LONDON GQSSIP.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 23, 28 January 1911, Page 11

LONDON GQSSIP.

NOTES AND COMMENTS "UNIVERSAL" TRAINING IN NEW ZEALAND. (From Our Own Correspondent.*) LONDON, 16th December. Major Boyd-Wilson contributes to the Army and Navy Gazette an article on the new Defence Act in New Zealand which does not givo much confidence in the scheme from the "universal" point of view. By omitting to provide a means for the selection of tho 3690 mon who will annually be required for the Territorial Army out of a total available— after exemptions of 5000, the "House has failed to perform a most obvious duty, and has allowed to pass out of its hands the settling of a most vital question which, in the interests of the community, in the interests of the defence of the country, in tho interests of tho Territorials, and last, but not least, in Ihe interests of the recruits themselves, should have been thoroughly threshed out on the floor of tho House. Thus the vejy keystone of tho whole fabric, the pivot upon which the harmonious and effective working of the defence scheme depends, the most intricate question that requires solution is left to regulations. And if tho regulations on the subject are at all loosely worded the door will at once bo open for tho pulling of strings all over tho country, political and petticoat influence will receive an open field for their baneful efforts, and grave dissatisfaction may follow." Major Boyd-Wilßon suggests as a remedy that thoao who are not chosen for the Territorial Force or legally exempted shbuld receive a training in some quasi-military occupation, such as transport, hospital, orderlies, etc., and compelled to devote an equal amount of time to the service of the State. CAPTAIN HAMILTON'S CASE. As the result of a letter from the Bank of New Zealand, Truth comes down a little in its comments on the case of Captain Hamilton. "For my own part," says the writer, "I never for a moment supposed that an institution of the high standing of the Bank of New Zealand had been guilty of anything in the nature of fraudulent or improper dealing. The finding of the committee was that Captain Hamilton suffered a. serious wrong, and that his claim to redress deserved the .favourable consideration of the Government. The ceizure of the estate during a period of financial difficulty may have been a perfectly justifiable step from the point of view of the bank — a step which the management was indeed bound to take in the interests of its own shareholders. But it may, nevertheless, have been a great hardship to the owner." CHRISTMAS COLONIAL MAILS. While there has been an increase in the foreign and colonial mails this year, the bags for New Zealand remain the same as last year — namely, 2100. The bags for India, China, and Ceylon number 12,800, against 11,900 last year, and Australia has gone up from 5000 last year to 5400 this year. South Africa shows a small increase from 6850 to 7000. For the four weeks ending 3rd December, the total number of bago despatched by all routes was 89,400, as against 95,000 In 1909, aawl- the number of articles sent in bags from the foreign sections of the G.P.O'. was 29,000,000, as against 17,800,000 last year. The Canadian Christmas mail, which remains open for another week, is not included in these figures. PAUPER PENSIONS. The Daily Mail ,has written to the masters of 481 workhouses in England and Wales in order to obtain a representative census of pensioners now in workhouses who intend to avail themselves of their right to leave _the workhouse on Ist January and live "upon tbeir oldage pension of 5s per week. According to the figures supplied, there are 29,955 eligibles and only 5046 have applied for tho pension. Some of the maeters confidently predict that those who go out will either die within a short time from privation or speedily seek again the shelter and care of the institution. THE COLONISERS. Lord Norton (son of the first Lord, so well known as Mr. Adderley) writes in comment on Mr. Reeves's lecture at Birmingham University. "It was due to Lord Cobham and my own father and men like Edward Gibbon Wakefield and Mr. John Godley that New Zealand obtained her first colonists and self-gov-ernment with responsibility, in days when mention of anything colonial in House of the British Commons sent the members one by one to dinner. Even Gladstone, Bright and Cobden were uot convinced of the colonies being a valuable asset to the Motherland." Lord Norton remarks : "Had our first settlers occupied the South and not the North Island, the Maoris would have assassinated without much bloodshed, as the North Island was alone occupied by Maoris." TRAINING MERCANTILE OFFICERS. A company has been incorporated with a capital of £50,000, entitled Devitt and Moore's Ocean Training Ships, Ltd., for the purpose of further developing the scheme inaugurated some years since by Lord Brassey and Messrs Devitt and Moore for the training of officers for the merchant service. The subscribers to this company are Mr. T. L. Devitt, Lord Brassey, the Union Castle Company, the Cunard Compary, the Booth Steamship Company, and the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company. The company has acquired the two ships Port Jackson and Medway, and further vessels will be secured as the scheme is further developed. These training ships, now loading in Australia, have all the cadets on board that can be accommodated.