PASSING EVENTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4461, 14 September 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

PASSING EVENTS.

•(from the "New Zealand Mail.”) History ia philosophy teaching by examples. —Thucydides. After listening to the lugubrious speeches of political pessimists some might bo inclined to look with misgivings to the future of New Zealand, it they did not conclude that the country was going rapidly to the dogs. If there is need for the practice of economy in the conduct of public affairs, thero is no need to regard the future with other than hopefulness. There must ba no cessation of tho people’s enterprise. When ivo consider that vast areas of fertile land arc not yet settled, and when wo contemplate what that is capable of producing when occupied by industrious and energetic producers, it docs not appear that thero .should bo any tapering olt* of the go-ahead land settlement of tho Government or any diminution e f the country’s general prosperity. Naturally, after a period of intense productiveness, thero will occasionally coino a timo of slackening oil. Then prices of staple products will not bo so high, profits to producers will bo lessened and tho spending power of tho people may contract; but should such a timo como upon us, as it has dono before, it does not follow that it will affect our general prosperity or induce us to lessen our productiveness and mitigate bur progress. With fairly good management tins country has littie to fear, and wc do not doubt for a moment that colonists will insist on their public affairs being conducted with prudence and success. It may happen, of course, that tho ripple of tho wave of depression that is spreading over tho Continent of Europe will bo felt by commercial men in this country, and that for a little while the lowered prices of our commodities may lesson tho spendine power of the lanucr; hnt this canmd affect the stability of tho colony, nor will it retard Ihe lan dscttlement policy or the development of ‘-ho.se industries which depend upon closer settlement for their sneer-s. As bluets cannot account for the fail in (he price of wool, sc experts cannot explain why butter should be improving. Notwithstanding tho vagaries of the markets tho colony is still prosperous. In endeavouring to discover what has made it so one period’s exports are compared with those of another, act! it Ruud that for tho five years ending 189 U Hie exports exceeded in value twenty-five and a half millions, while those for the five-year period ending 1900 amoun to nearly thirty-seven millions, so that there was an annual increase, comparing the one period with the other, of over two millions and a quarter sterling. That alone without any vigorous policy of public works would account for our prosperity. What is going to make for tho future prosperity of New Zealand is the dairying industry, the products of which in 1890 yielded something like £150,000, whereas those ot last year added a million sterling to the value cl our exports. As this industry is only in its infancy, much moie may bo expected of it as it grows and bvein ns under prudent management, ISK ..p«Sy settlement of tto so suitable for dairying hut as yet un occupi©tl.

The case of Inspector Loo and the Wellington Education Board has arousl I imioh indignation throughout tho i roviacini district. Further afield- the i.i.aiJs action has bKn adversely cnUl.,ii'lio p>a put lorwaid on bena'.t o" rhe Board that judgment should pe ...i; vend'd until an inquiry is hold, is L.-sido Uu* question discussed and animrdverted upon by tho public. It is not n question ot whether the Board was within its rights in dismissing Mr Lee, but whether the Board, having made a, complaint against the chief inspector, was justified in peremptorily dismiss imr a public servant after twenty-eight years’ faithful service without giving that servant an opportunity of being 1, ui id in his own defence. The faot is that members of the Board knew that all Mr Leo had said in his report and before the Commission was absolutely correctThey were aware of the flagrant breaches of the regulations made by themselves against the advice ot their advising and expert officers. They had had their methods of appointing teachers brought blforo tho Commission, and had heard it denounced. The Board’s conduct of its business had been dealt with, and members were beginning' to have s°mo conscientious scruples that individually _ they were responsible for the demoralisation of the staff, for the mismanagement of the Board’s affairs, and for its nepotism in the making _ of appointments. Mr Lee, in tolling what he knew to be the methods of tb° Board, offended the more culpable members, who at once considered that the best means of warding off public attention to their practices would be to the chief Inspector. They have dismissed Mr Lee, but their indifferent conduct of the Board’s business is being emphasised by their latest unreasonable act. Members of school committees, the constituents of the Board, have held an indignation meeting, and placed on record their strong disapproval of the Board’s treatment of its chief inspector. Indeed, those members who voted for Mr Lee’s dismissal have been called upon to resign. It is not likely that those members who are named will deem it their duty to answer B uch a call, and it is now hinted that the Board hag more against Mr Lea than it cares at present to state. Such insinuation are childish. The manly course would have been to bring nil charges against chief inspector home to him before his dismissal. It must ho regarded as further evidence of the Board’s incompetency to conduct its business in a business-like way when it discharges Mr Leo first and then proposes to hold afterwards an inquiry and hear what their officer has to say for himself. It the exigencies of the Board’s finance rendered it necessary that Mr Lee should he dismissed, no one would blame the Board for dismissing himbut as the Board’s finance has been in a deplorable state for some years and now alleged to be improving, the urgency of economy ig too weak an excuse for the suddenness of the Board’s resolve to dismiss Mr Lee. The action as it stands will not hear investigation, and it would strengthen the hands of city school committees and be more to the nurpose if those in the country held similar meetings, passed similar resolutions. and prepared themselves to act upon their determination when tho next election tjj]§eg place.

Sir James Prcndorgast, late Chief I Justice, is returning from attending the conference which Mr Chamberlain had summoned to London to consider tho question of having further colonial re-; presentation on the Judicial Committee of tho Privy Council. Sir James had no strongly pronounced views on tho advisableness of such a proposal, _ but ho was expected to urge the addition of two or three lawyers of colonial experience to tho Judicial Committee. What the conclusions of tho conference lave been will be disclosed in all fullness in duo course, and it is probable that the result of tho deliberations of tho various delegates may bring the time much nearer when a body representative of all parts of the Empire may be established spcciially commissioned not only to deal with cases of appeal, but to offer advice and make recommendations to tho Imperial Government on all matters affecting the self-governing colonies. Perhaps to give effect to tho suggestion attributed to Sir James is ag far as tho British Government would care to go at the present time towards the attainment of is known ng Air Chamberlain’s ideal. Nor does there appear to bo any necessity to proceed further. Canada is not anxious for a change. Australia has her hands full, and neither Air E. Barton nor Air O. H. Reid wish to press thig high and Imperial question upon the people of the Commonwealth. They are for tho time being more concerned with a federal tariff than an Imperial Court of Appeal and colonial representation thereon. South Africa ig too disturbed ag yot to contemplate tho project, and it is not likely that the matter will be able to receive attention there for three or four yearg. On the whole, then, tho present doeg not geem to be opportune for dealing with the question decisively. When, however, tho meeting of Premiers takes place in London during the Coronation celebrations in Juno next, it is certain this and other Imperial matters will be discussed at length, and it is within the range of possibility that a scheme will he unfolded by the Secretary of State for tho Colouies Which in effect will make for tho constitutional unification of the Empire.

I A now turn has been given to the existence of the Liberal p;trty in Great Britain. For long “the great historic party in the State” has been at sixes and sevens- Some affix the moment of cleavage to the time when Gladstone threw at the nation, as Saul the javelin at David, his famous Home Rule proposals. Others affirm that the Liberal party was broken up when Lord Rosebery severed his connection with it, and became, so to speak, a comet in the Liberal universe with a brilliant tail, but with no fixed orbit. Then we are told that the present “official” leader. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, does not command the support of the majority of his followers. They would rather see in the lead Mr H. H. Asquith, who may he regarded as the rising hope of a majority of a sectional and disaffected party. To crown all, the various leaders have taken different views of the Boer war, and that has uot tended to heal the breaches so flagrant and vexatious. There has over this question arisen a condition of hopeless and incurable antagonism among the several sections of the Liberal party. The chances are now, however, favourable to a closing of the ranks. Lord Rosebery and Mr Asquith are almost in unison, and although Sir Henry Campbell-Ban-nerman forbade his followers to attend the Asquith dinner recently, there seems to be a disposition on the part of the "official” Liberal leader to infuse more of the Imperialistic spirit of the Roseberys and Asquiths into his “Little Englanders.” Mr Asquith has just Told the Liberals of Great Britain that while there is room in the party for individual freedom of thought and opinion on many questions, there can now only he one opinion with respect to the war. It is the duty of Liberals in the name of humanity and mercy to demand that the promptest and most effective use of every resource and expedient that military art and science can suggest shall be employed by tho British against the Boers to bring tho war to a close. This is the view Sir Henry and his followers are now inclined to adopt. When the war is over, then tho alternative governing party, as the Opposition is called, may still more effectively close its ranks, and obliterating all evidences of defection, engage upon such social reforms as tho people of Great Britain so urgently require. With definite aims on domestic problems and a correct conception of Empire, tho Liberals will again form a united party, working for progress, for reform, and for the enlargement of national enterprises.

To all students of sociology, statistics bearing upon the social condition of a people are of absorbing interest. It cannot be expected that the average reader will take the same interest in figures affecting, s a y, drunkenness and criminality, as the temperance advocate or tho chief detective. Still, if figures—cool and convincing-=upset popular beliefs, they ought to be of interest to all. Now the figures dealing with the existence of those two characteristics among the British people during the past year have _ just been produced and comparisons instituted with chose of other years for the sake of intelligence ar.d effect. As far as England and Wales are concerned the result is very satisfactory, for Mr John Macdonnell, C. 8., Master of tho Supreme Court, in an introduction to the returns, says they show “a smaller amount- of crime known to the police than in any year of which there is a complete record since 1857.” In Scotland, however, the case is different, for 1899 stands ag a “record” year in more respects than one. Notwithstanding this fact, the past year when compared with previous years dis. flays on tue whole a vast improvement. t was a year of great prosperity—a year in which wages advanced, failures were scarce, and strikes exceptionally few. It wag also a year of increased drunkenness, and the national drink bill rose to nearly one hundred and seventy millions. Yet it wag a year, the Master of the Supreme Court states, in which criminality showed a decrease of over 7 per cent. Those who strenuously hold to the theory that an increase of drunkenness means an increase of criminality must he prepared to be rudely shocked. In 1899 the consumption of spirits exceeded one gallon per head, and the convictions of drunkenness increased by 11.500; and the fact that this wag not accompanied by an increase of crime is accounted for by the fact that ninetenthg of the crimes were against property, which would not he affected by drunkenness. Besides this, there wag a decrease in crimes of violence and other offences which are popularly supposed to ho intigiately connected with drui}k-

Lnness. Tho most gratifying feature, however, is that notwithstanding all that is promiscuously affirmed to tho contrary, the British people are becomi ing loss criminally disposed, for had there been in 1899 the game proportion of crime to population as there was in 1868. tho “convictions” would have been nearly doubled. In other words, while the population hag increased 45 per cent-, crime has fallen 25 per cent. If by these figures some pet theories arc ruthlessly destroyed, so much the worse for tho theories. At the same time, while an increase in drunkenness is to ■ he deplored, tho decline of criminality ■ is highly satisfactory.