TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9182, 5 April 1910, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Disquieting reports are to hand from Melbourne regarding the Smallpox, outbreak of smallpox amongst third-class passengers on the steamer Otway ; Each day since the vessel arrived in Australian waters fresh cases of this dread disease have been reported. There have been several deaths, and in one instance yesterday doctors found a particularly virulent type of _ the disease to have developed. The infection was brought on board the vessel at Colombo by a passenger transhipping from an Indian port, so that there can be no doubt of the dangerous nature of the epidemic. It is fortunate that it made its appearance before the passengers had dispersed, so that prompt measures for their isolation could bo adopted. While there is little danger of the outbreak getting out of hand, or of it reaching New Zealand, it behoves the health authorities to maintain the greatest vigilance in dealing with vessels from Australia or the" East, and to be prepared to cope with a possible visitation. "While Lord Kitchener was in New Zealand he gave little Lord indication of his real Kitchener's impressions concerning Opinions. the Dominion, and there was much speculation as to what opinion he formed of the volunteer force as material out of which an army could be built up. Some interest therefore attaches to a statement by Lord Plunket on the subject. " I had the privilege of spending a week in the company of Lord Kitchener," said the Governor, "and he told me many things which I would like to tell you, but which I may not repeat. But one thing I will say. Lord Kitchener regarded the troops he saw in different places in this country as being material for absolutely magnificent soldiers. In some respects he thought them almost perfectly adapted_to the purpose in view. He said that if these men were trained as they ought to be trained, tinder his or some similar scheme, New Zealand would then have a force that could cope with a- trained and disciplined force that might be sent against the Dominion from any part of the world. Is not any self-sacri-fice worth while if it justifies an opinion like that?" The American system of torture to : extract confessions from Torturing accused persons, known Prisoners, as the Third Degree, has come into promin ence lately owing to its applicatioi to "Wolter, a New York degenerate with unsuccessful results, and in Bri tish countries the practice has beer universally condemned. It is con tended in America that without th( aid of the system many crimes woulc have remained undiscovered and th< authors would have escaped punish; ment, but on the other hand it is hek that many innocent people have suffered for offences which they did nof commit and to which they plea die guilty to escape continuance of the torture and in the hope that thej would benefit by police promises oi immunity from punishment. A good idea of the manner in which the Third Degree is applied can be obtained from the procedure adopted m the case of Emily a Sara in !Now York. A married woman named Johansen was murdered, and there was reason to believe that her husbn.vl did her to death. Emilya Sara, sn attractive young Finnish woman, was exceedingly friendly with Johansen, and the police suspected her hiding liim, so they secured her arrest as an accessory and subjected hr-r to the torture referred to. Miss Sara was promptly placed in a cell, and the police at once commenced to fire questions at her, with the object of elucidating her knowledge of and connection with the crime. She was subjected to the Third Degree for eighteen hours, and during the whole of that time maintained persistently that she was entirely ignorant of the circumstances of Mrs Johansen's death or the whereabouts of her husband. "The process began at three o'clock on the Monday afternoon, and was continued without a pause until midnight. Still she would admit nothing. At nine o'clock on Tuesday morning the questioning was resumed. No breakfast was served, and all that was given to her was a glass of water. Then they took her to the morgue to look at the body of the murdered woman. Sara recoiled at the sight, admitted that she recognised the body, but that, was all. .Then they took her to the office of the Assistant Public Prosecutor, and there for two hours she was again plied with questions. She was now beginning to feel tlie effects of the strain and the lack of food. Towards 3 a.m. she broke down completely and wept. "Now I am ready to tell you all," she cried, and confessed. Many enlightened and humane people in America are agitating to .secure the abolition of the Third Degree system, but their prospects of success are at present not very bright..