TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 122, 21 November 1908, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

In spite of his regret at saying farewell to New Zealand, the Where Honour Hon. W. Hall-Jones is Due. must have his moments of exultation and exaltation in these times, when j former political opponents are joining so heartily with his friends iii wishing him happy and successful days at his ne> post in London, the office of, High Commissioner. Ever since the Premier announced the successor of the Hon. W. P, Reeves, tho late Minister for Railways and Public Works has been receiving tributes to his industry, ability, and upright devotion to duty. Wellington's final compliment is to be given at ,the Town Hall on the evening of Ist December, and we are sure that the great building will be filled with men and women eager to testify by their presence that they gratefully remember a man who has given many of the best years of his life for the benefit of his country. Mr. Hall-Jones went into public life here a "white man,'' and has come out a "white man," and that is why all sections of the community are so sorry to lose him, We think that the decision of yesterday's meeting of citizens for a social evening in preference to a banquet was the best one possible. The average banquet is a more or less dull affair, into which even champagne can scarcely introduce a sparkle. A remark worthy of print may be sometimes made, but it is usually buried in a, mass of platitudes and vapid reiterations, distressful to the chief victim of the banquet and no less painful to the bulk of the audience. We trust that it is not too late to warn the executive committee off the welltrodden course of the "illuminated address," with its terrible blazoned print and its awesome gilt frame. All illuminated addresses are the same illumina.ed address ; each requires something like a packing-case for its safe transport. Surely it is possible to think of a more portable souvenir, which would certainly be more acceptable to the recipient than a huge highly-ornamented hoarding placarding his virtues. The No-license - party at the Hutt is riaturally dissatisfied Fairness of a (with the fact that a Final Scrutiny, strict interpretation .' of the Local Option law does not allow accredited representatives of either party to be present as scrutineers at the final official examination of the voting papers. By way of compromise, it is reported, the returning officer (Mr. Mothes) will permit a representative of each party to be employed as a clerk, but that roundabout way of allowing the License and No-license parties to be near Mr. Mothes' in the all-important recount is decidedly unsatisfactory. In the past, apparently, the law was liberally read, and the status of properly authorised scrutineers was not questioned, but in the Hutt case Wellington's Chief, Registrar of Electors, Mr. Mansfield, has decided to abide by the letter of the Jaw, and he can scarcely be blamed for acting in accordance with the law. as it is given to him by Parliament. A free-and-easy reading of the law is dangerous ; it there are obvious defects in a statute they must be remedied by Parliament, and not by the liberal "reading of executive officers. The judges vailed against the "restitution" claube of the Divorce Act, which they stigmatised as a short cut to the evasion of marital responsibilities, but so long as the law was on tho t < statute-book, they had to rule in accordance with it, though under strong protest. The closeness of the . local option voting in several of the electorates shows clearly that the law should provide for a scrutiny which should cause the final figures to he accepted without cavil. When at a general election there is one clear issue, before the counA try, and either side is reGoa'dian turned by a decisive ma^ Knot. jority, that party -may assume that it has the mandate of oh© people, and if it is wise will act accordingly with a reasonable expectation of general support. But each additional "burning question" perplexes the issue and weakens the party returned ; and the vacillation and visibly waning influence, of the present Administration at Home seems to be the indirecti icsult of the sans of its predecessors. The Unionists had exasperated the constituencies in many ways. They had, identified Unionism with protection (the Spectator insists that the election was decided on tho Free-trado issue) ; they had virtually handed over the State schools to the episcopacy ; they had ahenated the whole temperance party by their concessions to the liquor trade; they had filled up the measure of their transgressions by their South African policy. So the Liberals, with their great majority, entered office with so many instructions that for all practical purposes they had no mandate at all, and very little defined policy. Hence they have been accused by each section of their supporters, 'iv turn, with break ing their election pledges ; and on tho knotty question of education, notwithstanding enormous labour, they have so grievously dissatisfied the country that they have come forward, as we learn to-day, with a new Bill, which, "while not ideally perfect, will yet provide a settlement without sacrifice of ! principle on either side-," and, even in the opinion of The Times, would be geneious to denominationali&ts (satisfying lv oveii Catholic*. '*) whilt meeting the grievances of Nonconformists. Vain hope ! No sooner is it announced than all the winds are let loose upon the Administration. The Archbishop of Canterbury desires that headmasters shall give religious instruction; the Roman Catholics, as represented by the Tablet, adopt an attitude uncompiom'JSmg in the extreme, declaring that they will not oven accept State supervision. On Monday probably we shall hear from the redoubtable Dr. Clifford. Then there is a new group of schools in which the reddest of •Socialism is the leading subject of instruction. Some of these svere actually subsidised by the late London County Council. And a purely secular system, though apparently it must be the outcome, eeems yet remote. In truth, the 'problem before the Government is a hard one. One strong man in Christchurch is "holding up" the Otago A Tsar and Wellington centres of of the New Zealand Amateur Athletics. Athletic Association. Mr. W. G. Atack, president of the association's council, which has been domiciled in Christchurch for many years, is fighting, practically singlehanded, against a majority of the athletic organisations desiring a change of headquarters to Wellington, which is naturally the most convenient locale. To secure that desirable transfer the Otago centre supported Wellington in the nomination of Sevan citizens of the capital for seats on the new council, but Mr. Atack ruled that tho council will not accept nominations of men wljo reside outside of Christchurch, the "official headquarters." Practically only three strong centres, Wellington, Otago, and Canterbury, constitute the associotion ; two of them are decidedly opposed to Mr. A tack's ruling, and the third, Canterbury, gives the president but a half-hearted support. Mr. Atack, as we have admitted previously, has done memorable service for amateur sport of all kinds in New Zealand, but his very aualitv of nevsistence. which has hp.en.

so valuable to the cause of athletics in the past, is now doing harm, because the president is persisting in a course of action which must tend to divide the army. He seems to have set his teeth, and adopted a policy of "no surrender," but he could surely be made to recognise that his attitude must inevitably have the effect of undoing much of tho good work which he has manfully helped to do in other days. He has made a solid stand for his principle, which was wrong, and he can now, with all duo respect to his dignity, gracefully retreat.