TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 88, 13 April 1912, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Three candidates for the Mayoralty, Messrs. Bias! Smith, Ihe Mayoral and Wright, met yeaFour, terday to discuss a delicate diplomatic suggestion that two of them should retiro and leave one to face Labour's champion, Mr. M'Laren. The three parted as they had met— each with a iriendly resolve to do his beat to commend himself to the burgooes. We have been . eager to witness a keen contest for the city's sake, such a contest ac could fairly and squarely eecure for the citizens the man best qualified to wisely direct the large and complicated affairs of the municipality. The fact that' four candidates are in the field, and that three of them havo to compete for such votes as Mr. M'Laren and his supporters in the United Labour Party may not command, muet assure a spirited struggle, but with the present electoral law the man most capable of- managing the city's business may not be returned. The element of luck is now largely mixed up with the matter of merit, so that the wishes of a majority of citizens may be defeated. However, there is one comfort, that Mr. M'Laren's opponents must now feel that they have to go "all out" hi the effort to top th& poll, and the rivalry should result in. a thorough overhauling of civic affairs. The citizens should be enabled to see what has to be done, even if the defective electoral system denies the place of power to the man best fitted to attend to the doing. We havo no desire to see any class or party feelmg brought into this election of a Chief Magistrate, whose duty will be to act intelligently, with all proper dignity, on behalf'of Greater Wellington. The flity'e need is a man of business, without bias. Time was whdn a Mayor's duties were largely social and ceremonial; ho was a mbre or less ornamental head of a body with limited activities. The times have changed, and the qualities for Mayoral office have to be distinctly "of the useful order. Wellington is a city which ha« ( invested about £2,000,000 in municipal services, including about £600,000 in the tramways. Most of the responsibility for the prudent management of the city's N finance resta on the Mayor, who has necessarily to be skilled in this important department if the city's interests 1 , are not to suffer. A year's muddloment in finance may give a city a serious set-back. We have yet to hear the address of Mr. Bies, but from what we remember of his services on the City Council and his knowledge of the tramways we are confident that his business ability will appeal to a large number of thoughtful ratepayers, whose burdens will be increased unless the city's business is skilfully and prudently managed. If hia breadth of outlook is proportionate to his knowledge of finance, Mr. Biss should be able to find & very large measure of support. Mr Herctis, manager of the Kaiapoi Clothing Company, Starving Christchurch, is comthe plaining, according to a , Trades. special telegram in The Post to-day, that the technical schools are turning out an absurdly disproportionate number of clerks and typists (of both sexes). Tho voice of trad© for the hands and minds of girls is little heeded, but the call of commerce for the 3lerk and the typist brings a supply in excess of the demand. The fact to which Mr. Hercus has drawn public atteution has been repeatedly noted in these columns. In a comment last November on technical education, based on official statistics, we expressed doubt whether the sum of £50,000 devoted to manual and technical instruction for the year under reriew was achieving results equal to the popular belief. "Our examination of the subject in previous articles," we said, "set out our opinion that the plan was not yet on a basis commensurate with the country's real needs. The doctrino of the best minds on the subject of technical education is that it must be in harmony with the lines of a country's development, but we have shown that the percentages of students attending day and evening classes last year were :—: — Commercial pursuits, 16.8; professional, 17.9 ; agricultural, 8.7 ; various trades, 16.9. Commercial and professional students unduly preponderate Agitation can help to promote improve ment, but nothing great will be done till strong men volunteer to think hard and work hard." It ie true that the agricultural percentage is gradually working upward, bub the making of clerks and typi&tA in still on a scale t<y distress thb captains of industry, primary ivnd secondary. Wellington is definitely to see provision for a National Art Good Pictures Gallery in the plans for of the new Dominion the People. Museum, and Wellington has th© opportunity to prove to all New Zealand that the capital is worthy of that honour. We are pleased to sco that the appeal for funds to 6ecure somo of the host works of Britain's best urtiats is not being made in vain. There is good reason to hope that all cla&i*» of the community will be presently working vigorously in this gveat public cause. The Chamber of Coiumoro© is to discus* this national subject on Monday, and it is anticipated, that ■the result will bt> «

determination of business men to do nil in their power to achieve an ideal which must be penoflcial to the city, even from a utilitarian view-point. A well-furnish-ed picture gallery must necessarily add more than, a cubit to Wellington s, material stature. The Bank of New Zealand, with a splendid gift, has sot an example to kindred institutions. This recognition oi' a great public cause mu6t stimulate those who are toiling diligently for a national purpose. Aid may alco be fairly expected from the United Labour Party, according to the terms of clause 12 of the municipal charter :—: — "Maintenance of public educational and recreation facilities in the way of bathe, playing grounds, gymnasiums, libravieß, museum, zoological and botanical gardens, public music, art gallery, aud ire© public pictures. " This is a movement for "free public pictures," the best that this country can hope to get, but they cannot be got without funds. The amount necessary to assure an adequate representation of educative, inspiring; British talent for tho projected" gallery calls for th« co-operation of all the citizens, because the movement is for tho good of all, more so for the people who are not rich than for those who are ablo to buy good picture* for their own. homes. Therefore, it is a call for shillings as well as pounds, and for penco where shillings cannot be spared. One fact has to be well remembered. By the help of Mr. John Baillio, a native of Wellington, the pictures aye thoroughly representative of British art, and they are available at a lower price than would have beon emoted without the influence which his position in the art world of Britain and his personality were able to exert, Wanganui is already a competitor, for it is reported to-day' that the Wanganui Borough Council has allotted £10(X) from the Sarjeant bequest to the purchase of pictures from the Baillie collection. Funds subscribed for the National Gallery purpose will have first call on the collection, and it is for Wellington to make sure that this first call will be a strong one.