CURRENT TOPICS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8295, 5 December 1912, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS

"TIMES” FINALS COMPETTTIDN. The popularity of the Finals Competitions organised by tho “Times” grows every day, judging by the largo number of solutions sent in. Tho sixth series closes on Saturday next, on which day competitors must post their last tries, and the results will bo announced on the 14 th inst.

LLOYD GEORGE INSURANCES. Eyery weapon -that party rancor could deviso has been employed to make the Insurance Act impossible and to create a widespread resistance to the law (says the London ‘•News'”). With what result? At the end of three months Mt George is able to tell us that. the actuarial calculations have been considerably exceeded, that between 13,000,000 and 14,000,000 people aro getting insured against sickness and that 2,500,000 are insured against un employment. _ It is a triumph for the Act; but it is also a triumph for the nation. THE PICTURE REVERSED. War teaches us geography, though in a very expensive way. All eyes are now turned towards a part of the world that once was the centre of a civilisation and a culture possibly higher than the world has seen since or will see again for many years to come. The fact is startling when it is recalled that over two thousand years ago, when London was a swampbordered stronghold of painted savages, when Manchester was a rude camp of armed barbarians and Birmingham a stockade sheltering skin-clad Celtic tribesmen, this land was peopled by races of beings upon whose thought and writing we rely to-day for our own education in . matters concerning both mind and body. ANTARCTIC WHALING COMPANY. There seems to be some stir among the whaling fleets that have for a fairly extended period now been working in Poveaux Straits and in other waters in the vicinity of Stewart Island, and at least one is reported to be leaving New Zealand shortly, and in all probability transferring its centre of operations to the South American coast (says the •‘Southland Times"). The Dannevig Whaling Company is the one specifically referred to, the factory ship of which concern, the Mimosa, is set down to go into dock at Port Chalmers this week for overhaul. But in spite of the Dannevig Company's avowed intention to depart, there are others in the business who are going to have a trial, the Antarctic Whaling Company’s fleet, which has up till this been engaged on the New South. Wales coast, arriving during the past week and establishing headquarters at Battle Cove, Preservation. This fleet comprises the Norwegia and the Zealandia, steamers of 64 tons each, and specially equipped for the whaling business, in addition to the Polynesia, a sailing vessel of 7000 tons, which is fitted np in a manner that enables the carcase of the whale to be dealt with in all the processes in an expeditious way. The new enterprise is in charge of Captain Larsen.

LESSONS IN MILITARY ORGANISATION. Says the “Sydney Sun”: —The story of Mr William Le Queux, novelist, that he found wooden bullets, used by the Turkish Army, on. the Macedonian battlefields, will supply (if anybody believes the stoiy) a -valuable lesson for Australia in military organisation. It will show the Australian army that some of its own practices have been copied elsewhere. Not very long ago portion of the artillery in an Australian State was being trained with dummy wooden guns, and if the army had had to take the field the wooden guns would have gone magnificently into action. When the cadet system began there were patriots who had the magnificent inspiration that the cadets ought to be trained with wooden rifles. It only required the outbreak of war- to make ns beat the Turks easily in the matter of wooden equipment. Another lesson is that the military contractor in Turkey is much the same aa the military contractor everywhere. Bayonets that bend, cordite that will not explode, food that cannot he eaten, shells that are stuffed with sand, fodder that is mouldy—sill these things are sold to the Thin' Led Line of Heroes by commercial patriots in time of war. After the wooden bullets, nobody can say that Turkey is not thoroughly civilised —in commercial methods, anyway. THE LAND QUESTION. Nobody who has given any real thought to the subject, and in so doing has been candid with himself, can miss the conclusion that as the area of land available for production is limited, and the possibilities of human increase are con ditioned by but two things—reasonable standing room and food to eat —how the land is dealt with must have the most direct effect upon the happiness or misery of mankind (comments the Napier “Telegraph”). It is only Malthns over again,and Malthus merely stands for reasoning nearly as old as the hills. Wars, diseases, famines, convulsions of nature, and the irrational habits of man are au explanations of the fact that the population of the whole world never is at any given time too great to be fed by the food productivity of the whole world. But the “tendency” of population is to outstrip the means of subsistence, anu this because the surface of the globe is limited. Hence the perpetual struggle between the Haves and Have-nots, and

hence the great importance of a rational settlement of tho land question with a view to the greatest good of the greatest number. Lloyd George has been thinking of these things, and his conclusion ij that the British land system should bo buret up. Much of this talk is merely fizzing, but ns a B}gn of the times it is not without significance. Tho world is in the commencing throes of a moral revolution on tho land question.

CADETS DOING WELL. General Godley says the New Zealanders at the Cadet Training College in Sydney are having a splendid experience. They will return educated, drilled and thoroughly equipped, and will be a fine object lesson for our lads. He wishes it were possible that more young New Zealanders could go through tho college. VERY STRANGE. Every now and then great pains seem to be taken in tho region of officialdom to prove that the law is an ass. Mr H. W. Reynolds, of Christchurch, was recently fined £5 for displaying in his shop window printed matter not bearing the printer’s name. On tho recommendation of a Parliamentary committee the fine was reduced to .£l. Last week Mr Reynolds was taken to gaol for failing to pay tho fine. That seems all right so far. But the "Lyttelton Times" has unearthed circumstances suggesting tho need for inquiry. Our contemporary says it has always supposed—os, we should say, most people have—that the first step towards collection ‘of a fine imposed by civil process was, after default, the issue of a warrant of distress. It seems, however, that that is the procedure only if the fine is £5 or over. If the penalty is less than £5 away goes the defaulter straight to the gaol. If this be the case we should very much like to know why. Mr Herdman might do worse than look into this question if lie can find time. NOT DECADENT. "England is not a decadent country. The man who thinks it is. is an utter fool," said Mr O'hns. Aiier, just back from a trip to England, to a Taranaki “News" representative. “The Old Country was never so vigorous, so sound, so enterprising and so, successful as she is now. She is beating the Germans and tho Yanks in the commercial race, opinions to the contrary notwithstanding. The English are honest traders and put quality in all the goods they make and .sell. It is this policy that is holding to England just now, and accounts for her success over her pushful rivals. The Americans who invaded London some years ago are losing ground and getting sick of the fight against the Britons. One can’t go to England without being struck by the way in which British commerce is advancing. No; don’t believe tho man who is painting in pessimistic hues the future of the British trader. He is all right and can by his qualities of honesty and thoroughness be relied upon every time to win through against Che strongest competition of tho foreigners." SOLDIERS EN ( T.HB MAKING FLOGGED. Some pother is being caused in Sydney over the ‘■'flogging" of a Grammar School boy for an offence while being drilled under military authority with the senior cadets. The proceedings seem to have been, a little irregular, but the “flogging" was not physically severe, and is said to have been chosen by the subject in preference to a court posecution. The boy was given permission to “fall out" from parade for a few minutes, but did not return to the ranks when he should have dome. The officer commanding the" battalion wrote to the headmaster suggesting that the boy be flogged. , Another case reported in connection with the same battalion gives rise to tho suspicion that an officer was both harah and unjust. A boy off seventeen years went home from parade crying and told his mother he had been severely beaten by the adjutant. His offence was that he had audibly repeated the command "Order arms,” in order to memorise it. The adjutant asked if he would take a “hiding’ or he fined at a Police Court. Tho boy replied that he was too poor to mj a fine, whereupon he was whipped. Ha would not show his mother the marks of the beating, but when he was asleep she found thick weals on hie body-,. The a. jutant, interviewed-by a ‘ Sun reporter, said • “I will not give any information at all. I admit nothing. I deny nothing/ The moral of all this, if it has. onr. is that discretion' is a valnaiblo ani’ilyuve in an officer, as it is in those who appoint officers, in the initial stages of such a big scheme as compulsory universal training.