THE WEEK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 22 May 1908, Page 4

THE WEEK.

It is difficult to believe tho cabled statements attributed to Cardinal Logua, Primate o£ All Ireland. The pre&s of New York 'is by no nieans th& most reliable in tiie world, and it would not' bei surprising to learn by mail that some genera! (and pWhaps indiscreet) remarks have been grotesquely esaggea^ted. , At trace it may be said that the Cardinal's m fellow churchmen, in ' the ' colonies' arc overwhelmingly against acceptance of the cable as a fair representation of the Cardinal's ufc&rancei, wnatwer it may have beien. This is J not \<o be wondered at when we rediect that tiha statements were so sweeping and s>.> utterly, opposed to real public sentiment in tha colonies. It is Impossible tx* belieivo that a sano n-an could see such "signs of the times" in Australia,, New Zealand, and Canada as arei attributed to Cardinal Logua Accord ing to tihe message his eminence declared that "the trend of every mavemeinb in Australia was more and more in the direction of absolute rebellion," also that New Zealand and Canada were indifferent to the Imperial tie.

This view is entirely against public opinion and the professed f^ith o>f our foremost publicists and thinkers. Indeed the cables a^Eprd us daily evidence that the tendency is not towards rebellion, 1 bu^'On the contrary, towards the strengthening of the ties and. the, ccKuqclidtitioß. of the interest* which bind the M<wfch&rland and the colonies together. It is not so leug ago tihat Mrj ißalfmir dosjfcjibfd thia moveenent by saying: "The wholetendency of modefti£tain6s7 iß'.'tiaefcreittiaa of great States and communities That ls t 'the' ; p¥6icfess of integration.' The -whole of the relationship to our colonies, whether this plan or that plan b«#Mtti: foAhat every sfcitggman

and every party is desirous of producling a new state of things in which I the Union of the Colonies shall be closea-."

The general inclination towards unification is brought prominently under notice this week by vhe discussion, in the House of Commons for the. federat;on of the British colonies m South Africa* Not unnaturally the Commons welcomed tho proposed "Union, should mark another step towards the consolidation of th.-.? Ejii-l-iret Note further the speech of Mr Walter I^n^. M.P., formerly Clref Secretary for Ireland, in which he expressed a hope that hei would soon se<? representatives of the colonies sitting in the House of Commons "in the interests of the Empire, which they have made as much as ourseJves."

America is a land of "big things,' and it is a popular notion that her big mines and vast forests are practically inexhaustible. That idea, however, appears to be quit© a fallacy, for President Roosevelt has convened a conference of leading American citizens U: consider r 'how the preservation of the resources of the United States can best be effected." When wo hear of the limit of America's national resourotss being within sight the smaller Au»trala&iain possessions must experience! some shook. Tn this Dominion the depletion of the forest reseive* has for yoars been a matter of comment, but legitimate milling and illegitimate, destruction still goes on. If America, dnds it necessary to take so. im.pcrta.nt a step we may well he excused for asking, What about New Zealand 1

The situation in Indi*. continues to be gra.vo. -»nd se/vcral emcrunters hava taken place, costing British, blood Midnight attacks, ambushes, and hill sniping seem to be the favorite form in which the frontier trouble is finding expression. However, Mhjor-Gesa-eral Wilcocks/' troops aa':i now in Mohinand country, and the rebels, like the Afridis, will probably &übmib when, they realise the nature of the enterprise in which they t»re> engaged It i.s satisfactory to note that the Ameer of Afghanistan lia^ definitolj forbi-.l den his people to join the Mohmands, end threatens to pluck the tongues from those who preach a holy war.

Mulai Haiid, ijko Mororcain Preteodor, is still striving to get tho pax of Germany, and his envoys to Berlin havo certainly been vary cordially received Much too cordially to suit the French tastci. For the pres3»nt tha French trcoipt. are not &o actively engaged as they have beon. and the forces of Abdul 4ziz, the. Kultan, and hib brother the Pretender seem to be struggling in a desultory way. 1 hei latest news is that the army of Abdul Asiiz is surrounded by M-.ilai H&fH's forces

To a nation vvhicli prides itself on its seamanship it is a. reproach that f im foreign element en board is so largt' And lately, it appears, there lias beon an, unusual increase in tii?> number of Chinese seamen shipped a.t Unite-l Kingdom poits The British sailow* have been greatly incensed at the increase, and a, number of Chinese haw been abased mA violently handled 1 la tho struts.

The continued low prices of wool may have tho effect of turning the attention of sheep meta to Xuttea* and rheestv. It was said a y&nr or two ago*, at any rate, that the high price for thd staple induced a number of dairymeu to abandon their herds for the more, attractive pursuit of sheep' farming. A fall in values may swing the pendulum. It is to be hoped , however, thuu the break in prices is only temporary. Those best qualified to judge agree that there is no satisfactory reason, for the existing range. The London Times' expert, writing at the close of the March sales (although he did not look for much imprpvoment at the May sales) sa>d: "Despite the luuchaccemtuutr'd want of confidence existing in the trade, the opinion is generally held that nothing has as yet occurred to* justify the present level of valve® ; and wheno. the increase- in the •world's population, together with tho inerea&eid consumption of wool pei; head, &rei placed against a practically stationaiy" world production of raw material, it is not unduly optimistic to predict that even if, as some assert, the lowest point has not yet bten reached, a reiversion lowards a higher will net long be delayed; cr tha,b the neact period of general trade prosperity will advance the value of wool b*yond the highest point previously recorded."

If further proof were needed of the futility of the Arbitration Act as a preventive against strikes it is supplied in the action, taken yesterday by the conductor* and motor-men eft the Auckland tramways 1 The execution of the threat to enforce their demands had in it a toucl of the dramatic. Punctually at twdve a rod flag was flown and as car after car arrived at the tei-mmus the men handed their controllers to higher tramway officials, stepjf/ed ofi their cars, and were greeted by the cheers of spectators. It sipjxvars that the caus.l of the strite was the dismissal last week of a condiutor, who was givem a ■week's pay in lieu of notice, and no reason for his discharge va.? s+a.teci. Ihe union claim that in. the agreement under which the eei'liar trouble be tween the comparr/ and its employees was settled, one provision i<« that in the event of a man berg put off he shall be entitled to know the reason, and if any charge has been lodged against him he is to have the option of bringing evidence in rebjttal Ie addition to the decision "pf__tiifii_ m£ik

to strike at noon yesterday unless tV discharged man wat> reinstated, or a reason given for the dismissal, meitrbers of the union, arc pledged not to return to work with "black-legs" why may bo employed dwing tilt strike. The strike will lnear. a very serious inconveiniemcei to suburban Auckland It will also add another argument in favor of the radical amemdmemtj of an ineffective Act