CASUAL NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 227, 23 August 1935, Page 2

CASUAL NOTES

(Bv “The Watcher.”) WELCOME HOME. A hearty and unstinted welcome home to our two Right Honourables, Messrs Forbes and Coates, after their long wanderings and heavy business at the other end of the world. By sheer luck, Mr Coates, who left London quit© a time after his leader, got here first and his good news of mutton and lamh was in Monday's papers when the Prime Minister arrived. Now for the fray ! Parliament meets next week, and will bo short. Members of all brands will want to get home for the election. Also, we welcome back our Maori footballers, after a series of great successes in Australia. They have maintained the “mana” of their native land in great style and well deserve all the good things that have been said of them. ABYSSINIA. At present the world’s eyes are on this country, for on a settlement of its troubles rests the very existence of the League of Nations. Abyssnmi and Italy are both members of the League, and if it cannot prevent Italy from attacking Abyssinia the reason for its existence is smashed, and it must fall to the ground, the greatest of failures. Abyssinia iB a country of 3150,000 square miles, with a population of over 10,000,000. Italy owns a strip of land called Eritrea on tho north fronting the Red Sea, and another slice of Italian territory called Italian Somaliland on the east fronting the Indian Ocean. But Britain also has huge interests —British Somaliland on tire east, Kenya on tho south, and Sudan on the west. Britain therefore cannot stand with arms folded whilst Mussolini pours vast armies into the country with the palpablo object of conquering it and occupying the whole area as an Italian colony or state. There is another reason for anxiety. In British territory adjacent are tlio waters of the Blue Nile, and Britain must have the overflow of Lake Tsana lor watering the Sudan. Our interests in the maintenance of Abyssinia aro both great and real. France is not so deeply interested. Mussolini has plunged lus hand into a hornets’ nest. Had he adopted a policy of “peaceful penetration” he might have succeeded in a generation. With war, he will accomplish nothing. The Colossus or Moscow is watching keenly, and II Duce may want all his armies at home. Also, Japan has sent an ambassador to Addis Ababa as a token of support for her “coloured brother.” Tf the Japaneso fleet suddenly, arrived oft Rome, Mussolini would think the end of the world had come 1

BIG WINNERS. In this column a few weeks ago some humorous remarks wero made about unexpected or unknown horses paying big dividends on the tote. There was such a ease at Christchurch on the opening day of the Grand National. The last race of the day was on© of 7 furlongs on the flat and 22 horses faced tho starter. The order of favouritism of the placed horses was 1, 11-14; 2, 14-13; 3, 18-18. The time for the race was 1.26 3-5. Now comes the problem: How did those three horses so escape the attention of the punters, the track scouts, the tipsters, and the groat British public as to put up such an unexpected performance ? The winners received “a great win;” and even the third horse paid “double figures for third!” SHOULD BOOKMAKERS BE LICENSED ? The president of tho Auckland Racing Club, at the recent annual meeting, put up a strong case for the licensing of bookmakers. Die racing people look with favour on tho bookmaker, whose earnings draw moneys which, if they went through the tote, would materially, assist tho clubs. Down to 1930 the totalisator investments used to be over £7.000,000 per year. After that they fell rapidly, and in 1934 were less than £4,000,000. The racing clubs’ revenues correspondingly fell, and they now look to “raising the wind” by licensing bookmakers. Doubtless the proposal would be to divide the license fees between the clubs and tho Government. It opens up a very wide question. There is no question of principle involved A State which in good times gets half a million revenue from horse racing, and now is making money by art unions, lias no need to bo squeamish about accepting revenue from other similar sources. The people’s view is another matter. Even in the bad year of 1934 the racing clubs got £351,000 from the totalisator, which was more than the stakes paid. At any. rate “The Watcher 0 . thinks the clubs would be well advised to “let sleeping dogs lie,” and do their best with the revenues they have. A STRONG CHIEF JUSTICE.

The United States holds a high preeminence amongst civilised nations in the possession of a Supreme Court which has power over and above those of the Legislature, or even of the President. Time and again President Roosevelt has been compelled by it to abandon, alter, or modify, his New Deal policy, as being “outside or beyond the Constitution.” We believe even a land tax was declared unconstitutional and had to be abandoned. Our New Zealand Constitution has no similar provisions, but the day may come when even the provisions and laws of Parliament may come under review of a higher authority. These thoughts are suggested by a case at New Plymouth a few days ago. A case was before Sir Michael Myers, the Chief Justice, and he settled once and for all a question that has cropped up several times lately. A man had made a statement to the police, which he signed, and this a constable refused to produce on the ground that it was confidential. “It is not for you or the police to say the statement" cannot be produced,” said the Chief Justice to one of the lawyers engaged when the policeman got into a box and refused to answer a question. “You will answer the question,” said His Honour to the witness. Again the constable said the information was regarded as confidential to the Police Department and was not to be disclosed. “I don’t think the information is confidential and I direct you to answer the question I shall stop counsel at once if questions derogatory to public policy are asked.” Thus in a few words Sir Michael Myers has given the police to understand that no officer can invent or lay down laws or secrecy and confidence where public policy is concerned. Would that there were power for a Court presided over bv such a Judge to overhaul some of the decisions of Parliament. THE JAPANESE CARTOON.

Journalists and especially cartoonists throughout the wide world will have to be careful. They may indulge their humour at the expense of Hitler, Mussolini, John Bull, Forbes, Lyons, or Coates, but must leave severely alone the Emperor of Japan. For wiry ? A week or two ago the U.S.A. journal Vanity Fair, hail a comic cartoon in which the Mikado was pictured, not in all the poinp and glory of a great emperor, but as a plain jinrickshaw porter pushing his barrow in connection with the Abyssinian dispute. This picture filled the Jap Ambassador to Uncle Sam with

horror. To the Japanese the Emperor is not a man —he is a god. Such blasphemy could not be tolerated. He at once took it up with America, and an apology was tendered. Then another paper, this time in Seattle, on the Californian coast, had a similar cartoon, nnd they also had to withdraw and apologise. What will happen if London Punch gets oyer the rails we can’t imagine. But it may become infectious, and even our New Zealand comics may get our Government into trouble with Siam, or Java, or some other outlandish place by poking fun at their rulers. ANOTHER WAY TO WIN. A liorseowrier in England has got into trouble. He had a neddy that apparently didn’t care for the boot, the spur, or the whip, but had a horror of a rattle. So he gave the jockey a rattle he had and at what in good journalese is called “the psychological moment”—in other words coming up the straight—the jockey shook the rattle, and the mount shook things up and won in a canter. Now comes the question, is the use of a rattlo instead of a whip or spur “according to the rules of racing?” The English Jockey Club has to decide the point. “The Watcher” thinks they will decide against it, on the ground that it might affect other horses in the race. Also, other questions may he involved, such as whether trainers would start using Tattles in preparing their horsos; and so on. On the whole, it looks as if ruttles had better be kept for babies. IN DRIVING A COACH.

In the old days, before the railway, the two drivers were good old whiteheaded Ned Cartel, who died at Cambridge many, years ago, and George Pugsley. Yoar after year they carried tho passengers betwoon Foxton and Wellington in a day. Pugsley was a Hercules, with arms as big as a wellbuilt man’s legs. He never used bis whip on tho horses, hut whenever he wanted to give them a gallop along tiro beach, lie tapped the splashboard with tho handle, and then they began to move properly. On one occnsion the present writer saw him perform a feat. One of the rivers was in flood and the passengers were ferried across. He followed with the coach, but part of the undercarriage gave way, nnd there were only the reins to work with. George sprang to his feet, and held those reins like grim death, and the team pulled the coach through tho river and up the bank oil to the flat. My word, we cheered him to the echo. No motor-cars in those days, my lads, but good stout Britisli muscle and plenty of good feed for tho horses.