NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18888, 22 December 1924, Page 10

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

MR. MACDONALD'S LEADERSHIP.

The position of Mr. Ramsay MacDonald was discussed by the Times when his Government resigned. His worst enemies are his own past history, his extremist followers, and, it must be added, the moral arrogance and the>deplorable temper which he has exhibited during the last few months whenever he has been attacked or even criticised, it observed. These last qualities had certainly a good deal to do with the defeat of his party at the polls, and it may not be forgiven. His leadership may have to come to an end. But even if his party should find him indispensable he would still have to reckon with the country. He cannot be an effective Leader of Opposition unless he can make such a new start as will enable the country to forget his past—not only that of ten years ago, but that of the last three months. The country showed no lack of generosity in recognising, so long as he would allow it, his work as a Minister. As things are now neither he nor his colleagues are likely for some time to be given any chance of recovering office. But either he or some other will have put himself within the ultimate possibilities and enable himself to per form the function, to which he is now naturally called, of a Leader of Opposi tion. For tins moment Liberalism is nonexistent and Labour impossible. That is not a healthy state of things. But it must continue until either Liberalism has renewed its strength or Labour, and especially its leaders, have gone through a process of purgation by modesty, by contact with realities, and by acceptance of the traditional English method and spirit both in home and in foreign affairs.

THE WORLD'S RAILWAYS. Fifty? thousand miles of railways have been constructed in the world in the last 10 years, according to the Trade Record of the National City Bank of New York. The total extent of railways systems is now estimated at approximately 750,000 miles against about 500,000 in 1900, 400,000 in 1890, 250,000 in 1880, and 25,000 in 1850. The next duty before the world in the way of railway work, adds the Trade Record, is the building of railroads in highly productive tropical areas lacking transport facilities from the interior to the coast. The need of such construction is seen in the fact that of the railways in the temperate zone the United States average" 83 miles to each 1000 square miles of area and in Europe 62 miles of line per 1000 miles of area; while South America, chiefly tropical, has but 7 miles, Asia 4 and Africa o miles of line per 1000 square miles. Governments owned about 35 per cent, of the total mileage in 1923, as against approximately 33 per cent, in 1913; 28 per cent, in 1906; and 24 per cent, in 1896. In Europe, as a whole, about 50 per cent. of the railroads are State owned, in South America approximately 33 per cent., in Africa 50 per cent., and in Asia 70 per cent. In the United States and Great Britain governmental ownership of railways does not fixist and this is true also of Spain. Cr the other hand, in Poland all railways are owned by the Government, in Germany about 92 per cent., Italy approximately 73 per cent., Belgium 59 per cent., and in France about 22 per cent. Outside Europe conditions also differ widely. In India, including the native States, the share owned or controlled by the Government is about 85 per cent., Japan 67 per cent., Canada approximately 50 per cent., British South Africa, 82 per cent., and Australia and New Zealand 98 per cent.

SPIRITUAL HEALING. Addressing his diocesan conference, the Bishop of Southwark said that widespread interest had been created by missions of healing and by cures which were claimed to have been effected. "If -we are to form any sound judgment on the problem of spiritual healing," he said, " we must bear in mind the fact that in recent years it has been discovered that many diseases once regarded as physical, are really due to mental and moral causes, and are best treated by mental methods. Ifc is generally recognised now that many functional and mental disorders should be dealt with by psycho-therapy. Sometimes psycho-analysis is used to discover the cause; sometimes the will is strengthened and the character rebuilt by suggestion. Iti still remains to be seen whether the beneficial results produced by suggestion or auto-suggestion will be permanent in their effect." He was led to three conclusions. The first was that the Church ought to be very cautious before, in our present state of knowledge, it identified itself indiscriminately with the claims of faith or spiritual healers. Thero had always been a demand for signs and wonders from the Church, and thero was a real danger that unwise attempts might be made to respond to this call. This warning ho would direct particularly against public missions of healing. In the case of healing missions crowds were attracted, the group mind was excited to a great degreo of suggestibility, and "cures" wrought were probably duo more to moss suggestion than to contact of spiritual forcej.with active faith. Secondly the Church must make it clear that its method of healing was spiritual. He had no doubt that great and real bonefit both to body and soul, had been received through this healing ministry prayerfully and reverently employed. Thirdly, he would urge closer co-operation between ministers of healing in the Church and the medical profession. Often priests and doctors could work side by side. The bishop concluded: "If I havo spoken cautiously on this subject it is not because I under-rato the importance of the Church's healing mission, but because I realise some of the difficulties of the subject, and I am afraid lost Churchmen may be stampeded by popular clamour into encouraging methods which may in the long run prove neither beneficial to bodily health nor wpiritual well-being."