TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 73, 29 March 1910, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Not dreamerp alone are the makers of castles in the air. The Ca^tlen in Hon. K. M'Kenzie, the Air. often said to be a "pi.trtkal man," can take his turn at building in the cloud*. In Auckland (lie other day he talked pleaHintly about tho fSovern'ment's proposal to borrow £600.000 v year to develop wntfi' jiowei , and lie genially mentioned that by mtfii ienlly j-hockini? tho ntmoppheri' with electricity, to mukc it hurrender il« nitrogen, thin country could employ 10,000 men in the iniuiufacUive of fertilising nitrate.*. In fact, he gaily Ravi* mil mi uKtimnto that the wntctpovwr of (lu'n count! y could be iifit'd to JtirnUh £6,000,000 worth of uitrat«H per yetr. Then Uioie aro the waves of the

sea, the geysers, and other factors still to be reckoned (Mr. M'Kenzio did not include them in his calculation). Wo do not quite Ree how the Government came to suddenly get this immense amount of water 09 its brain. One day there wos a controversy with private neople abouU leasejf, and next day 'the Premier was out with a notion of hpending £500,000 a year in tho harnessing of rivers and waterfalls. If the Government* house weie in order, one might be able to understand this burst of electrical energy, but the Government ha« still plenty to do in the varioiih ordinary departments. It has a large amount of work left over from last session, including the great land issue, and, apart from policy questions, ithe Ministers should be having busy days in trying to combine efficiency with economy in their departments. The rivers and the waterfalls seem to be like new toys for the Government at a time when there is much important work claiming all the energy that the Ministers can command. The result of the second Test Match, N which concludes The Second Test, this evening on the Basin Reserve, has, so far, only served to" show the great disparity between our best cricket and that of the Australians. It must be apparent to the intelligent mind that our visitors are in a class or two beyond us yet, but this can hardly be wondered at, since the conditions under which the game flourishes iv the two countries ran j hardly be compared. Here the soil is I still, and has been, uncongenial soil, wherein the tender willow tree has not been encouraged. Its shoots have been allowed to grow untrimmed and untended, and the result is as we see it to-day. And until New Zealand goes in for nurseries on a business-like system, we shall always lag behind in the cricket world. There is no reason at all why it should be so. These islands can breed football, tennis, rifle, sculling, running, and other champions, and it is evident that there must \>e the material here for the making of the first-class cricketer. There is, there has been, and there will be this material. But here, as in Australia and elsewhere, there must be a systematic, encouragement of the young player who, unless he is a born genius, if he would reach the top must be taken in hand and given over to the teacher who can set his feet and hands aright. Cricket in New Zealand has been a proper step-child : allowed to hustle for its own existenre, and work out its own salvation as best it might. And to-day we have a New Zealand representative team composed mostly of men who have been playing a secondrate game for years, simply for the lack of the necessary assistance. It is a bad sign to see a predominance of middleagad (in a cricket sense) men battling for their country on the cricket field : it indicates that the youngsters are not worthy. And why? The reason is obvious. ,The game requires more liurturing, more encouragement, more attention. To-day we are proud of our football. To-morrow let us be equally proud of our cricket. Let the colts be given a chance to show the best in them. And to that end we must have good grounds and good instruction. Such matches as the present, we believe, will be productive of not a little benefit. The artistic batting, fielding, and even the bowling of the Australians should afford some enlightenment to local players, especially the juniors, who, in Wellington cricket at any rate, have had such a poor example of late. Farce has fast followed on melodrama in Auckland over the Is the Cabinet Knyvctt episode. The In Danger? Indignation Committee, after failing to conquer the Ministry by moral suasion, is resorting to wrath nnd dire ire. "Arm, arm, and out," is the battlp-cry that has thundered through iSew Zealand. A rebel host is up to hurl Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues 'rora the Treasury Benches. The generalissimo, Mr. J. S. Dickson, of the attacking forces, commenting on the Premier's refusal to reopen tho Knyvett case, said, with a dramatic force worthy of an old Roman ambassador: — "Sir Joseph Ward's reply is nothing short of a challenge to the committee and the Auckland public, and we are taking it up. We are out for a fight." The Indignation Committee has impetuously anticipated a sweeping victory. The Government is given the gloomy vision of a rout on a vole of no-confidence, to be followed by a general election. The Hon. G. Fowlds is threatened with loss of his seat if he runs counter to the Indignation Committee when again wooing tho electors of Grey Lynn. "There's for you," is practically the ultimatum of that dreadful, pitiless committee. The Government, however, can well laugh at the no-confidence proposition. Mr. Massey has declared that no will not treat the Knyvett subject as a party matter. He has expressed his willingness to assist in carrying the affair to the steps of King Edward's throne, but he haß the wisdom to indicate to his followers in Parliament that they need not vote in accordance with the wishes of the Indignation Committee. It is to be fervently hoped that this fiery committee will be content with writing letters and making speeches. New Zealand may be able to put up with the writing and the speaking, but has no desire for bombs. The committee in in a very explosive mood. Perhaps it is well that the offices of tho headquarters staff on Mount Ceok have very thick walls. It would indeed be a pity if the comedy suddenly developed i«te a horrible tragedy. Elephants and lions are game bii? enough for most hunRoosevelt's ters, but they aie not Big Game. large enough for Mr. Roosevelt. He wearied at last ot the rhase of enormous creatures over waste spaces and in the dense forest, and turned to more exciting sport. Ho found it in eld Egypt. By the ancient Nile he has spoken modern doctrine, and, fresh from facing Hhe ravening lion and the insidious snake, ho cared not how the native population would take his words. Openly, boldly, he praised the British administration of the Soudan, and straightway Egyptian Nationalists beqau to murmur against the vibitor. It was thought that when the American reached Cairo he might have a rude reception, but Mr. Roosevelt's lucky star saved him. In a speech he took an unexpected turn. He devoted himself to a "striking address" to native journalists about their dutievand lesponsibilities. This practice will equip the ex-President for his sojourn with tho Kaiser next month. He is to be with the Emperor for three days in and about Berlin Castle, and in that time ha should be nblo to get off a few homilies nt King Edward's nephew. The great Republican has now a chance to tone up the "effete monarchies" of Europe, and when he has suitably prescribed for them he will have leisure to examine the deeds und words of his successor at home, "Bill" Taft. Thi3 ruler has not been so happy in phrase-making as his predecessor, but he has uttered a few striking sayings. Discussing the Monine Doctrine Ihe other day, Mr. Taft ha id that "it oft-en provoked the danger of war, which was only avoided because the Lord looked after fools, drunkards, and the United States." He might have added "Trusts:" while he w;is in that 11 reverent mood. Obviously there ishtill >-ome big game left in the United States l for "Teddy" Hoosovelt.