NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20304, 11 July 1929, Page 10

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

ENGLISH ART. "In our rough island story of English art, it is not, as in the history of France or of Italy, oil-painting that counts for most. In the past we have been preeminently a nation of water-colourists," writes Mr. 11. R. Tatlock, the art critic in the Daily Telegraph. nation can compare with ours so far as the water-colour medium is concerned. Before Girtin, Cozens, Remington, Cotman and Turner alone the water-colourists of the Continent pale; and it is quite as true to say that of recent years the cult of the woodcut, the engraving, and the etching, as practised in England, has resulted in a mass of products that in bulk and quality place England first in the artistic world. Those who love to say that the Royal Academy does not accurately reflect the aesthetic genius of England found themselves confronted this year with the strongest of arguments against their theory. One had tho feeling when passing in review the exhibits there that one was in tlu presence of (.raftsmen who really know their business. When we come to the black-and-white section there is no room for doubt that the English achievement is unique in the modern world." TRAFFIC NOISES. Discussing tho abuse of motor-horns, a writer in London Truth says the report of the conference on "undue traffic noises" recognises tho public grievance against "excessive and nerve-racking noise from motor-horns," and agrees that the nerveracking is produced both by "unduly strident notes" and by "unnecessary and excessive use, particularly at night during normal sleeping hours." Its recommendations were not impressive. The, writer suggests that the solution of the problem must be based on "the axiom that no man or woman has any right to go about emitting raucous shrieks, calculated to pierce all ears within a radius of three or four hundred yards, for no purpose but to warn somebody else, who may or may not be there, that he (or she) is coming along. Further, it should not be allowed as an excuse for creating a public nuisance like this that the perpetrator is in a hurry and cannot lose a fraction of a minute by reducing speed. These arc the. bed-rock principles on which repression of the nuisance must rest. I have studied the manners and customs of the hornblowcrs for many years, and I assert without hesitation that more than half their blasts are unnecessary, except on the assumption that the blowers arc not under the same obligation to exercise care in approaching possible dangers as drivers of horses were in the old days, and arc to-day morn than ever. The truth of the matter is that a great abuse of individual right has been allowed to grow up and acquire a sort of vested interest; and this creates opposition to reform even in tho face of a general consciousness by all parties that things have become very unpleasant and 'something ought to be done.' " TRADE IN THE EMPIRE. The importance of the Dominions in Britain's overseas trade was emphasised by Sir James Parr in his presidential address at the annual meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in London. He said he had written during the year to several newspapers when attacks had been made upon the Dominions. In one they wore charged with framing tariff preferences which were described as pretences and humbugs. They knew, however, that far from being pretences and humbugs they were giving tlie British manufacturers real help. Remarking that there was no doubt that tho Overseas Empiro was the best British customer, Sir James Parr said that last year it absorbed 46 percent. of the total exports—namely, 327 millions out of a total of 723 millions. New Zealand purchased British goods in 1928 worth £21,000,000. Denmark purchased goods worth £9,700,000, though Denmark had double the population of New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand, with 0,000,000 inhabitants, were Great Britain's best customers next to India. They bought more goods than all South America, witlr 70,000,000 people, including Argentina. They bought goods valued at £75,000,000, as against £51,000,000 purchased by tho United States, with 120,000,000 of population. They bought more than Germany, Poland, - Austria, Hungary. Switzerland and Czechoslovakia put together, with a population of 120,000,000. Canada, with 9,000,000, bought nearly as much as the United States.