NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14920, 19 February 1912, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

JAPANESE MILLIONAIRES. The Oriental Review states that the Tokio Jiji has compiled a list of Japanese men of wealth at home and abroad. The result appears to be somewhat disappointing, for it finds that there are only 1018 who possess a quarter of a million of dollars or more : —But if the Japanese are generally poor, soma of them at least are getting rich rapidly, for ten years ago there were only 441 in the 250,000 dollars or more class. In that space of time the number of the wealthy has increased by 557, or more than doubled] The population of Japan, including Formosa, exceeds 51,000,000. Comparing the wealth of these men, or that of the millionaires of Japan proper with the hoards of the very rich of other countries, one is certainly sufficiently impressed with Japan's comparative poverty. The Croesus of Japan is Baron Mitsui, whose wealth is estimated as between 100,000,000 and 200,000,000 dollars.

WHAT BRITAIN HAS DONE FOR INDIA.

An Indian, writing in tho American Review of Reviews, says :—lndia in 1911 is not only in every respect incomparably better than it was when the British entered it as traders, or when their sovereign took hold of the reins of its government, but it actually is on tho high road of progress, and is making giant strides. Important as it is that the English have

established peace/ built schools, 1 provided transportation : and , communication facilities, modernised old irrigation canals and constructed new ones, codified, revised, and improved the laws of the land, and introduced other features of a humane government, they have done even greater ', good in kicking the natives out of their lethargy of ages, and inspiring the different sections of the people to settle their quarrels of the past, bury the hatchet, and turn their attention to self-improvement. In the long run, self-help is the best aid.

"COLUMBUS DAY."

The Bulletin of the Pan-American Union describes the progress of Columbus Day in the Americas. It says :— The celebration of October 12 as Columbus Day is becoming a movement of importance. There are increasing hopes that the goal of a Pan-American day—an international festival in which the entire Western Hemisphere will join in commemoration of the discovery of Americais every year closer to realisation. Discovery Day, the anniversary of October 12, 1492, it has been called, and it would be difficult to select a more appropriate name. Mo one part of America is more interested than any other. None of the great divisionsNorth, Central, or South America—has a larger interest than any of the others, although the West Indies would naturally have the more alluring fiold for local celebrations, because many places could be marked there as having actually been touched by Columbus himself. Yet the influence of the great navigator spreads vitally from Alaska to Cape Horn." Discovery Day is also officially celebrated in 20 of the United States, and in Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru. It is expected that before long October 12 will become an international holiday, second only to the universal recognition and observance of Christmas.