TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 150, 25 June 1912, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY

Giving evidence yesterday to the Commis- _, . . sion on the Cost of btatistics for Living, Dr. M'lllray Public Purposes, complained that New Zealand had not a satisfactory system for the compilation and classification of data on economic questions. He clearly spoke the truth, as Dr. Hight, one member of the Commission, must know. Dr. Hight's assistant in the subject of economics at Canterbury College is Dr. M'Hraith, whose useful treatise on the "Course of Prices in New Zealand" was published a few weeks ago. Tho lack of trustworthy official statistics compelled the investigator to delvo laboriously among masses of papers. Yet all his industry could not make amends for the absence of official records of retail prices. The labour and cost of the present Commission are increased from the same cause. Indeed, if a careful statistical system had been in operation, the need of the Commission, so far as fluctuations of pric|es (wholesale and retail) and wages are concerned, would have been obviated. In New Zealand too much time and energy are given to certain statistics of which the value is doubtful, and not enough to the recording of economic movements of which reliable information i« a national necessity. Every five years, for instance, the Government has^an orgy of counting, enough to keep an army of men busy for many months. Some of the money and energy bestowed on the comprehensive five-year census (which reaches as far as the bees) should be given to more valuable statistical work. This subject is well Worth Parliament's attention. There, has been a huge waste of monoy on statistical trivialities — sometimes to satisfy the casual idle curiosity of a single member of Padia-ment— and no money has been available for such needed recording as Dr. M'lllray mentioned yesterday. The Governor, Ministers of the Crown, and citizens of all A Friend degrees, ( have joined of the People, in sending words of sympathy to the relatives of xiucklands splendid citizen, Six* John Logan Campbell. For many a year Auckland has been justly proud of that veteran friend of tho % public. He towered up monumentally in the North as one whose ideal was to have a living memorial in , the public heart— one whose wish was to do good for tli© ! public, year on year. To Auckland he | will be known as ono who 'gave an inspiring example of generous spirit, and to Now Zealand generally he will be known as one who strove unselfishly for the common good during difficult years. Auckland's Sir John Campbell, like Dunedin's Dr. Hocken, was ever eager to give service to tho public. They did not sparo themselves in their tireless efforts to help the people onward. This conspicuous trait in Sir John is mentioned' iv tho tributes to hi« moniory, and the wish is expressed that the country "will ccc others like him. Auckland hae from him an estate for all time, the beautiful park of One-Tree Hill, but, better than this, the city has the memory of a man whose heart was always with the people. One-Tree Hill is One-Man Hill for all men, iv perpetuity. Sir John was not a man to work ostentatiously. He did not arrange hie benefactions to bring a meed of praise He saw work to do for tho public, and he did it, because it was his earnest wish to be helpful to the community. His remarkable record of public-epirit-eduess is a noble stimulus to other men with a power of mind and personality to emulate his deeds. There is scope for riyah-y, and it could be a competition in .which the workers for the public, by tho greatness of their outlook, would be above the pettiness of personal jealousy. A message from Sydney to-day points to tho snowy erThe "Great Barrier" mine ol tho of Colour. Federal- Government's "White Australia" policy. The Herald ban been incensed at tho treatment ordered for the hnlf-Suniotiu wife of a British banker of Suva. He was vtaitihg Sydney with his -wifo, ajtd found a wall bristling

toms ignored the British clement of tho banker s wile. They <?aw only the South Sea pigm.en't, and they feared injury to tho Commonwealth. An indignant husband \ras obliged to give a guarantee that his wife would leave Australia within a month,: The Herald's trenchant comment on this extraordinary excess of zeal in the Customs Department 1b not without strong <:au«se. 'JnWs aanity is observed \A the Australian "white policy the country will plunge into a »c& of troubles. Such an incident as the one reported to-day amounts virtually to a mandate that Britons must not marry women whom tho Customs Department of Australia may 6-uepect of a streak of "colour/ Public opinion in Australia, cannot well favour any such attitude, and the public opinion of the world at large is agaiiiflt 1 it. A mixing of races, even when one of the parties to a union is only a balf-casle, jb not <J«sirable, but unreasonable indignities iuflicted on a husband and wife are not a. proper way of discouraging this sort of alliance. Tho Post has 'been a vigorous advocate of a "White New Zealand" policy; but wo should be sorry to ever uee the authori< ties making such a crude exhibition of themselves as the administrators of tho Australian law in the c«we under notice, Thi6 tsorl, of conduct & a. ridiculous travesty of justice— the conversion into farce of a law which was meant to be serious, on a fair basis ot common-sonse for national safety.