TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXVVII, Issue 36, 12 February 1909, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

4 . Much was expected of Mr. Massey at Palmerston, but his The '"Reform" new matter was conParty, fined to two sentences at the very end ol his speech. "The party now in Opposition," he declared, "is the Reform Party. That is the name by which it will be known in the future." This statement must be regarded rather as a wish and a prophecy than as an allegation of fact, and we are not sure that it will be realised. A party may style itself a Reform Party, but will not be known as such unless it brings forth fruits worthy of the name, and is regarded by the public as a genuine promoter of reform. It is, therefore, unfortunate for the Opposition that at the meeting where the new banner was for the fiist time unfolded £0 much emphasis was laid upon a question with regard to which the policy of the party spells not reform but reaction. While Mr. Massey continues to denounce even the principle of endowment as applied to the public estate, and his supporters, one after another, proclaim their return to be due to their thorough-going advocacy of the freehold, he must expect the average reformer to look with suspicion upon the right of the party to its new title. In other departments of public policy, and especially in the administrative sphere, Mr. Massey propounded an admirable constructive programme at the general election. It will be the zealous pushing of this programme, an 3 not his appeals to the cupidity of the Crown tenants, that will enable the public to regard his new alias for the Opposition without a smile. Another conference between members of the Wellington HosFever and the pita! Trustees and £15,000. the District Hospital Board has done something to lessen the difficulty about assessing the cost of a fever hospital. Mr. J, P. Luke, the board's chairman, who has consistently, opposed the £15,000

. , .—,. — , proposition, has established his case for the need of caution before the community is saddled with such a large burden. As the result of his strong stand, the trustees are to get another estimate and plans prepared for submission to the board. Mr. Luke hazarded a question whether it would be "fjood, sound sense" to put up a suitable wooden building, that could be to cremation in twenty years' time. "It would be, if the people of Wellington were prepared to build de novo," replied Dr. Frengley, District Health Officer, who thus rather failed to support Dr. Ewart's contention that a wooden, structure would become "saturated with germs" in about seven years. There are surely ways of preventing the bacilli from having a comfortable abid-ing-place on the wood. We have a very strong suspicion that wood, at no great cost} can be made germ-proof with the reasonable cleansing care which hospital authorities are supposed to exercise. If I a suitable establishing it could be done in wood and washable plaster for £5000, with a life of twenty years, it would be much better- policy than a brick institution, built "for all time," for a city in such a stage of .transition as Wellington is. Mr. Luke should put up a bold defence for the wood idea, which he advanced half-apologetically yesterday. The foreign outlook is decidedly more cheerful than it was aTh 9 Foreign few days ago. A settleOutlook, ment between Turkey and Bulgaria appears to be assured, and under the advice of Russia the Bulgarian reserves are already being demobilised in anticipation of the happy event. Further west an even more unexpected reconciliation has taken place. France and Germany, which for the last four years have endangered the peace of Europe by their differences about Morocco, have at last come to terms, and the pacific solution may be as far-reaching as the appeal to arms would undoubtedly have been. Britain, whose steady support of France through the long and painful ordeal is gratefully acknowledged in Paris, rejoices to think that room may yet be found for Germany also within the t entente. The London press applauds Germany's adoption of "a wise and moderate policy," and declares that it will contribute not a little to efface the suspicion which has grown up between vJreat Britain and Germany, and to draw Uie two countries together. Meanwhile King Edward's genial presence is promoting the happy process in Berlin. He j ms being greeted with " tremendous eni thusiasm " in the German capital, where \t is recalled that he is the first British sovereign to visit that city since 1723. yet, as George I. was himself a German, <md had been Elector of Hanover before he became King of England, the Berliners must go further back still to find a full parallel. The popular rejoicings in Berlin may be the beginning of great things for both nations concerned, and for the whole world. Some of Wellington's street puzzles will no longer worry visitors, Chaotic and even inhabitants of the Streets, city, if a subcommittee of the City Council, entrusted with the work of removing duplications of names, does not lose it&elf, as the Milk and Market Committees did. We advise the subcommittee to Have a guide in touring through Victoria-street and the tortuous Boulcott-street. Duplication of names Is only one of Wellingj ton's several grievous street troubles, j which The Post detailed in a couple of : -pecial articles last year. Some streets, I which should have thiee names, have to struggle about, and in and out, with one, and others which would be happy with only one name are burdened with two or three. There are traps for the unwary all over the city, and the people, almost too sluggish, to make a pro- j test, have calmly tolerated the nuis- • ance. Again, some streets are handi- ! capped with, names which aie a constant irritation to people who have respectable, reasonable nerves. It is sur- ! prising that property owners have not j made a move to get some much-needed changes effected. Persons cutting up i ground for close settlement should not Be allowed to get any sort of name passed, to stick out for ever and ever for the annoyance of generation after generation. While the subcommittee is considering the various phases of street confusion ;n; n Wellington, it should not overlook the fact that the city is mostly a wilderness by night for people in search of an address, and is far from satisfactory even in the day-time. The City Council has decided to rule biograph films out of orA Puzzled der for Sunday concerts, ' Inquisitor, not because the "living pictures" are necessarily a desecration of the Sabbath, but be- ] cause their presentation entails a certain amount of labour. Thus one responsi- ! bility is removed from the Town Clerk, ! Mr. J. R. Palmer, who is the Lord Chamberlain or Grand Inquisitor in these matters. It is for him to decide what music, instrumental or vocal, is suitable for the elevation of the masses on Sunday evenings. In the absence of srjecinc instructions from the City Council, as has to rely on his own commonsense. His view of the people's need and the decencies leads him to reject comic songs and rag-time music ; they are unholy, for Sunday use, but all else may be sacred. It is rather too great a burden to put upon the Town Clerk. He has many cares concerned with rates, reports, and other things incidental to the affairs of a large corporation. Between a telephone call and the writing of a memorandum to somebody about street encroachments at j JV.elbu.rne, he cannot be expected to exercise his mind in puzzling out the line where the unseemly parts from the decorous for Sunday entertainments. In ruling out the kinematograph, the City Council has done part of its duty ; much remains to be done. What about the bylaw regarding the voluntary contributions of the public at the doors of the theatres? Is it sufficiently respected by the promoters of concerts? The council might appoint a cbuple'of scrutineers of programmes, men known to be of a reasonable frame of mind. Any proposed item, about which each of the arbiters was strongly opposed to the other, could be omitted straightaway. It would be undesirable to have a committee so constitute^ >that either a conventionally "sacred" element or a very "worldly" element might have too great a preponderance.

As a sequel to a horse deal between two cabmen, Wm. Webb took action age inst Michael Lane in the civil court, bsfcri Dr. A. M'Arthur, yesterday afternoon, for £10, for recovery of a horse, and £5 for alleged wrongful detention oL the animal. On behalf of the plaintiff, it was stated that the horse was a gift or a straight-out sale, the corsider.-ifion being that plaintiff paid pcindage fees, for which defendant was liable. Defendant, in denying the claim, stated that Webb reported to him the seriousness of a certain injury, which the horse (then in the pound) was suffering from. Witness at the time remarked that the horse was of no use to him, whereupon Webb asked if he could have it. Afterwards witness discc\eied that Webb had misrepresented the state of the horse, and accordingly took it back. Further hearing of the case was adjourned until the 25th inst., in order to obtain evidence from an absent witness