FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1935, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

PEOM "THE POST"

ADVANCE OF DEMOCRACY

"One by one ( the old forms of Par- ' liament seem to be falling into disuse, and a rough and ready style of doing business is substituted for them," re- , marks. "The Post" of this date fifty years ago. "We are not at all sure ' that the change is any improvement. These old forms, although they sometimes excited a smile, and seemed unnecessary, yet had their uses. They gave a certain amount of dignity to the proceedings, and were calculated to impress members with ths idea of the august character of a Parliament- .' ary Assembly, to remind them of what was due to their position, and to maintain traditional associations. Now, the tendency is rather to reduce Parliamentary proceedings to the ordinary public-meeting style of business. For instance, the way Bills are now introduced, in an easy off-hand manner, differs most materially from the sol/emn proceedings of a few years ago, when Sir David Monro was in the . chair. Then, when a member had obtained leave to introduce a Bill, he left his seat and approached the foot of the table, when the Speaker, becoming conscious of his presence, " addressed him in sonorous tones by uttering his name, 'Mr.. Jones,' to which-Mr. Jones would reply, 'I have a Bill, Sir.' Then Mr. Speaker would say, 'Bring up the Bill,' whereupon Mr. Jones would bow and advancing ~ to the Clerk hand him the Bill. Now, although this little performance is still supposed to be gone through, it is slurred over in -by no means an impressive, manner. This session another form, seems to have been aban- • doned. Messages from the Legislative Council have always heretofore been- presented by one of the . Clerks of the Council, at the bar of the House, to one of the Clerks of. the House. ■ This session the placing of the bar, • and the ushering in1 of the Clerk, of the Council by the Sergeant-at-Arms seems to be dispensed with, the Clerk simply coming inside the door and handing the message to the Sergeant-at-Arms. We are getting extremely democratic." LAND FOR SETTLEMENT. "The Government yesterday acquired, by a judgment of the Land Court at Palmerston North, their share of the celebrated Mangatainoko Block, Forty-Mile Bush. The area of the block is 60,000' acres, and the Crown • has been awarded 42,000 acres, repre- ■ senting the shares acquired. by pur- ; chase. Negotiations for the purpose of acquiring this block were began as long ago as 1872, by the Provincial Government, and have been carried on slowly, ever since. When the present Government came into office they found a dead-lock; the remaining owners refused to sell, and there was no hope of acquiring the block until the Greek Kalends, under the ordinarysystem' of dealing. Fortunately, the Land Court Act gave the Court power to cut out the portion to which the ■ Crown was, entitled, and the power was at once invoked, with the result announced. The quality of the land ■'. is the finest in the colony, limestone country, arid the , block : adjoins the main road between Masterton and '-.Woodville. The remainder of >the . block;is still under"proclamation, and can be purchased when the Natives 1 are disposed, to sell. . The transaction is one, particularly gratifying from a Wellington point of view, as room is created for a considerable increase to the agricultural population of the ~' Wairarapa." I ' ;"■', UNCHARTED ROCKS. "The result of; the. Magisterial inquiry into the striking of the lonic on "a shoal to the southward of Cape Palliser, although it completely exonerates Captain Cameron, reveals a . very startling condition of affairs, involving almost criminal neglect on the part of someone. A magnificent . vessel, with a valuable cargo arid over a hundred t human beings on board, narrowly escapes' wreck by striking the bottom, while pursuing a course which, according to the Admiralty . charts, is open water and free from all dangers. At the inquiry, three of the best nautical authorities of the . port come forward and testify that they have been aware for many years ' of the existence of a shoal in the place where the vessel. struck, and . were also aware that the shoal was not marked on the Admiralty charts. Captain Holliday added, moreover, that he knew several other rocks and . shoals which were not marked on the charts, and instanced two rocks in the vicinity of the Heads. There is a very old story of a pilot who once assured a ship's captain, who was suspicious of his competency, that he knew every rock in the neighbourhood, and who, when the ship struck, shouted out, 'That's one of them.' The story is not irrelevant to the case of the lonic. What is the use of our port authorities knowing that certain dangers exist, if their knowledge is . not turned to proper account by the . dangers being indicated on the charts? . We do not know who is to blame ,in the matter. It rests apparently . between the port authorities and the Marine Department. A statement is current that a report of a shoal in the vicinity of Cape Palliser was sent in to the Government as far back as 1 1872.' But whether this is true or not, the fact remains that at the entrance of a port now visited almost ■ every week by ocean-going steamers, ' the captains of which depend for their guidance upon the charts with which ' they are provided", there dangers unknown to them, on which they may come to grief .at an moment, while tinder the assurance, according to their charts, of perfect safety. The probability is that Wellington is not singular 'in this respect, but that dangers of a similar'character at the entrances of other large ports are also . unmarked on the charts. The inquiry of yesterday points to a state of things which requires immediate investigation." TROUBLE IN AFGHANISTAN. "The internal revolt which has occurred in Afghanistan can scarcely fail to produce serious results in regard to the' relations of England and Eussia towards that country and towards each other. It may or may not be true that Isa Khan is aided by Russian allies. It is scarcely probable, we think, that he is openly aided by Russian forces, although there may be more than a suspicion that his action is instigated by Russia, and that future support may have been promised to him. To openly aid a rebellion would, however, scarcely *• suit Russia just at present, for such aid would mean defiance to England. The Ameer was placed upon his throne by England, and he has an offensive and defensive alliance with that country. England is bound to protect him not only from foreign attack, but, if necessary, to assist him in maintaining his authority over any rebellious section of his own people. If Russia openly allied itself with the rebels he would, no doubt, call on England to aid him, and the demand could not be resisted. Undoubtedly this rebellion will very much complicate the Afghan question, and it will very likely precipitate a collision between the two European Powers concerned