NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9849, 18 June 1895, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The Melbourne Age, in commenting on the Governor's speech at the opening of the South Australian Parliament, says the ex istence of such a treaty as that colony proposes to eater into with Mew Zealand would be a very serious obstacle to any scheme of intercolonial freetrade. We can imagine, it remarks, a freetrade confederation throwing its ports open to all nations. Australian union is compatible with euch 3 state of things, although the almost universal desire is for a union on the basis of intercolonial freetrade with protection again;/ the outside world. The proposed South Australian arrangement with New Zealand would fit in with neither basis of Australian union, and it is this circumstance which hai made the proposal so much disapproved in the other colonies. If we had even

that the Now Zea-

land treaty was to be made subject to or ! terminable upon any future confederation of the Australian colonies, the objections to ib from an intercolonial point of view would in a measure disappear, but there is no intimation of such a limitation in the Governor's Speech, and we may presume that none is intended. Ib is calculated to make men despair of federation altogether when we find an Australian Premier coming to the Melbourne Town Hall to orate on the beauties of federation when he "has perhaps just put bis signature to a document calculated to make federation impossible for a long period of years. It remains to be seen whether the South Australian Legislature will rise to a higher level than that of its Premier, and insist upon the introduction of a clause into the New Zealand Reciprocity Bill that it shall be terminable on the election of an Australian Federal Parliament in which South Australia shall be represented.

In an interesting article in the Nineteenth Century, Mr. T. C. Down gives an instructive object lesson in Prohibition. The place where this lesson is to be learnt is the northwest territories of Canada, where it was a penal offence to have any spirituous liquor without a permit granted by the LieutenantGovernor. The origin of this strict law was the desire of the Dominion Government to prevent the aborigines obtaining whisky or other spirits. But in 1882, when the Canadian-Pacific Railway opened up this country, and thousands of white settlers took up all the land available near the line, smuggling was reduced to a fine art, and large quantities of liquor were brought in surreptitiously. Mr. Down gives many amusing examples of the different dodges of smuggling, and adds that a successful attempt was regarded with the greatest satisfaction by the public, for the law was resen ted as a gross interference with personal liberty, and most people took a pride in the breach of it. He says the law induced drunkenness and other evils to such an extent that at last the Dominion Government granted power to the local Assembly to legislate in regard to intoxicating liquors. Out of 26 candidates who stood at the next election only one supported absolute prohibition, and he was defeated.

In these days of women's rights it is only natural that the equality question should come up before the International Penitentiary Congress to be held in Paris during the present month. One of the topics for consideration is " whether there ought not to be special regulations applicable to women's prisons as regards labour, discipline, and food, and whether there should not be a special code of penalties applicable to women only." In order to educate public opinion on this subject, Mr. Spearman describes " Women in French Prisons" in an English magazine. He gives a very lucid . and interesting account of the different female prisons in Prance, and o; the method! adopted in each. He describes the arrange* ments made with contractors for the labour of the prisoners, and, the sums paid 01 each kind of work, also the prices charged for food at the canteen, for the prisoners are allowed to supplement their prison fare with all kinds of delicaoies. Great leni! ency. seems to prevail, and even women who, have children are allowed to keep them with them in prison until they have reached tho ago of four. There are, no female

warder* at the Maisons Centrales fo r women, their duties being fulfilled fry Soeursde la Sagesse, assisted by lay sisters.

An article in the Contemporary by Mr. Hi \V. Wolff, on " Re-peopling the Land," is » valuable contribution to our inform*, tion as to email holdings. lb is an account) of the step* taken in Germany in 1886 to place £5,000,000 at the disposal of the Government for the purpose of buying out the Polish squires and establishing German peasants in their place. lb was calculated that 15,000,000 would buy 250,000 acres, which, at 50 acres per holding, would settle 5000 families, and thus inbro(iuce some 40,000 Germans into Pru«. si in Poland. Financially and politically the scheme has proved a failure, bub it has succeeded in creating a large num. bar of peasant proprietors, and has to a great extent reduced emigration. According to the last reporb of the Colonisation Board, under whose auspices the purchase and re-sale take place, the entire area of land bought up to the end of 1593 Amounted to 188,500 acres. Of this only about 58,000 acres have been actually assigned to 1387 families, but the remainder is in course of preparation with applicants waiting for it three and four deep.

The Sultan of Turkey, who was reported the other day to be threatened with paralysis s« a result of the anxiety he is suffering in connection with the Armenian question, is now stated to be agreeable to the Powers controlling the reforms in that portion of his dominions, provided their control is limited to three years. Bub according to Professor H. Anthouy Salmone the real rulers of Turkey are the Ullemahs, or high priests of Islam, attached to the throne' of the Oscaanlis. The power of the sultan!' rests upon their holding the office of Calipl of the Islamic world as vicegerent of th) prophet Mahomet on earth. The earl lultans usurped this power from the Ava)l, and are now obliged to maintain it h/a system of bribery of the leaders of reliyc-n. It it<\i through their machinations tha/the lata Sultan Murad was deposed, and Aidul Hamid made Caliph. These prbsts a* the real rulers, and the Sultan is » pujpot in tbeir hand?. Professor Salmone jhinla that no true reforms can take place at the Porte until these evil advisers aredispmsed with. ]

The report that Russia and China had enteied into an agreement by which the former was to obtain a port in Chinese territory and permission to carry the Siberian railway through Northern Manchuria in return forguaranteeing the Chinese loan is probably true enough, but the British Government are nob aware of such a treaty having been concluded. In spite o' the host of authorities in favour of, tbj retention of Chitral it is expected tb* the British will withdraw from tb>t country. Umra Khan's treasure aid property have been confiscated by AnVer Abdurrahman. The French are anxiou/to create an empire in Africa, and the Cabinet has approved of a scheme for uniting all the possessions of Frame in Africa, and placing them unde; the control of a Governor-general, wht. shall have power to decide all military and political questions connected with them. The Czar has decorated President Faure with the Order of St. Andrew. The French press regards this act as an admission on the Czar's part of the alliance with France. The interview between Prince Bismarck and Mr. Gladstone has had to be abandoned owing to tae delicate state of the health of the two statesmen. This is to be regretted. The meeting of these two veterans in politics would have j been an event of great interest. The Black Flags in Formosa are assuming a threatening attitude towards foreigners, in consequence of which a detachment of British marines has been landed Albanian brigands raided a village in the absence of the male population, mil killed nine women who were plaekil/ relisting capture. Owing to the strong feeling evoked in Macedonia by Turkish misrule it is probable that Bulgarian troops will be despatched thither. The appointment of a Governor of N»w South Wales is likely to be made known in a day or two. The delay which has occurred in filling up the vacancy is characterised by the Morning Post as a grave public scandal.