OF N.Z. INTEREST

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 90, 13 October 1923, Page 7

OF N.Z. INTEREST

HIGH PORT CHARGES

UNENLIGHTENED CHRISTIANITY

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPOND!!!!.)

LONDON, 7th September.

"Backward be our watchword" eeems to be the motto of religious folk in New Zealand, says Mr. Sydney Kick, in a very candid summary of his impressions in "The Purley Times." "The Christian World" seems to think Mr. Kick's opinion worthy of comment, and has the following in a current number.

"Scotsmen were dominant in New Zealand, as in Canada, among the pioneer emigrants, and they, we suppose, are largely responsible for the stereotyped theological conservatism. Only once— at the Anglican Cathedral—did Mr. Kick hear a preacher with the accent of a prophet and with the assured knowledge which modern times demand. We must allow for the fact that the tides of fresh religious thought and knowledge lap feebly when they reach far-off New Zealand. Mr. Kick found a good nuniber of able preachers, but they strangely lacked the modern note. The religious public, indeed, becomes noisily hostile if the modern note is heard. Still more disquieting is Mr. Kick's report of the sway of wandering evangelists—ignorant, fanatical, sensational. 'The more hugger-mugger the subject, the greater the crowd.' But amid the prevalent religious frothiness Mr. Kick testifies to the presence of 'many sober-minded, steady-going, truly Christian souls throughout the Dominion.' Both Anglican and Free Church modernists might evidently do a really good evangelistic work if they sent some of their best men to preach an enlightened Christianity under the Southern Cross." WARNING TO PREMIERS. A far from complimentary photograph of Mr. Massey is reprinted in "The Birmingham Gazette," and the paragraph attached seems to be a note of warning to all the visiting Prime Ministers. ''The Dominion Premiers and representatives who are on their way to London for the Imperial Conference may i well look with a little alarm on the pro- , gramme of social entertainment which is being prepared for them. They are to be dined and feted in the most lavish manner, and one can iinagine that some of them will be inclined to wish the hospitality were a little less generous betore they have finished their labours. On the occasion of . the last Imperial Conference there were several 'casualties' as a result of too much dining-out the digestions proving unequal to the strain imposed upon them." SHIPPING CHARGES. Although the criticisms of the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom relating to excessive port charees in NewZealand have evoked replies" from the I Dominion (says "The Shipping World") they have not been satisfactorily answered. Indeed, sucli criticisms "found support m Mr. R. \v. Dalton's last report on the trade of that country and as the British Trade Commissioner for New Zealand, he assuredly wrote with authority. "A very great deal," he observes, "could be done in New Zealand itself to better conditions as regards cost of transportation of New Zealand produce. Leaving out of account entirely the cost of getting stock and milk to freezing works and dairy factory respectively, and frssi these works to port, the delay and extra cost caused by large steamers calling at a number of ports round the coast, instead of being able to lift their cargo at one port, or at most two, materially adds to the cost of sending New Zealand produce home." The figures recently quoted by us are proof of this remark, and the remedy is for New Zealand to recognise that "overseas vessels can trade more economically, and will be able to quote lower rates if'they load and unload in one or two ports, instead of a number. This means the development of a coastal trade for the purpose' of collecting and distributing the produce, and the establishment on a, much extended scale of coastal refrigerated services. In this way efficiency and economy will be alike promoted. - A LINK WITH CARDIFF. "The Western Mail" records the death of Mrs. Mary Collins, of Cardiff. "She was the. mother of Mi. T. D. Collins, who some years ago, when Labour extremism threatened to overrun New Zealand," says "The Mail," "formed a society which later became the aggressive National Party of New Zealand. When* the party was in full power, Mr. Collins was made general secretary, and in that capacity he was responsible for several strong nationalistic moves in New Zealand. At present he is in charge of a large printing establishment in Australia issuing, omoii; other periodicals, the well-known 'Australasian Wireless Review.' "Another son is Mr. Daniel Collins of the Cardiff Fire Brisade, who a short time ago was presented with medals for life-saving. He hoMs the Humane Society's medal, the Cardiff Watch Committee's medal, and the medal of the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire." CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY SYSTEMS. Mr. Alan E. Mulgen, writing from Auckland, describes for the benefit of "Daily Mail" readers the operations of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, and shows what benefits have befin derived from co-operation. "What has all this got to do with the troubles of the English farmer?" he asks in conclusion. "That is for the Englishman to say; the above facts arc offered as possibly suggesting certain ways in which the lot of the Home farmer could be improved. Dominion producers often discuss British farming and find it hard to understand why the British farmer is iv such a bad way. The lahd here is no better than his, aoid the best of it jb dearer —some of it much dearer. There is, however, "the groat advantage of climate. New Zealanders axe nofc obliged to house their cattle and horses in winter; indeed, in many parts it is not even necessary to rug stock. Nor is winter feed anything like so serious a matter as in England. No doubt the system here of freehold tenure confers other advantages. Against all this, however, is the fact that the English producer is at the door of the English market, whereas New Zealand producers are 12,000 miles distant. It may be that, co-operation is much less important to British farmers, but might not its adoption make a considerable difference to the British fanning industry?" TROUBLES IN THE PACIFIC. Dr. G. H. Scholefield, 0.8.8., contributes an interesting article to tfie journal of the Oversea League on "Some of our Troubles in the Pacific." In this he describes what has happened in Samoa, since it was taken over by New Zealand at the beginning of the wax. Referring to the past and present grievances in the Islands he writes: "The most favoured change is sought by transferring the Islands to the Colonial Office, which, being more remote, is generally more respected than the Dominion Governments. Whether this would be any more agreeable to the whites in times of depression is very doubtful. The Colonial Office is just as insistent as the Dominion Governments on the ■ paranw.Uni JAiifiC^S^^SJiatiYSS yvher-

ever there may be a conflict, and as re* girds labour for the plantations, it is the Colonial Office itself that has for-: bidden the further indenturing of Solomon boys for work outside their own. islands. Then, again, we have in Fiji, which is the prime example of Colonial Office government in the Pacific, almost a worse condition of discontent than anywhere else. The fall in the price of sugar, and the resultant reduction of the price given by the C.S.R. for cage, has driven many white planters out of business. The great Indian population, which threatens shortly to outnumber all other nationalities, is not at all a satisfactory factor. It has already by agitation and revolt, obtained an increased representation in the Government, and the white population is not at all e«sy as to the ultimate outcome of thfc movement. Fearing the full accomplishment of self-government, with the inevitable ascendancy of the Indian element, they have long since resigned themselves to remaining permanently under Crown t-olony Government. ... As for tha grievances of whites and natives m'tha Islands, I believe they will disappear with a return of trade prosperity, and especially a 5 it is realised that the rule I .of Australia and New Zealand is intelligent and well-intentioned, and, abovq all, is permanent."