NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21857, 20 July 1934, Page 10

NOTES AND COMMENTS

IRELAND AND BRITAIN Mr. Do Valora President of tho Irish Free State Executive Council, prophesied in tho Dail that separation of tho Irish Free State from Britain would take place, but said that they would bo prepared to grant a preference to British goods if a similar preference wore given by Britain. Mr. l)e Valora said that his Government's policy was directed along tho lines ol self-sufficiency, so that when tho time came to cut adrift the reactions upon the Irish people would not bo so serious as they would otherwise be. All they asked was that tho Irish people should bo free to determine for themselves without any pressure from outside tho form of Government and the Governmental institutions they desired, and that their relations with other countries, and particularly their ncaici neighbour, should be determined on an equal basis, and that the British should not dictate to them, and hold thenports in the interests of Great Britain. TESTS OF TRUTH Sir Ambrose Fleming, the scientist, made some striking observations on tho subject of "Truth" in an address to members of tho \ ictoria Institute in London. He defined truth as an exact correspondence between events or facts and statements concerning them, and .suggested that there were four prineipal ways in which events in the external world could be ascertained more or less accurately. They were: By repeated experiment; by repeatqd observation; by concurrent human testimony; by inductive analysis and probability. Sir Ambrose added that the most difficult matters in which to ascertain truth were historical events, the contemporary witnesses of which were dead, and particularly when the event occurred but once or was abnormal. They had to consider tho validity of evidence for so-called miracles. Even when there were many witnesses, there was great difficulty in reaching certainty or truth. Sir Ambrose declared that with regard to some events it was certain that the event itself was more probable than its denial or substitutes. That was certainly the case with tho greatest of all historical events, the .Resurrection of Christ. "It is an accepted principle that every event must have a cause, and also a sufficient cause," ho said. "No theory of deception. or hallucination will account for the acceptance by thousands of a creed based on the Resurrection, but only the fact that it did occur exactly and precisely as stated." THE SAFEST BULWARK Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald, writing in the News Letter, savs that democracy and representative Government are being put to a very severe test. Swiftness of action is demanded both in foreign and domestic politics. But to improvise plans in a hurry and build without careful consideration is sure to be regretted for many years to come; a jerry-built State is even more disastrous than a jerry-built house. The dictator, writes Mr. MacDonald, is an enticing figure when contrasted with the democrat. He acts on his own will; he has no system to hamper him; his colleagues are his obedient servants, and not men with whom ho has to argue to persuade; he is in a position to drive tho machine of government; ho therefore gets quick results paid for by loss of liberty and self-reliance, but valued highly for the time being by people of short sight. It could be shown that if the will of a dictator had been applied to Britain during tho past three years it would not have produced the good results of tho National Government, but would have broken the back of the country with debt and would have increased unemployment by tho very means adopted to alleviate it. The National Government saw what it had to do immediately to prevent the foundations of the State from crashing. It took the necessary action, and the ■ foundations are being made ready again to bear a planned superstructure. It had not only saved wage-earners from unemployment more crushing than the very worst they had experienced, but had saved them from a breakdown of democracy and a consequent loss of liberty. In times like these a National Government with Labour adequately represented in it is the safest bulwark against' dictators.

BRITISH TRADE REVIVAL Addressing the Convention of the Advertising Association at Leicester, Lord, EJbbisham said the convention met in happier circumstances than its immediate predecessor. A year ago, despite a general' but rather vague feeling of optimism, there was little tangible evidence of trade recovery. To-day they knew that optimism was abundantly justified. Doubt and fear of tho future had been replaced by confidence and by a realisation that our difficulties, though great, were not insuperable. This confidence was manifesting itself particularly in the establishment and rapid development of new industries and in large-scale intensive reorganisation and rejuvenation of our older established industries. A new spirit was abroad. Everywhere manufacturers and traders were adopting a more progressive, more enlightened outlook. The last few months had witnessed a rapid expansion in tho home market despite the enormous, though now happily dwindling, army of unemployed. By the wider employment of modern advertising and marketing methods this movement, ho was confident, might bo carried much further yet. In respect of whole classes of goods it was utterly fallacious to suppose that saturation point was even within sight. In tho case of most of the new consumer goods there were immense possibilities of expansion, and it should lie their task to sec that those possibilities were turned into realities. By creating a greater desire for goods advertising could, were it allowed, divert some of the unwanted bank deposits into moro productive channels, and so bring about in tho form of additional wages and salaries a real increase in tho purchasing power of' tho masses, with all its attendant benefits. Expansion in the home market must inevitably have a tonic effect on much of tho export trade by helping to reduce cost of manufacturing goods for the overseas markets. In advertising to-dav, as in industry, new methods, now ideas, and a new technique were playing their part. Solid progress in all departments was constantly being made, and advertising to-day was immeasurably better, more efficient, moro sensible, and cleaner than it was only a few years ago.