SIR ROBERT STOUT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18447, 7 January 1922, Page 11

SIR ROBERT STOUT

VISIT TO HIS NATIVE ISLANDS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, January 6. Sir Robert Stout returned to New Zealand to-day, having come over from Sydney in the Marama. He' is much improved in health as the result of his long holiday, but his knee, which he hurt on the voyage out, is troubling him. He had a very pleasant voyage in the Wiltshire to Australia, but a very rough trip across the Tasman in the Union liner. During a visit to the Shetland Islands he noted with pleasure that the conditions had greatly improved since hia last visit, though the population of 25,000 had not increased. Out of their limited population the Shetlanders sent 3000 men to the merchant marine, which did so much for the navy, ■ while over 1500 joined the army. Like others who have recently visited Great Britain, Sir Robert found New -Zealand in high favour there, and it was attracting -the best class of immigrant. The British people still talked of the snlendid fighting qualities of the New Zealand soldiers, and spoke well also - £ their behaviour. Ho also found that the New Zealand Rhodes scholars were highly thought, of. Sir Robert i will attend the next sitting of the Senate of the New Zealand University, and when his leave has expired will resume his duties on the Supreme Court bench. l^ady, Stout, during her stay in Great Britain interested herself in social questions, mainly from the feminine point of view. Altogether, she says, the outlook for better things seems hopeful, though there is still the intense, opposition of the older men and politicians to certain toforms which are being continually urged by woman’s organisations. The reform of Social Hygiene Acts (with bitter opposition by women to any reviving of the old C.D. Act abuses), the consideration of State upbringing of children, and the limitation of families, are all subjects, which are freely .■ and 'openly discussed in England, and the former in Australia. The subject of the limitation of families, says Lady Stout, “is' causing much sensation. It seems a logical outcome of tho various efforts for the betterment of the Taco. To bring children into a world of poverty and starvation seeme absurd, and the endowment of mpthors would seem the solving •of the question. At the clinics where limitation of families is taught side by side with this work is the removal of obstacles, sometimes quite slight, of those who could and should have families, and they are encouraged to cultivate health on tho best lines.” To a Post reporter Lady Stout made some observations ‘on Englishwomen who are interested in social and political affairs. Lady Astor told her something of her e-arly difficulties and trials in her position as,, a member of Parliament, and said she hoped she had established herself ,as a woman of her word. Lady Astor, Lady Aberdeen, Mrs Fawcett, Lady Henry Somerset, and other women who do muon public work Usually wear a kind of uniform - costume. Lady Astor wears a plain black i frock in the winter, and a pale grey one in tho summer, very simple and easy to don, with dainty lace and valuable pearls which can be easily added for more drossy ooca sions. Lady Stout attended a reception given to Mrs Fawcett by the National Council of Women Citizens, and met many of her former suffrage friends. Mrs Fawcett, who has worked for _ suffrage since 1867, was given a presentation, which she used in a tour, including Jerusalem, and her speech was an interesting account of what ' she saw there. Lady Rhondda, Lady Aber- , deen. Lady Selborne, and other prominent women workers expressed interest in New Zealand women’s work, ami just before Lady Stout loft she heard from Lady Selborne that a Bill had been passed granting equal pay to all women in the Government service with the men, to take effect m three years’ time.

THE PRIVY COUNCIL. (FBOM UUB UWN COKUISiJi-ONDBNT.) SYDNEY, December 29. Sir Robert Stout, took the opportunity, ■while in England, to represent New Zealand at the iiistoric garnering at Oxford of representative figures in university life in the Empire, and also took part in proceedings odf the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The general impression of the atmosphere, so to speak, in which these distinguished jurists deal with all the ramifications of the law of many lands, is quite a wrong one, it seems. One of the deepest impressions which it left on Sir Robert Stout was its democratic simplicity, alike in procedure and in its setting. “The Judicial Committee,” he remarked to an interviewer yesterday, “as the final Court for the dominions, and for certain cases in England also, is certainly the most democratic court in the world -as far 'as appearances are concerned. ‘ Picture four or five men. without any robes and in their ordinary clothes, sitting round a table in what ia simply a big library room. There are no policemen or officers in uniform, and a complete absence generally of any of that ostentation or display which might in the mind’s eye be associated with this great body. There are two messengers to bring in any necessary books, but that is all. Its simplicity of surrounding® is in fit keeping with its procedure, which is the simplest in the world. In the court in which I sat were Lord Haldane, Lord Phillimore, Lord Parmoor, Lord Carsofl, and myself. Viscount Cave and others were also busy in other courts, two of which were sitting at once on Indian cases. In all. 10 members of the committee were sitting at, the some time—five in each room. When I left there were still 36 cases on the list, including some Australian cases.” < , THE UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM. Sir Robert was questioned in regard to the industrial outlook in England, aqd he emphasised the seriousness of the unemployed problem there. The general feeling, as far as he coilld learn, was that the people intended to do their best to improve the position. The people seemed to be hopeful, but, Sir Robert added, they needed to work hard and to be careful in not wasting their means. The effect of the great coal strike, for illustration, was still perceptible, and would bo felt for some time to come. It meant, ho added, that the products of the mines had been reduced more than one-half. While, in short, Britain’s production of coal had been going down, the production in the United States had been going rapidly up. He thought that to export the coal from the British mines was simply to destroy British capital that could not be replaced. England, added Sir Robert, had no water power, except by the utilisation of the tides in _ the South-west, and there was also the point stressed by tho Coal Commission which sat 12 or 13 years ago, and which pointed out that the Whole of the English coal that could be mined for industrial use would cease in 400 or 600 years, and that Scotland’s coal would end in about 150 years. Scotland, no doubt, had more Water power than England, and could use electricity, Ireland, too, had a considerable water power. England should conserve her coal. To sell ,r outside of England to her industrial competitors was not, he thought, good policy. Recalling the effects of the coal strike, and referring to tho stoppage of all kinds of industry on account of the non-produc-tion of tho coal, he said tho upheaval even prevented fishing trawlers from going to the herring fisheries in the north. EXPENSIVE HABITS. “The people,” he added, “got into expensive habits during the war, when, of course, everything was high. And you cannot expect industrial life to bo promoted if that is the feeling. They will have to make much sacrifice if England is to get hack to normal. The world wasted millions, billions, of money. How is it to be replaced? Wo cannot got on without capital. Tho state of Russia ought to bo 'a warning to us. Compared with my previous visit, however, in 1909, I saw very great improvements in all the towns I visited. They were cleaner and better kept, tho death-rate has fallen very considerably, and more attention is being paid to gardens and parks and the beautifying of towns. What impressed me generally was the greater regard for the aesthetics.” As an observer of events at Home, Sir Robert Stout was questioned, regarding the Irish position. “The British people,” he said frankly, “are' always forgiving; they are always anxious for conciliation. That is the British attitude. But it has been said that the? Irish people were lucky, that they had to deal with the British nation, and that if they hod'had to deal with Germany or other nations in Europe they would have found it a different matter. J have no doubt that Mr Collins and his colleague.are earnestly anxious that a spirit"of peace and of brotherhood should prevail, but my own personal opinion is that it will probably be some time before we _ see that spirit manifest in Ireland. The pity is that there could not have been' some arrangement in regard to Home Rule in Glad stone's time, At the same time we have no right to say that Ulster should be forced out of the union. Ireland will no doubt bo hard hit materially as a result of the unhappy ovtnts there, for hundreds of thousand* of tourists and holiday-makers who would otherwise have visited Ireland have not included it in their towns. ”.

UNITY OF THE EMPIRE. The interviewer recalled to Sir Robert Stout a speech which he made at the Royal Colonial Institute, and in which he expressed the opinion that with Imperial Federation it would be necessary to have a written constitution, which would reduce the dominions to the level of the Stales within the American Federation. “The way,” he said, “to bring peace and brotherhood as between England and her colonies is not, as I pointed out, to pass statutes, but to love one another. The British people are not fond of federation. That is proved by what I said here at the inaugura tion of the Federation of Australia, I said it would not be long before you had an attack on State rights. A lot of people now want the State Parliaments abolished.” At the University Conference at Oxford Sir Robert Stout was chairman of the committee which dealt with finance. The conference, ho said, must have good results, for it enabled university teachers from all parts of the Empire to meet sand to discuss many matters and problems of common interest. Sir Robert Stout was disinclined to discuss the future of the British Labour Party on the ground .that he had'not been in England long enough or often enough to make a close study of it. He had, however, been impressed by .some of the Labour men in the House of Commons —Mr dynes, Mr Henderson, and several others.