A FEW IMPERIAL MATTER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12043, 15 May 1901, Page 5

A FEW IMPERIAL MATTER

TO THE KDITOl:. Silt.—l wi?h lo call attention by tha aid of yam- kind courtesy to u few matters which, while tliey have not escaped the noticp of oilier?, Unve not been adopted as the plank* of any particular platform. The British race is, as a whole, conEc-rvative, and content. with old ointoni': Mid mode? because they have the sanction of antiquity and habit. Biit there are several matters in which tin's noiiscrvatifm might well lie abandoned, and I desire to mention one or two of them. Had our Premier the Uight Honourable liiciiitid a .sh-?ro in the {'ciincil< of tJic (.'inpire ( might have soine'hope of acoinpf some lefomi, but. I fer.r that the Right Honourable .loc is ton much oeeupicd with outside matter-—lo wit, fiuiitii Africa and other n:ntlors of the name kind—'.o bo flb'e loiind time for matters of domestic, though also of Imperial, importance. First, .is to tlio spelling of llio English language, or, more prquriy, the spoken by our race, ft is muEt irrational and r-biird, aiwl'.<l have ~ reformed a century ago. Xu ol '>rr people in t!>e world ii£6 such an antiquated and iib'urd ortho-. graphy. with Hie exception perhaps of liusrj.'i, .-iii'.l wjiit-l). dciM.'te it-- :i!nhul:et. f really believe dn.;s no! spell so lwdly as our Tlnglb'i. About a l , least' onefourth of our children's school time is spent itt a wav wliiri ii !o lltrin and everylio:ly ch<o. Ami only enn?:'.ler what this ii svqr "Wl i< lo»«. v"! lif" i-! (koliir." Vi r ! v should ire waste t 1 e short span of life (mor? c-'jvf-i.illy ill' yotUti) ns laarniu* a use-

less anaohronism absurdity. Then our system of coitiaßC, weights and measures, oto. Almost every State in Europe and several of thr British' colonies have adopted tho decimal eyetcm. \Vhat a fearful amount of our dnldren'fl youth is also wasted by adhering to uur antiquated eystim which 13 UClthfiT CiO" . cimal, duodecimal, nor anything else reason.. able. Who can rightly estimate in m<7iißy. value Urn time thereby wasted by the general' public, not to epeal of what) is even more 1 ralnable—the time of r>r youth m learn.. , ing? Oh, for somo Heatou to take 4 up tho Eubject and bring to a suceeEful reform. ■ Our own Kight Honourable Dick . roulcl do it if lie had time and would devote* , ■ himself to the work. Then there is tlie cur- • yeney question. Should there not be a cur-reru-.y for the Empire My idea is that there s < should be ono for the vhole world; but we ought to try first for ono for the. Empire. . Australia, hius an Imperial currency, but unreformed as it should be. Canada has h«>.» -.1 o\fit decimal curroncy. The West Ihdia :; Islands havo their own special currency, and India and tho Oriental dependencies one of. their own. One of the most unfortunate v things that can bo attempted is that of establishing a currency for the whole Empire based cm the dccimal system, and Also a : . r system of weights and measures.' I appeal to our teachers, our chambers of commerce, our merchants, and our statesmen 1 to look into these matters; and last, but not least, : I appeal to the Commonwealth of Australia and the Dominion of Canada, whoso proper --V fimetion.it is to put Imperialism-,to its ; proper use—namely, reform of John Bull's stupid eonsen'atism and tho promotion of '' measures tliat will do more to unite' the Empire socially and economically than any- .' thing else that can bo thought of. Many other matters might be mentioned,, ii leave ■ them' to other and abler writers. All I contend for is reform, and that should ba i ,'i. tho watchword of tha new-born Commonwealth of Australia, a? it has been, thanks 1 , to our own Right Honourable Dick and his ; colleagues, that of New Zealand.—l anj.. etc., Refomiss. j