DEMOCRACIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 59, 11 March 1937, Page 10

DEMOCRACIES

FUNCTIONS ABROAD

TRAVELLER'S IMPRESSIONS

"Some Impressions ot Democracy at Work'"1 was the title of an address-de-livered by Mr. T. D. H. Hall, Clerk of the House of Representatives, who was the chief guest and speaker at the New Zealand Club luncheon today. Mr. James Mclntosh presided.

Mr. Hall recently visited the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, and Germany, and his remarks were made from observations in those countries. In the first place, he dwelt on the different characteristics he observed in those countries, and drew comparisons between the United States and Britain. Dealing with the United States, he stressed the difficulties that were apparent through the widely differing interests of parts of the country; for instance, the east coast's interests as compared with those of the west's. Another problem was the sovereignty of the States, and, again, there was the problem of the racial combinations. In America there were large numbers of foreigners—former inhabitants of Central Europe—iwhose countrymen had not been able to maintain democracies. But these foreigners had become American citizens and were given the right to elect State and Federal Governments. Then there were those who were only waiting and ready to follow a leader, attracted by a catch-cry of some description. The type of employee in the permanent public service in America he described as magnificent. Crossing to France, Mr. Hall was impressed by the patriotism of the people. Another aspect which impressed him was the verbal ferocity of the rival political parties. . "By the excess of their language they apparently work off their ardour," he remarked. "It is true that a Frenchman is patriotic enough to die for his country, but the trouble is he won't pay his income tax," he remarked, amidst laughter. During his visit to Great Britain he was depressed with the physique of some of the people and the marked division between wealth and poverty. THE ESSENTIALS. s "What are the essential features of democracy?" he asked, in conclusion. Did democracy warrant being maintained because it assured incomes? Was it worth saving because it was essential to win the support of the masses of the people of a definitely lower order of intelligence? Was a .democracy worth saving in which it did not matter what Government was elected as long as there was a good Public Service? One was apt to take as a definition of democracy Lincoln's famous phrase, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people," but that was liable, like all pregnant phrases, to misconstruction. If one examined the structure of society in the world one found at the head of things imperatives. The laws of Nature must be obeyed. Beauty and truth must be followed, and if one believed in the Divine order, the commands of God demanded utmost obedience. Therefore, it would seem that the inner structure of things was monarchic. Did a democracy therefore mean the free choice by the people of leaders who would implement those imperatives? Mr. Hall was presented by Mr. Lambert with a silver kiwi mounted on greenstone as a memento of his address.

Whey, once a troublesome waste product of skim milk, is now being turned to profitable use in the making of lactic acid in America. In the past lactic acid has been made from molasses, corn starch, and other fermentable sugar sources, but the use of surplus milk for this purpose opens a new source of income for dairymen. Whey is a by-product of the manufacture of casein from skim milk. Lactic acid is used in the textile industry, in baking, in hardening pickles, soda fountain beverages, medicines, lacquers, and in the leather industry to neutralise lime used to remove hair from hides.