for tho post is indicated by his earnest and valuable voluntary work for years past in popularising high-class music by his frequent recitals on the fine organ of St. John's Church. As we have already observed, and as hinted by Councillor Smith, it will bo necessary that the arrangement shall not in any way hinder any other qualified musician, local or visiting, from making all legitimate use of the instrument, or causing him to feel that he lies under any obligation in bo doing. With regard to freo reeitub, or even the Sydney system of alternate freo recitals, we see nothing to commend in the suggestion. The initial cost of the instrument represents a largo annual interest charge, and tho pi-gaaiat rightly receives a fee. The

audience should at the least contribute enough to cover actual outlay, and no one should grudge an occasional sixpence — a charge so low that even children possessing the musical faculty need not be excluded from the 'privilege of attendance. That which is provided giatis is too often valued at no more than its cost, and the "free show" is further liable to become a lounging, resort for undesirables. By all means lob there be a nominal charge — none to whom the music possesses aesthetic or educative value will grudge the "silver coin."