PASSING EVENTS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1665, 27 January 1904, Page 51

PASSING EVENTS.

Hiitory is philosophy, teaching by o*smpiea. * . -.■ —Thucydides: The decision of the Court that inquired into the recent collision in Wellington harbour, while it clears the (:aptain and officers of the Rotoinahaina of - all blame in this matter, opens up several practical points. The judgment amounts to this, that the Jessie Nicol ought not to have been where she was, and that she was not displaying a proper light. The evidence leaves the second of these points beyond doubt. Though in general utse by a certain class of craft—the very olass which lias most need of something a great deal better —the light of the ill-fated schooner was not one to be trusted fox the protection of any craft- in a crowded'port. The fact, that this particular specimen was tied up with a piece of rag did not make its chance any better. Here is-, apparently, reason for requiring amendment of the regulations. The second pcint is for the Harbour Board to deal with. The position of the Jessie Nicol on.the niglit of the collision was during the inquiry the subject of considerable discussion. Whether, however, she was, or was not, technically in the fairway, the schooner was in the way of ships leaving the Queen’s Wharf for the Heads. As there are several miles of water where she might, have been perfectly safe, there csould he no need for allowing her to lie im< the particular and only mile that- is unsafe. The Harbour Board should define the fairway in accordance with this requirement of the position, and arrange to keep anything and everything at anchor out of it-." This Would involve tile man-of-war bujoy. There is no reason why that buoy should be in the fairway any more than any other buoy. A man-cf-war when moored out- there is a faliriy conspicuous object-, and at night always sure to be brilliantly lighted. But- she would be a restriction to the navigation, and the navigation ought not- to be- restricted when there arc miles and miles of room for everything to lie in safety. The direct. consequence of the judgment ought to be a new definition of the fairway, and 1 lie removal of all obstruction without exception from its course.

The announcement has been made, on what is probably good, though not official authority, that applications have been received for taking up £1,000,000 of Bank of New Zealand Guaranteed -four per cent, stock in London. This jejperation wars rendered necessary by the expiry of the original term, of the two millions State guarantee to the bank. By the Bank of New Zealand 'Act, passed last- session, provision was made for the redemption of the stock by the issue of new capital stock. The bank was empowered to create an issue further capital stock to the extent of £1,000,000, having a currency not exceeding" ten years from 19th July next. The .total amount of the guaranteed stock held in London was, as is wellknown, £2,000,000, hut it was decided that only £1,000,000 of this should be renewed, leaving the Bank to- pay off the other £1,000,000. . Soon after the passing of the Act the holders of the stock were invited tc renew, wfth the result that practically one million was taken up in the course of a week or two. This result must be very gratifying to thei bank shareholders and directors, to the Ministry and Parliament, " as well as to the general l public of New” Zeailand. Considering the prevailing stringency in the London money market, it is a strong testimony to the confidence felt in the great financial institution that bears the name of the colony and (is now more- intimately than ever before associated with the welfare of ’this country and its people. The success of the operation is a proof of the wisdom of the action of the Government in claiming a partnership interest in the bank. Evidently, London investors are not scared by the prospect of any wild experiments in State banking. Assuredly, they have no reason for alarm on that score.

The "advanced” woman is keeping steadily on her onward course in the Old World —encouraged: thereto, no doubt, by the success of the Women’s movement in New Zealand. Ai conference of the International Council of - .Women is to be held at Berlin in May next, and there will doubtless be representatives of this country present to tell the assembled “frausi” and "frauof the proud position to which New Zealand women have attained. It is pleasing to note that in England the - women’s movement is not tinged with S to the male portion of humanity. At the annual banqu et of the Women’s Local' Government Society, held last month in London, Mrs Maurice Cockrell, in plying V th ® ■ chisement of women, paid a to "mere men" thus“ Women have been -able to get anything they wished from men, from the time of Adam, ti they only tried hard enough. I believe in men. and if women went to heaven ana • meh went to the othev Jplace, I wwi]a‘ prefer going to the other pla^ee | . ,, Se!o

the dinner there were no toasts, but there seems to have been plenty of talk in S]Xte of that fact, no fewer than seven ladies, including Mrs W. P. Reeves, wife of the Agent-General for New Zealand, giving their views on the b-eneficient results likely to accrue to Society at large if women were only allowed to give free play to their undoubted 'abilities in initiating and carrying cut social reforms. Mrs Reeves told how, on her arrival in England, her idea that the New Zealand woman is more advanced than her English sister was dispelled. The' note of the evening was struck in the speech of the chairwoman, Lady Strachev, who eloquently appealed for funds for the society in order that the struggle for woman’s place in local government might he carried on. The position, she said, was going from bad to wor,se; women had been Cwept out of the educational authorities; they had not been given a position on the local councils; the public must be educated to the facts of the situation. Women must see that Bills an their favour .were promoted in Parliament ; they must watch the progress of legislation there; above all, they must keep themselves free from, alliances with one party or another. This seems to- be sound advice, and feminine pertinacity, properly directed, must succeed, lilt securing the desired end.

It was not to he expected that our Agent-General would leave Mr A. W. Pearse’s latest attack upon New Zealand and Australia for long unanswered. Mr Pearse, it will be remembered, professed to find on a steamer bound for Monte Video' a large number of labouring people, artisans and mechanics who were fleeing from Australia and New Zealand to escape the tyranny of our labour laws. When confronted with the fact that the steerage list of passengers for Monte Video by the steamer in question contained hut one New Zealand name, and that a woman’s, Mr Pearse calmly shifted his ground and wrote hack that Mr Reeves should have examined the lists of the first and second class. “Only people with money go to Argentina from Australia and New Zealand,” he said; “the working men go elsewhere.” Replying to this in the London “Times,” Mr Reeves states that in the passenger-list referred to there were only three first-cl ass and. threo second-class booked from New Zealand to Monte Video-, and it by no means followed that even of this small number all were domiciled New Zealanders setting forth to settle in the Argentine. As for emigration to' the Cape, Mr Reeves points out that the tide of the slender stream was turned, and instead of New Zealanders going tc the Cape, the steamship companies are now carrying passengers from the Cape l to New Zealand at the rate of several hundreds a year. In conclusion he quotes the official immigration .and emigration figures of the colony for the past twelve years, and shows that in every year of the twelve there hag been a gain by excess of immigrants.