PRACTICABLE ZIONISM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18385, 25 October 1921, Page 4

PRACTICABLE ZIONISM.

Much interesting light is thrown upon Zionism as a practicable proposition in the report of the British High Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief in Palestine for tho twelve months ended on Juno 30th last. ' Undeveloped and under-populated, Palestine has. Sir Herbert Samuel considers, possibilities of far more prosperity than the standard attained before the war. It may come as a surprise to many to learn that there are in tho whole of Palestine hardly 700,000 people, a population much less, the High Comrnisslrjiier points out, than that of the province of Galilee alone in the time of Christ. Of the total population the Jewish clement numbers 76,000, almost all of whom Have entered Palestine during the last fort}' years. Since the ports of Palestine were opened to immigration with certain restrictions in August, 1920, slightly over 10,000 immigrants have arrived in the country, these being almost all Jewish, of whom the great proportion immigrated under the auspices of tho Zionist organisation. A small group of Communists seeking to become an agency of Bolshevist propaganda in Palestine would appear to have found the climate distinctly unhealthy. The party aroused against ■ itself an

almost universal hostility, and a few aliens belonging to it were deported. The policy of the British Government in Palestine, Sir HefWt Samuel observes** contemplates the satisfaction of the legitimate aspirations of the Jewish race throughout the world in relation to that country combined with full protection of the rights of the existing population. For his part he is convinced, he affirms, that the means can be found to effect this combination, for the Zionism that is practicable is the Zionism that fulfils this essential condition. The High Commissioner goes on to say: "It is the clear duty of the'mandatory Power to promote the, well-being of the Arab population, in the same way as a British Administration would regard it as its duty to promote the welfare of the local population in any part of our Empire. The measures to foster the well-being of the Arabs should be precisely those which we should adopt in Palestine if there were no Zionist question, and if ..there had been no Balfour Declaration. There is in this policy nothing incompatible with reasonable Zionist aspirations. Oh the contrary if the growth of Jewish influence were accompanied by Arab degradation, or even by a neglect to promote Arab advancement, it would fail in one of its essential purposes. The grievance of the Arab would be a discredit to the Jew, and in the result the moral influence of Zionism would be gravely impaired."

Both the Labour Department and_ the Town Hall kept "yesterday as a holiday, consequently the Unemployment Bureaux were closed., ' Labour Day was. observed, at Auckland as a general holiday (says a Press Association telegram). The Labour procession and the sports were held despite the stormy weather. Our Wellington correspondent wires that it was at first intended to submit the Mortgages and Deposits Extension Bill to the Statutes Revision Committee, but the probability is that it will now go to the Public Accounts Committee, as that committee is considered to be more capable of dealing with its- provisions. T^ rc . a ? 6 many and strong objections to tfte Bill in its present form. A correspondent writing from Wcdder.burn concerning a recent storm says that hail fell in large .and stripped the fruit trees. The . fields .were cut up with warer flowing from neighbouring flooded creeks. The Wedderburn Hotel was damaged, apd traffic could not cros9 the Wedderburn Creek. The crops are looking splendid, and, if rain follows, they should surpass those of the last few years. The Treasury is constantly receiving conscience money, but the amounts have been small. According to the last Gazette some person unknown has forwarded £4OO to the Land and Incpme Tax Department. . The Christchurch Anglicah Synod last night passed a resolution deploring the increased facilities for divorce afforded by the Divorc% ment of Mr Massey that New Zealand has .-gone too far, and that the >Act must be amended (says a .Press Association*' telegram). The following resolution was also carried :•-" That section A of the Divorce Act, 1920, in % allowing a decree of divorce to be pronounced against a person entirely innocent cf any matrimonial offence infavour of one who has been guilty of such an offence, and in effect, because of such guilt, introduces into the law a principle so pernicious and so grossly unjust as to render imperative its instant repeal." The will, dated 20th April, 1920, of the late Mr William Wood, of Christchurch, New Zealand, merchant, "who died on 15th January, 1921, has been presented in Melbourne for ro-sealing. Deceased left £240,000 estate in the dominion, and £3889 personalty in Victoria to his widow, children, and grand-children, subject to certain legacies. A 15-year-old girl named Agnerey, who has been. missing for 18 months, has been found by the police under the rafters of a loft in her home at Berck-sur-Mer, France. She was so emaciated that she weighed only four stone. She seemed dazed when brought out of the loft, and, after being given some nourishment, made a statement to the police to the effect, it is understood, that she had been confined under those conditions for the whole 18 months. The police immediately took the girl's parents into custody, and had great difficulty in eaving them from being lynched by a large crowd that followed them to the police station. ' . It is 'anticipated that there will be a rise in the price of loose'cigarette tobacco shortly, and retailers are said to be purchasing rather heavy stocks at present (says the Dominion). The cause is attributed to the belief that the Government intends to considerably increase the duty on this class of tobacco when the tariff is revised. At present the duty on. made-up cigarettes is 25s 6d per 1000, equal to about 10s 2d per lb, while the duty on loose cigarette tobacco is 3s 6d per lb. In Australia there is one uniform charge of 12s per lb, and it is stated that the New Zealand Government intends to adopt the Same principle. " Since the end of 1920 our trade has fallen off so much that we have hod to discharge all our hands, and they have had to seek work in other trades, with, in some cases, poor success," runs a letter received by Mr H. F. Allen, 'secretary of the exhibition executive, from the manager of an Auckland firm which specialises in the manufacture of saddle trees. "We epont some yearscin teaching these men the business. . Unless we can .get some protection against foreign saddle Trees being dumped into New Zealand, it may mean the closing down of an industry that proved one of the most useful during the late war. This firm uses the native silver beech, grown in the filouth Isiand. With regard to the land agency business, which is very sensitive to the fluctuations cf the prosperity, or otherwise of the community as a whole, business, so far as the sale of country and farm lands is concerned, is very restricted, and is likely to continue so until some stability in the value of our primary products is established, says the annual report of the Land Agents and Auctioneers' Assopiation of Wellington, but, with regard to house property and building sites, the turnover in which is, of course, greatly reduced as compared with recent years, and, at the present time, is particularly hampered owing to the extension of the moratorium to deposits, etc, the executive cannot help thinking that the outlook is bright, as the community must have houses to live in. The extreme shortago has been, alleviated to a very small extent, indeed, by Government and municipal activities, but the reduction in the cost of material, etc., that is now taking place should encourage building, both by owners and speculators, with a corresponding increase in the sale cf vacant building sites, whilst the vastly-increased number of individual owners of their own dwellings, as compared with pro-wnr days, means that there is a greatly-increased volume of business to lie done. An amusing; incident occurred at Sumner recently, in which the chief actor was Tim, an Irish terrier, belonging to the electrical engineer of Sumner Borough Council (says the Christchurch Press). The dog had been accidentally locked in the Borough Council Chambers on the evening previous to that on which the Horticultural Society's meeting, was to be held, and when the members of the association arrived at the Council Chambers, they found their entry barred by Tim, who continued to hold them up for some little time. While the dog was busy expressing his disapproval of one or two of the members, the others managed to get halfway up the stairs, but before they could roach the electric switch Tim had bounded up the steps, and once more had them at bay. Coming to the conclusion that discretion was thg better part of valour, the mombors rotired down the stairs en masse, with the dog at their heels. This time Tim saw them ;i'ght out to the footpath. At this jucture one of the parly made a dash for the door, but just too late to prevent it banking in his face. As no one had a kny. i!i'< meeting found itself outside or the footsw.<h in company with Tim. Finally, one of rho_to'.:ncillors got in through the window, which had been left unbarred.

Tho State Advances Department has granted the Timaru Borough Council £SOOO fo* tho erection of workers’ dwellings (says a Press Association telegram). Thovcase of an injured woman who received only £57 out of £l6B damages awarded her by the Supreme Court, was mentioned in the last report of the Relief Committee presented to tho Auckland Hospital jloard. The report stated that in cdnsoquencc of injuries sustained in an accident, the woman was awarded £l6B damages and costs on the lowest scale. Tho defendnts paid over to her lawyers £lB3, of which lawyers’ fees amounted to £66, and their disbursements to £l6. Witnesses and other expenses finally left the plalnriff only £57, and the committee found it necessary to make her an allowance lor maintenance.

A close contest in the Auckland East byelection was forecasted by Mr Hall Skelton, who presided at tho meeting of electors addressed 'by Mr S. H. Foster, the independent candidate, at St. Benedict’s Hall on Thursday evening. Mr Skelton said ho was of the opinion that the election would prove to be the closest yet experienced in New Zealand. He thought it would be found that Messrs Foster, Lee, and Mackenzie would poll within 209 votes of each other, with the other candidate away down at tho bottom of the' poll. Tho time-honoured festival of Hallowe'en was held by the Mataura Highland Slociety at their annual meeting on Friday night. Appropriate music was rendered by pipers and singers. Old and young entered heartily into the mirth-provoking observances, ducking for apples, burning nuts, etc., and at the close the old-time country dances were engaged, in. The Rev. A. C. Wedderspoon, Invercargill, gave ah address on “ Hallowe’en,” tracing its history through myth and legend, and shovyiug that tho present day frivolities were, in some untraceahle way, relics of gruesome pre-historic religious exercises. On tho motion of Mri W. Donald, seconded by Mr Archibald Mac Gibbon, the Rev. Wedderspoon was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his interesting and amusing lecture. If the bottom falls out of a ship literally, the insurance company concerned suffers; if the bottom falls out, metaphorically,, the owner suffers. A witness at the Wellington Supreme Court said that tho all-round drop' in ship values over the period 1918 to 1921 was 75 per cent. In the particular case no vessel was purchased, and ( counsel for the defence suggested that far from the plaintiffs having' lost money through the cancellation of a contract for the launching of an Island plantation and schooner trading venture, he had saved £750 out of 'his £IOOO because he did not invest.

Interesting details relating to the marketing 'of primary products in the United Kingdom were placed before the provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union (says the New Zealand Herald) by Captain F. Colbeck. He said that New Zealand mutton was being sold wholesale in London at o4d per lb, and the retailer was selling it at Is 6d per lb. The retailer claimed that he was only getting 2d a pound profit on the mutton. This showed there was a leakage of lOd per lb, and the farmers wore out, to secure that lOd if possible. To accomplish this they would have to rethe system of distribution. It had been shown by the Bristol and Dominion Company, when it was in existence, that butter could be successfully distributed in England and sold at good prices under its own label. This could be accomplished by co-operative effort on the part of the farmers of New Zealand. Similar results could be achieved in respect to meat and wool. .

“ I had a big surprise in Australia,” states a Wellington business man, who returned recently from a visit to the commonwealth. “I knew that Australia had a. high protective tariff, and I expected to find the selling price of local nm nu f ac t ur e s would be figuring on a parity Iwith similar imported goods on which duty had been paid, but I noticed that manufacturers were not abusing the tariff protection. I was particularly interested in hats. Really good quality hats, made in Australia, were selling at prices much below those of the imported hats of similar quality. The tariff had encouraged local manufacturers to launch out into bigger business, and this expansion had Reduced the ratio of pverhead charges. With an increase of production, they were able to lower their prices. There are now several big hatmaking firms; the output of the largest would be sufficient to supply hats for the whole of the State of Victoria. I was informed that the tariff had also put a spirit of enterprise into other manufacturers, and the result was a benefit to the general public.” * Commenting on the geological theory that portion of the Manawatu district was the site of a great lake many years ago, reference to which was made in the Standard a while back, consequent on the finding of a totara log on the late Mr T. W. Staoe’s farm at Te Matai at a depth of 70ft during well-boring operations, the Waimate Witness says these impressions gained by casual observers are probably right, but are confined to a narrow field of vision, and take a quite superficial view. Palmerston North has previously had its interest aroused by the discovery of moa footprints,” and suchlike relics of comparatively modern origin. But such findings are of no more" geological value than tho turning- up of a Maori axe in a Taranaki paddock. In mentioning this, the Foxton paper says that Foxton, which is 26 miles away from the site of the supposed lake, is partly surrounded by sand. Yet, nestled .-away among those bare sandhills there exists a remnant of pre-historic forest growth. How did it get there? Locally it is knqwn as the “ Round Bush.” In this secluded gully, bounded by seemingly everlasting sand, are growing alpine and other plants, whose presence there the botanist, by himself; cannot fully account for. The problem is one for geologists. Is chivalry confined to on© sex? In ancient days, when Sir Galahad Gawain would rescue timid maidens from the jaws of several dragons on each alternate Saturday and Tuesday, chivalry was not expected of the weaker sex; indeed, they had their work out out to live (says the Daily Express). To-day, when woman sits ■in equality over us, presides in university and law court, and is even audible at times in tho mother of Parliaments itself, one might reasonably expect her sense of chivalry to have grown a little with her stature. There is, however, a man of large feet and firm convictions who thinks otherwise. An ardent supporter of the equality of tho sexes, he feels (naturally) he would be betraying his most cherished principles were lie to surrender his seat in a tram car' or omnibus to a female. So, ho does, not; and , alone among Londoners he rejoices in the abolition of the strap-hanger; for he complains that the female now retaliates by the- low-down device of loitering on his feet. Hence the problem. Our gentleman friend may or may not bo justified in his particular interpretation of sex equality: that does not signify. Tho point is, should not in any case our womenfolk have learned by now sufficient chivalry to refrain from showing .their disgust in the peculiarly tactless, not to mention painful, manner indicated? It is a serious affair.

The annual meeting of the Anglican Memorial Home for boys will be , held s>n Wednesday next at Vauxhall, at. 2.30 p.m. All those interested in orphan and neglected boys are specially invited. Never a mechanical stop when you ride a Harley-Davidson motor cycle. Otago agents: W. A. Justice and Co.. Imperial Garage, 292 Princes street, Dunedin.—Advt "Soft, fresh linen is no less important than its fineness.” • Use “No-Rubbing” Laundry Help to keep it so; also,'“Golden Rule” Soap.—Advt. Quite the latest: Ladies’ black patent leather belts, from i-inoh to 1-inch wide, very smart. Prices :■ Is 9d, 2s 3d, 2s 6d, 2s lid, 3s lid each.—At Mollisons Ltd.— Advt. f A. E. J. Blakeley, dentist, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office). Telephone 1859, Advt. Watson’s No. 10 is a little dearer than most whiskies, but i« worth the money.—Advt. Save Your Eyes.--Consult Peter G. Dick D.8.0.A., F. 1.0., London, consulting and oculists' optician.—" Peter Dick,” jewellers and opticians, lUoray place. Dunedin.—Advt