CURRENT TOPICS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7301, 3 December 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS

MOTHER ALBERT'S JUBILEE. , Among many calls to which Wellington citizens have - generously responded during tho past few months, non© has been more cheerfully taken up than , tho movement to mark Mother Mary J oseph Aubert’s jubilee r with a; handsome contribution; mAt the Town ; Hall this opening his Excellency the, Governor' will hand to Mother Ambert a token of Wellington's recognition of her life’s work in the cause of the poor and the suffering. Various functions have been held to liaise■ a respectable sum of money, to enable this well-known and worthy lady to further carry on her institutions—the homo for incurable adults in buckle street,: and the “Home of Compassion, for, incurable and sick children, at Island Bay. There is probably no more modest or retiring person m the Dominion than Mother Auboit, and it is understood that it was with some difficulty she was induced to consent to to-night’c meeting. The good of the cause, however, prevailed, and citizens of all creeds and classes will be pleased at the opportunity of public expression of appreciation. The programme lor to-day, consisting ot street collections and the evening concert, is explained in another part of this paper, and all that ,is necessary hero is to commend the people to be liberal. Mother Anbert. it may be explained, came to New Zealand from France, her native land, in 1860, and during the half century that has passed she has devoted her money and her energies to the. service of her fellow creatures. The first eleven years she spent in the Auckland district helping the eick and poor of both races. A dozen years were then •given to similar work in Hawke’s Bay, and in 1883 Mother Anbert laboured on behalf of tho Maoris in the Wanganui fiver district. During the" past _ eleven years she has been tending the sick and poor of this city. In fifty years this remarkable Frenchwoman has done an immense amount of good. Sho has established charitable institutions in Wanganui, Auckland and Wellington. She has reached, an advanced age, but still goes on cheerfully and hopefully, add-, mg every day to the debt of gratitude which citizenswill pay oft, in some measure, with a substantial sum of money this evening. . PXmiTV OP POLITICAL LIFE.

Commenting upon the results of.tho Hino charges, the Southland “Daily News” .remarks: —"The mom who hoped to thus blacken tho characters of our administrators had lost sight of the oftrepeated fact that there is more political honesty in New Zealand than is customary in most other countries. It is a pity that, even if the Governments enemies cannot rejoice because of this exceptional political purity—where tho opportunities and temptations have been great and the financial rewards of office meagre, and the gratitude of the public a minus quantity—that they cannot restrain their antipathies for tho sake of the honour of the country and truth. It is satisfactory, however', that Mr Massey, who is, of coarse, Mr Hine’s principal in relation to the' charges, finds himself with nothing more, as the result of such an expenditure of time and monev, than a mere shell of proof against: those whom his party would not 'have troubled to attack; had they only known what tho result would be, : whilst there is not a shred of proof against the present Government. There was an attempt to involve the Seddon Government in the accusations of wrong-doing, but it failed, and it was freeilv admitted on all hands that tho Ward Administration was not found to have been at fault in the smallest degree. These two Administrations were not responsible any more than the Deposition for the actions of private members, who chose to place such a.low estimate on their responsibilities to the people that they took advantage of opportunities to make money by virtue of the influence and prestige which were due to their positions. But if what was disclosed is anything like all that can be alleged as to the cupidity of members in their Parliamentary capacity. New Zealand is indeed fortunate."