TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4440, 21 August 1901, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. Who is the man to whom the country looks for the safety of the finances—the Colonial Treasurer or the irresponsible private member? If tho Treasurer, with his knowledge of the finances, says that one million is required to carry the Advances to Settlers Office on till next year, and the private member contradicts him with glib pertinacity, and assures the House that only £500,009 is required, which member does the country believe? Whose word carries the weight of authority? The man at the helm must naturally be supposed to know how the ship is travelling. The storm of discussion which raged in the House yesterday round the question whether the amount to be borrowed should bo one million or only half a million might have led the spectator to imagine that there was a split in the Government party on the question. But in the result the storm was a miserable fizzle. Never had there been a more pronounced failure in any at. tempt to create a revolt. , The only man to walk into the lobby with the Opposition was the member for Bio carton, Mr G. W. Bussell. It was a very lame conclusion to all the sound and fury which had occupied the time of the House for the greater part of the day and night. THE NURSING PROFESSION. Some extraordinary speeches were made yesterday in the House in opposition to the very reasonable amendment prooosed by Mr'Hutcheson. on behalf of Mr* Pirani, in the Hospital Nurses Registration Bill, to provide that future vacancies in the nursing staffs of public hospitals should be filled by the appoint, ment of registered nurses—except, of course, in regard to probationary nurses. If the principle of registering nurses is a good one, it is manifest that such a clause as this carries the principle to its logical conclusion. The argument of its opponents that it would have the egect of making the profession “ a close corporation ” is no argument at all. The registration of nurses will make the profession no less free than at present, but if it secures for one of the most noble callings of the community a

higher standard and more enlarged qualifications, it will have a beneficent result. Tho nurses themselves will no doubt welcome the new Rill as giving them a recognised status, while tending to assure the public that the sick will be no les s tenderly cared for in the future than in the past. As the Bill has passed through committee of the House of Representatives, it provides that any nurse may b 0 registered who holds a certificate of three years’ consecutive training m a hospital, and who proves to the satisfaction of the InspectorGeneral of Hospitals that during her training she has received systematic instruction in theoretical and practical training in nursing. Any nurse who is absent from the colony in the Imperial .shall be allowed to apply for registration at any time within threo years of the coming into operation of this Bill on tha first day of January. 1902. Nurses who shall, previous to *hnt date, have received certificates issued by any hospital authority, or who have had not less than four years’ experience as nurses, may bo registered on complying with an examination according to ai form prescribed by the Minister., THE FIJIAN. The Fijian (writes a correspondent of the “Brisbane Courier,” in referring to the movement towards federation) is not an energetic individual. He possesses a rich s oil, and a few days’ work occasionally will grow him enough to Ijve on. Like all South. Sea Islanders ho js utterly improvident and heedless df the morrow. He grows just enough to supply his wants. Comes there a drought in the land and ho starves. It never teaches him to lay in a gtorn against a season of want. .If he has plenty, then the %’illago feasts and lies dormant for a few days after. Lot tbs morrow take care of it* self. It is a sublime optimism—or indolence. IV hen there is work to bo done it is generally tho wife who does it; ia' this custom, indeed, all Bacific Islanders agree. A very small percentage of tho Fijians wili attempt plantation work, and then only spasmodically. That they won’t work 'does not seem to bo denied, and in fact seems evident from the ne» cessity there is of bringing coolies from, India at great cost, and who get far higher wages than the Fijian. The number of coolies now in Fiji Amounts to about 15,000, while the native population is rather under 100,000. Tho white# number about 2500. Unfortunately the iron march of civilisation appears to have doomed the Fijian, as it hag so many other native races. 'The population is diminishing, and is now about one-third less than it was twenty-five years ago. Perhaps, if the Fijian were to take to work he might save his race front extinction, but. unfortunately tho Fijian is quite content to lead his lazy, aimless existence, and so long as ho grows enough to pay his annual poll tax of LI and feed himself he is satisfied. It is evident Luxt in dealing with an irrfespoMible, easily' influenced race like this the Government has to lay down very olearlv defined and comprehensive law# which appear irksome to tho white man. In legislating for native races it is difficult for a Government to avoid the charge of paternalism. Tho native in but a tool in the hands of tho white man, and it is, no doubt, with a view to prevent his being victimised that many of tho Fijian native ordinances nave been framed.

, EDUCATIONAL MATTERS. Our Napier correspondent telegraphed last njglit:—The Hawke’s Bay balneaiton Board -this morning strongly re- ' sented the tendency tower'd political interference in educational matters which of late has been noticeable in this dsitrict. In one case the Education I)o. partment instructed the Board to pay a certain teacher £l4. 14s increase ju salary under special grant. The Board had already raised his salary by £6 15s. No communication was received from the teacher who, it seems, wrote direct to ilia Secretary for Education. In another case a school committee wrote straight to the Inspector-General on the subject or the Buriiuy of school books to native children without corresponding with the Board at all. The latter decided that this practice was not consistent with the independence of the Board and will iu« form the Government that they see no reason why the teacher in question should get further increase than that already awarded. The following notice of motion wa s given, Af.'hat the Education Board protest®, against the recent innovation of bringing outside pressure to bear on tbo Board when dealing with questions arising from matters and persons under the Board’s jurisdiction, anu, further, that the Board will not receive communications on any such '• ueslions except through the usual channels of the school committee.” Recently the Board has had some trouble with a couple of school committee* who desired to vet rid of teachers who filled in thedr examinations, but continued,-their duties by virtue of possessing the Department’s certificate to teach. The Board asked Mr Hogben for advice on the matter. He now states jt was never contemplated that any Board should huvo a voice in granting certificates or licenses except in the case of district licenses. The currency of the licenses was not restricted to any particular educational district, and the Inspetor-General was not in all cases dependent on the Board’s inspector for teachers’ efficiency. TROUBLE IN CENTRAL AMERICA. Two or three more or less vague cable messages have reached the colony lately regarding a threatened disturbance in Central America", "whither British, United States and German warships had been-despatched. Some light is thrown on the matter by tho following extract from the news summary by the San Francisco mail which arrived last-night at Auckland, a passage in which says: Tho following despatch has been received from Now York - The little South American Republic of Colombia has insulted the flag of tho Kaiser of Germany, and serious international complications may follow. The Hamburg, American line steamer Alleghany was held for trvelve hours in. the harbour of Savanilla, Colombia, and, in spite of th 0 protests of her captain, Abel Murrillo, an insurgent, was taken from the ship. The German flag with which he sought to protect himself was torn from his hands as a " dirty rag.” and he was taken by *foroe to prison. Murrillo was secretary to General Uribe, an insurgent leader. When tho vessel arrived at Cartagena, she was ordered to be detained by the authorities there. The captain protested he was sailing under the German flag, and no official of Colombia had a right to stop the vessel for any purpose whatever. According to a signed statement by three of the Alleghany’s passengers, Murrillo left the United States about four months ago, on a passport signed bv the Colombian Minister at Washington. On arrival at S» vanilla he was arrested, and taken to Bogota, where he was released on the understanding that he would sail on the first vessel for the United States. This he did, boarding the steamer at Savanilla. He expressed fears that he would he arrested at Cartagena, and when lie arrived at that port be refused to go ashore when word was brougnt that the Governor wished to see him- Murrillo’s errand to Colombia was to carry a peace manifesto from General Uribe. It was necessary for someone to go in order to

f;lmw the authenticity of the document, rind Murrillo undertook the duty. Feelin «■ was very hitter against him, and it i.s pic sinned lie will he imprisoned in the old Spanish prison at Cartagena, which is below the level of the sea, and most unwholesome. The matter has been laid before the Gorman Government, hut it is not yet known what notion will he taken.