THE WEEK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 2748, 15 June 1894, Page 2

THE WEEK.

The death duties proposed by the Chancellor of the British Exchequer hare raised a great storm. It must be admitted that the cables are none too clear, bat it appears that the Chancellor wishes to get taxation on colonial property inherited bj residents of Great Britain whether they are returned colonists domiciled there or persons who have never hacra. it* "fclin rnlnznna — TTifi onmnHninh

ments would certainly take toll, and then the British Government would come in with its claim, and the double taxation wonld be terribly: heavy. The meaning of it is, we suppose, that the colonies as regards this question are to be in exactly the same position as any foreign country, and an Englishman may as well invest his property in Turkey as Australasia. There is no xecognition of the Colonial Governments as part of the Imperial system; and if the Chancellor can get his duty from colonial property he means to take it. Of course as one of the most pitiless of the Little Englanders Sir William Harcourt is true to his political creed in this action, but the proposal comes curiously from a Cabinet whose Premier is the most advanced among the advocates of the broad Imperial idea, and who is supposed to look to Imperialism as the solution of the constitutional difficulties of the day.

The victory of a lady again this year in the Cambridge Tripos, the achievement of a position higher academically than even that of Senior Wrangler, is an honor to the sex and a fresh, argument in favor of granting women's rights to the fullest extent. The position at the University of Cambridge, an authority explains, is that the triposes or honor examinations for the B.A. degree in mathematics, classics, natural science, moral science, bistory, mediaeval and modern languages, Indian languages, Semitic language* and theology are open to women ; but apparently in the case of women the degree is not conferred, but merely a certificate declaring that they have attained a certain standard. Miss Johnson in her victory follows in the footsteps of Mißs Faucet, who, a few years ago, achieved a similar height in the scholastic world.

This academic incident brings to mind another notable piece of work by a woman. The many people who have read and enjoyed John Eichard Green's- History "of the English People will be much interested to know that his mantle as a historian appears to have fallen on his widow. Mrs Green has lately published what The Times describes as an important wor k — « Town Life m the Fifteenth Century " — and of which The Times gives a most favorable criticism. Interest attaches to the work from the circumstance that, as Mrs Green says, the only training and guidance she ever had in historical work was in a very brief period, during which she was able to watch the method and understand the temper in which her late husband's work was done. O£ the manner in which the authoress has discharged her self-imposed task of writing the history of institutions to which, The Times holds, our national freedom owes so much, the critic says, it must be pronounced memorable not only as filling for the first time a conspicuous breach in our historical literature, but aB an example of a woman's attainment of certain masculine faculties, rarely found in historians of her sex — the powers of selection, of condensation, of severe repression, and of generalization. The closing yeare of the century decidedly show woman ia fthe ascendancy.

If Zola cannot get into the French Academy he has achieved the Index Eypurgatorius, which he says he regards as an honor. At least he is in the good company of great English writers, such as Milton, Spencer, Chaucer, Addison, Swift ; most of the leading Continental philosophers, and his predecessors ' in French literature, Voltaire and Victor Hugo. For many o£ his works Zola certainly deserves to be in the Index if that would prevent the reading of them, but it is to be feared that the sentence of the Congregations now-a-days tends to advertise rather than to repress. For over four centuries the Index has been growing bulkier yearly, and is in itself one of the wonderful institutions of Christendom. Cornhill for last March has an interesting accounc of it.

Ox the principle that lookers-on see most of the game, the criticism may be permitted that the Premier of New South Wales must be a confident man if he thinks that a scheme will go, under which Melbourne is to be wiped out as a seat of Government and Sydney become the home and

habitation of G-overnor, Ministry and Parliament of United Australia. The Dibbs idea appears "quite chimerical ; and it this be the only basis of federation for Australia the end aimed at may be regarded as a long way off, as, indeed, we have always thought it to be. Federation will come some day, when a common danger requires to be met by the strength which unity alone can give ; but the common danger has not yet appeared.

At presort, undoubtedly, there is great waste of resources, much unnecessary expenoe in Government and much triction and ill-feeling between the two colonies, in Europe lesser grounds of quarrel than exist between the several Australian colonies have led to war. Between Victoria and South Australia there is an awkward territorial dispute; and the railway policies of Victoria and jNTew Sputh Wales are very irritating. Ab an example, the Victorians, in order to force trade from their neighbour's railways and ports, actually carry New South Wales wool at 4s per bale from their border to the sea, while for a lesser distance the Victorian producer is charged 7s 2d. And a curious feature is, according to Sir George Dibbs, that competing lines are being built by the separate colonies to catch trade which ought to be served by one line, so that millions are being spent unnecessarily and the interest burden to be borne by the people is very heavy. But sentiment supports heavy burdens, and Victorians would be content to pay a great deal more than they are now paying rather than become politically an appanage of New South Wales,

The new Parliament assembles for the first time next week, and in a short time the usual party fights wiil commence. The political prophets have not much material to work upon ; for it is not easy to disperse the solid vote of 50 which encompasses Ministers. Unless something at present unexpected turns up the Government may be regarded as safe

longer, after the results of the last election, constitutionally entitled to withstand Ministerial measures previously rejected, it is to be expected that the principal proposals of Ministers will become law during the next few months.

The only thing to be prayed for is that as they are strong they will be merciful and not inflict on the unfortunate country too many nostrums. It looks very much as if we are to get State Banks, or State paper currency, a little more protection, antf a good deal more regulation. The Governor's Speech will therefore be awaited with interest in the hope that it may give some idea of the course of proposed legislation, though probably it will not be until the delivery of the Financial Statement, and the various bills have been introduced, that a complete idea will be gained of what the House will be asked to do.

" Cheap moitet," it may be assumed, will be a leading line ; and the best thing we have heard in connection with this is the declaration of the Ministerial paper in Wellington that the scheme must be kept quite clear of politics. We have confidence that the State can enlarge its functions with advantage if its action can be kept free of the blighting effect of party and political influence; bub unfortunately the policy of the dominant party goes in the direction of introducing the element of personal government into every department of the State, from the control of washerwomen to the management of the railways.

It has been said in England that if Lord Eosebery could win the Derby it would be an immense help to him at the general election. " Nothing I succeeds like success," and a man who is fortunate gains new friends rapidly. But there is also another adage which speaks of the unexpected happening. The crusade against gambling induced by the prominence of the Premier at Epsom is something which certainly was unexpected, and the winning of the Derby may after all not be so fortunate an event from the political point of view as it was hoped to be. The Eev. Price-Hughes declares that the non-Conformist conscience willnot stand a horse-racing Premier ; but on the other hand Mr W. T. Stead, who has been regarded as the journalistic keeper of the non-Conformist conscience vouches for the character of the Premier! In a character sketch of LoH Rosebery in April he spoke of him as being a religious man, and in May in answer to those who had scoffed i " chiefly it would seem because he has a colt entered for the Derby," remarks, "But people may bring a conscience to their work even if. they breed racehoraes." He expresses the opinion that Lord Eosebery is capable of appealing to the moral sense of the nation with the same fervour and earnestness which made some of the speeches of Mr Bright read like paraphrases of the Hebrew prophets. Of course, even a Premier's pastimes and relaxations are certain to affect him in the mind of the people j but there will not be much general sympathy with an organised movement which seeks to proscribe a public man for owning a racehorse.

FiN'AD'CiALiiY the week has seen some little lightening of the clouds. There has been a very good response to the Loan and Mercantile call, and the indications seem to show that though there may be a serious Bqueeze in many cases still on the whole the matter is going through as well as could be expected. Several of the foreign banks doing business in New Zealand have assimilated their rates of interests on deposits to those current in Australia, and this should have a tendency to make depositors look for investments. If the rates charged by. banks were also correspondingly reduced then business would become a little more free. Locally the stock markets are a little more satisfactory than they were, and the expected upward movement in sheep appears to have commenced., The shortness of money prejudically affects the improving settler, who in the present state of the labor market could get consideiably more work for his money than he could do a year or two ago.