THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THURSDAY, MAY 4,1922. THE AUSTRALIAN NAVY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18545, 4 May 1922, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1922. THE AUSTRALIAN NAVY.

The departing commander of the Anatolian Navy has felt constrained to utter a few home-truths for the benefit of the people of the commonwealth. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend!” Rear-admiral Dumaresq, whose flag flew recently in our own waters on H.M.A.S. Melbourne, is clearly disappointed with the present attitude of the Government and people of the commonwealth towards the naval question. Therefore, his parting words have been in the nature of an admonition and an exhortation. . The Australians are failing, in his view, to realise the importance of maintaining tho v soul of their navy. It is quite evident that the Admiral is apprehensive that the tendency will be in the direction of further curtailments of expenditure on the Australian Squadron, involving fresh reductions in tonnage and personnel. He emphasises the necessity of maintaining the navy on an- adequate basis in bad times as well as good, and offers this somewhat scathing. comment: “If the total amount spent by sport-loving Australians on racing and other sports were assessed it would amount to very many times the cost of a tactically efficient Royal Australian fleet.” This can scarcely be said to be exaggerative, and credit is due to Admiral Dumaresq that ho has spoken bis mind so freely. Between neglpct on the part of Australia of her miniature navy

and its virtual disappearance as a force cf any tangible value there is not much room to choose. And the reasons that brought that navy into being certainly do not disappear as the Australians’ sense of national importance increases. Worthy of recall are the words of Lord Jellicoe in welcoming to New Zealand in February Admiral Dumaresq and his officers and crew: “Especially at the present time, when peace appears assured, there will be great difficulty in maintaining in the personnel of the Empire’s navy that high spirit of efficiency which prevailed before and during the war, and the personnel will need all its. grit and a high sense of’ duty to maintain that standard of efficiency.” It is reasonable to suggest that the standard of naval efficiency will be particularly difficult to maintain in cases in which a Government—that of Australia, for example—deliberately adopts a policy which tendsi to reduce the navy to a shadow of its former self, and to foster the,impression that it is regarded as a national asset of very small importance. If the Australians cease to take a pride in their navy it will find it difficult to take a pride in itself. So much is implied by Admiral Dumaresq when he refers to the necessity for maintaining the soul of the fleet. In its policy of naval curtailment the Federal Government is influenced, of course, by considerations of economy in national expenditure. Its reductions of the military establishment are evoking criticism in-' certain, quarters, but, whether these be prudent or not, the argument must hold goods in relation to the navy that it is Australia’s first line of defence, even as it is- that of the Empire. Mr Hughes, while agreeing with mucli that Admiral Dumaresq has said, expresses himself with a certain acerbity regarding the manner of the Admiral’s utterances, and resents any implication that, per head of population, the Australians have not borne their full financial naval obligations. But we may take it that if the Admiral, who-was not alluding to the past, had not spoken frankly, and in accordance with his , own special knowledge of the situation, he might as well have kept silence for all the purpose his worlds would have served. It hag been possible for Sir John Salmond, who has just arrived at Sydney, to offer for the general benefit a reminder respecting naval policy, considered in the light of the results achieved at the Washington Conference—a reminder which should receive, due respect as embodying the unimpeachable conclusion as to the foundations of naval policy within the Empire. Sir John Salmond has pointed out that there is no ground for the assumption that the Naval Treaty signed at Washington justifies a belief that expenditure on naval defence is no longer imperative. The mere fact that a rational limit has been’'agreed upon in no way affects the need for the maintenance *of 'the fleet permitted by the treaty. THE ANGLICAN PRIMACY. The proposal to centralise the location of the Anglican Primacy, and to establish it permanently at Wellington, was discussed, and decided . for the time being/ by the General Synod at Auckland on Tuesday. A brief comment on the. subject may fittingly be prefaced by an appreciative allusion to the recent election of the Bishop of Christchurch as Primate of New Zealand in succession to the late Bishop Nevill. The unanimity of the election furnishes conclusive testimony to the paramount nature of Bishop Julius’s claim to the position,, and, indeed, his appointment was universally expected both by the Anglicans of New Zealand and by the community at large. It is the guerdon of long, devoted, and even distinguished episcopal service. Thirty-two years (and three days) have passsd since the new Primate, then in the prime of his intellectual and* physical vigour, ’was consecrated to the See of Christchurch on the resignation of Bishop Harper,— a resignation which, by the way, had the effect of removing the Primacy from Christchurch, whither (after sojourning at Wellington, Auckland, and Dunedin) it now returns. And now, after the many years of faithful labour, it may well be “ cheering to an old man” [we use his own gently pathetic Words] “ to know that he possesses something of the love, esteem, and confidence” of the Church which he has successfully striven to serve. We trust that he may be spared for long years to follow worthily in the footsteps of Selwyn and Harper and Hadfield and Cowie and Nevill, It is possible that ths Primacy may have returned to Christchurch for the Jast time. It was only by a majority of one vote that the General Synod rejected the centralising proposal on Monday. We regain ' our previously-ex-pressed opinion that the weight of argument is decidedly against the proposed 'change, but it seems clear that the opposition may have to reckon very seriously with the movement at no distant date. One vote is a precariously narrow margin (and if the Primate had expressed more than halfhearted approval of his own bill the result might conceivably have been different), and the six diocesan synods dVe evenly divided on the question. On the other hand, the future trend of opinion may be antagonistic to the scheme of centralisation. The telegraphed report of the discussion on the subject in the General Synod is very meagre, but apparently the advocates of change relied on the pleas of “ convenience and “ efficiency.” These pleas are vigorously challenged by the opponents of the movement, who, however, dwell chiefly on the impropriety of giving the Wellington Diocesan Synod the power of choosing the Primate, —for that is what , the change would really amount to, —and on the disadvantages likely to result from the discontinuance of the peripatetic meetings of the General Synod. “ Thera were many advantages in the General Synod moving from place* to place,” remarked a Christchurch layman on Tuesday, “ one of which was that churchmen had opportunities to meet and exchange views with their colleagues in other dioceses.” Wo have never been impressed by the contention that the Primacy should necessarily or preferably be located at the seat of secular government, and it is interesting to note that Archdeacon Mac Murray appears to have cited ’ an early dictum of Bishop Selwyn’s in strong opposition to the centralising idea. It may be noted that though the English Primacy has a fixed location, it is at Canterbury, a comparatively small place, not at Lon-

don, the seat of> government. As has been pointed out previously, a man might be a very good, diocesan bishop—an excellent Bishop of Wellington, say—and yet not be suited for the position of Primate; and this consideration tells forcibly against the proposal that whoever might be elected Bishop of Wellington i should ipso facto become Primate of New Zealand. We have very little doubt that if the votes of the Anglican church people throughout the dominion were taken there would be a conclusive majority in favour of preserving the right of primatical election in the hands of the General Synod, representing (at least in theory) the entire personnel of the communion. EARL BALFOUR. It is, we think, matter for satisfaction that the distinguished statesman known for so long a time as Mr Arthur Balfour, in choosing a title on his elevation to high rank in the peerage, has decided to retain his familiar patronymic. Sometimes a man who has been prominently before the public eye takes a territorial title which has the effect of confusing his identity, or at least of obscuring his fame. It is true that Disraeli, in the five years left to him after he ceased to be a commoner, madS “Beaconsfield” almost as much of a household word as his surname had been; but he was very conspicuous during those five years, and anyhow this is an exceptional instance. In future the world may not hear very - much of the celebrated new peer,"'and it would be a pity if the relish, so to speak, of his rare personality were to be lost in a strange designation,—Lord This or That, anything but Balfour. It is only a few weeks since we wrote about him pretty fully, on the occasion of his return from Washington, where he had represented the British Government and nation with such capital efficiency, and a repetition of our high and sincere eulogy would be superfluous. We ventured, not hastily, to suggest that he was the most distinguished living citizen of the British Empire. His withdrawal will be a great loss to the House of Commons. We should say that with the exception of Mr Joseph Chamberlain, and with due recognition of Sir William Harcourt and Viscount Morley, no figure of equal parliamentary significance has bidden farewell to the representative chamber since, in the early spring of 1894, Mr Gladstone walked out for the last time, after an unparalleled service of sixty-four years. Mr Balfour (to use the simpler name once mcjre) enterqd the House forty-eight years ago, as a supporter of the great Conservative leader whose name has been mentioned in the early part of this article. There he has known high achievement, triumph, and defeat. He has been a Great Commoner. As Earl Balfour he will add distinction to the House of Lords. The entry of stock at Burnside yesterday was large, more particularly in the fat sections. Nearly 300 head of fat cattle were forward, the quality varying from fair to good, a few pens' being extra prime. Butchers having a number on hand bidrding was somewhat “draggy,” and last week’s rates were barely maintained at the commencement, and toward the close had depreciated to the extent of 20s per head. Cow beef was almost unsaleable. Prime ox beef was worth from 25s to 26s 6d per 1001 b, and . cow beef from 17s 6d to 20s. Over 2000 fat sheep were penned, a large proportion being ewes. The quality was fair. Heavy wethers were scarce and prices for these improved to the extent of about Is a head. Ewes, however, being in oversupply, did not meet with such a keen sale and at the close last week’s rates were barely fhaintoined. Prime wether mutton was worth up to 4|d per lb, but the average price may be quoted at 4Jd. " Ewe mutton brought from Jid to 3Jd. Over 1200 lambs were' forward, the quality varying from indifferent to good. There was a general decline in values of from 2s to 3s e head. Butchers were bidding up to B£d per lb, but exporters limits were about |d of a' penny-less. Pigs were easier in price to the extent of 5s for fat sorts. Small sorts were up slightly at the commencement of the sale, and remained firm at the close. Prime bacon erg realised from 6?d to 7Ad, and porkers from 7£d to Bd. The store cattle were a mixed lot, and last week’s prices were barely realised. In our issue of yesterday a correspondent complained of a tram conductor having been dismissed from his employment because he had received a penny fare without issuing a ticket in exchange. The tramway authorities state that our correspondent’s statements are not in accordance 'with fact. No charge has been made against the conductor referred to, and he is still in the service. - The opening of the shooting season has been very disappointing so far as those who went out after ducks jn close proximity to. the city are concerned. In some cases parties in the Taieri did not get a shot, though a few small bag? were secured, up to three or four to an occasional gun. The •weather was too fine, the result being that the birds jwere generally well out of reach. The long wait proved more than some of \the sportflmen could put up with, the result being that much speculative firing took place. The duoks became scared, and this added to their inaccessibility. A few were got about Waihola and aune at the other lakes and Waipori," but me number of guns out was exceptionally large and generally sport was unusually poor. Swans were about in large numbers jnd among these unusual slaughter was made, so great, indeed, that on Tuesday dead birds were to be seen floating about Waihola in profusion; one man said the lake was ‘-black” with them. Forty fell to the three guns of a single party, whose luck with the. duoks had been very meagre. Little reliable information can yet be gleaned about the experience of those who have gone further afield. -A Press Association telegram fr6m' Dannevirke says a largely attended meeting of representatives of dairy factories in Hawke’s Buy held at Dannevirke unanimously approved of the proposed compulsory pool for dairy produce, and appointed delegates to 'the Wellington conference. The monthly meeting of the Macandrew Bay School Committee was attended by Messrs MTndoe (chairman), Burt, Wright, Paine, Pinder, Fox, Fraser, and MTntyre. Mr M‘lndoe was elected chairman, Mr Burt, treasurer, and Mr Fox, secretary. 'Messrs Paine, Pinder, and MTntyre were appointed a Works Committee, and 1 Messrs Burt, Fraser, Wright, and Paine as a Sports Committee. Messrs Burt, MTndoe, and Paine were elected delegates to the Schools’ Committees’ Association. Mr W. Perry ' was appointed janitor. The headmaster reported that there had been an increase in the number of pupils, with a ■better average for the month, and that the Savings Bank deposits amounted to £4O. It was decided to send letters of thanks to Messrs King and Dalton, who have retired from the committee, for their past services. At the meeting of the Otago Labour Representation , Committee held on Tuesday evening a political organiser was appointed whose duties will consist of organising branches of the Labour Party in Die local electorates. A committee was appointed to make arrangements for the reception of Mr H. E. Holland, M.P., chairman, of the Parliamentary Labour Party, .who will visit Dunedin next week, and in this connection it was decided to approach the civil service and trade organisations with a view to securing their patronage at Mr Holland’s meetings.

At the -request of the Minister of Works (says a Wellington Press Association message) the Highways Conferences to discuss the proposed Bill has been deferred. It will probably be held in a month’s time. In connection with the street, collection on behalf of the Russian Famine Fund, tomorrow, a sale of produce will be held in front of the Old Poet Office, Princes, street, at 7 p.m., when the Jazz Band-from, the Soldiers’ Montecillo Onvaleeoent Home will give a performance. The St. Kilda Bond - will play at the Fountain, and. the Kaw korai Band at the Octagon, at 7.30 p.m. At. all three performances collections will be taken up for the Famine sufferers. The question of stripping cows at the conclusion of machine-milking baa always been a vexed one, and <Jne which has to- some extent? discounted the value of the milking machine. Various attempts have been made to do away with the necessity of hand stripping, the latest contrivance with this object in view being the Dorothy stripping attachment, which has been invented by ■' Mrs L. G. Cook, who is now residing at Ahuriri Flat, near Glenamaru. Mrs Cook was a nurse in the Great War and before coming to New Zealand six years ago had not handled a oow. She claims for her Invention: (1) That it is economical, saving time, 1 " wages, and power. Twenty-four ’cows can be milked and stripped in less than three-quarters of an. hour. (2) It does away entirely with hand stripping. (3) . It milks quicker and has b6en proved to have no harmful effect on the oow as invariably happens in the case of hurried band stripping. (4) One man can handle six buckets or a set of releasers at a time. The Dorothy Stripping Attachment is ‘ patented 1 throughout the world, and is being manufactured in Dunedin. ~ ’ The attitude of the Taieri County Council with regard to • the proposed' Otago Power District is contained in a letter forwarded by the County Clerk to the secretary of the Otago Expansion League. It reads as follows: “Reverting to your letters of February 17 and March 22 in connection with the, formation aqf an Electric Power District for Otago, the delegates representing. the Taieri County Council at the conference of looal bodies in the Town Hall, Dunedin, duly reported tp the meeting of the council on Friday the decision of the said conference ’ in respect to the resolutions submitted thereat. I am instructed by my council to advise you. that it unanimously agrees to adhere to the decision previously carried, and conveyed to you in my letter of May 31, 1920. Thie means that the only area of the aflthty necessary to be included in a. Power District is the Strath Taieri Riding; the other, portions of the county can be served from the existing electric service on the . Taieri. I am further instructed to ask that the petitions which will be in circulation for ratepayers to sign; be altered to read ‘that portion of Tateri County known as Strath Taieri Riding’ instead of /“Comity of Taieri.’ Councillor Matheson, of Middle-, march,.is agreeable to assist in any organising or meeting you may desire to hold, by way of giving information to settlers, and my council will undertake the circulation of ■ petitions for signatures in • this riding.” The , council’s attitude will necessitate some delay -in regard to the • petitions. The league, no doubt, will make further-repre-sentations to the Taieri County Council. In the meantime’ the petitions will have to wait pending a .settled viewpoint between the county and the league, and possibly the Dunedin City Corporation also. A good story was told by Colonel R. Young, C. 8., C.M.G., D. 5.0., at the annual meeting of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association, regarding an old man whom he came across, one day in the trenches in the year of our lord, 1918. “What are you doing here!” he asked, “and how' old are you?” “Oh, Tm a grandfather I” was the reply.’ .“If was like this, yer' see. My ; little ,gal got married to a cove wot got called up, and she made such a fuss about it that I said I would enlist, and keep an eye on him for her.” "Well,” said the colonel.. “I hope he has come through all right.” “Well, I don’t know,” replied the old man, ruminatively. “He got into the band at Trenthyn and that was the last I seed of 'him !” While the butoheks in Victoria are having a great innings fleecing householders in meat prices, remarks the Melbourne Leader, it seems that'-the-retailers hi Great Britain are < on the same game. An English write* says: ?‘Meanwhile the butchers are-.cleverly manipulating the foot-and-mouth disease misfortune as a reason for increasing prices, although the Ministry of Agriculture has declared that so far there is po reason why prices should be increased. The London butcher of to-day is probably of a different stamp from those of. 30 years ago, but Scottish cattle breeders still recall how they were let down in the old days when-Cana-dian cattle were coining into'this country. Many runt palmed off as‘ prune Aberaeepsbire on the London market. It was a paying game for the butcher, but, alas! for the reputation of puir auld Sbotlahd.” Possibilities of humour in an incident or a iituation rarely escape the appreciative notice of Judge Wasley, of Melbourne. In the General Sessions a jury in a criminal charge was being sworn in. Two prospective 1 ’ jurors intimated a’ desire to be “excused.” *T am deaf, and I would not be able to his Honor’s address to the jury,” the first pleaded. “Well, Tm not sure that that would matter so much,” his Honor mused, but with a shrewih glance at the juror he excused'him. The second confidently banded to his Honor a medical certificate of deafness. His Honor banded it back, and, amid much laughter, advised the juror, “You had better keep it; it may be handy again.” As the juror bowed his thanks, his Honor, remarked in .a subdued tone, gazing, at the juror: “This seems to be a good ‘gag* about not being able to hear.’ - . The juror responded quickly: “I have been deaf all my life, your Honor.” His Honor joined heartily in the laughter as he observed: “Well, you caught that very .well,, anyway.” . Australian flour manufacturers are andeavouring to. obtain a foothold in the Samoan trade. This moves.'toe Samoan Times to remark: “There is a dryness—and, consequently, a better keeping quality —about Australian flour that New Zealand flour does not possess. Even in New Zealand itself the bakers realise that bread made from a mixture of New Zealand and Australian flour excels bread made solely from local-grown flour. This fact is incontrovertible locally, but in New Zealand it is not well known. Consequently, some New Zealand producers have been endeavouring to have the New Zealand product favoured here, and have requested.that New Zealand be supported as against what is alleged to be a ‘dumping’ policy pursued from Australia. There may bo a degree of truth in the allegation as to ‘dumping’; but, even so, neither Samoa nor New Zea- . land has cause to complain, seeing that wheat cannot be grown here and that New Zealand’s flour will not keep in the tropics.” A faux pas by a speaker at the/monthly meeting of the Council of Christian Congregations, caused a burst of laughter which interrupted the meeting’s serious delibera- ■ tions for a few minutes (states the Christchurch Press). The subject was “prohibition,” and the speaker commenced his speech by saying: “When I look around _ the faces in this room I realise that there is no need for me to tell you about the effects of strong drink.” The statement was received with stony silence for about two seconds, and then the assembly of clergymen and laymen burst into hearty laughter, which clearly demonstrated their appreciation of the Unintentional joke. “Deflation is complete as far as farm products are concerned,” said Mr W. D. Hunt giving evidence at • the Arbitration Court at Wellington on Wednesday. “Farmers have done their share to reduce the cost of living. In the meantime they are meeting the position that has been forced upon them as far as they can by reducing, their standard of living and by harder work. It is now up to the rest of the community to follow the example of the farmers and do more work for less pay. While this may render, necessary a temporary reduction in the, standard of living, if will.in the end be balanced by a reduction in the cost '. of living. This course will enable reductions to be malde in charges to farmers which wiH increase the purchasing^power of their products and enable them to employ/ • more labour, increase production, and thus bring prosperity all. round.’’ ■ i . - ■

With suburbanites who '.travel citywards by train or boat punctuality is a compulsory virtue, but occasionally punctuality entails some personal inconvenience (says the Auck- •’ land Star). One morning last week there was definite evidence that the alarm clock belonging to a Stanley Bay resident had failed in--its matutinal duty. The siren was just sounding the hour of eight when 'down the long stretch of the Stanley Bay wharf there charged a masculine figure. His coat and vest were unbuttoned, his collar and tie dai(gled from his pocket, his hat was in his hand, and his boots were unlaced. Amidst cheers he embarked in safety, ancf when his toilet was complete he took from his pocket an apple which apparently represented his breakfast, and refreshed himself after his early morning gallop with the remark, “Ten minutes ago I was in'bed —not bad!” A somewhat unusual incident was related at the meeting of the Poverty Bay Hospital Board by Mr H. Kenway. Some time ago, he stated, the medical superintendent had found it necessary to purchase a water bed for a patient. The board had decided to ask the husband of the patient to pay half the cost, of the bed. and this he had done. The man now asked, with all seriousness, if there was any chance of renting his half of the bed. Mr Kenway said he had replied that he could see no reason why this should not be done if he could get possession of the bed from the superintendent, who had a sort of caveat over it. It seemed hardly fair, he said, that the man should have had to pay half the cost of an article which’was of no use to him and might be of use to the board. It was decided (states the Gisborne Times) that the minute requiring the man to pay half the cost of the bed be rescinded. An old Maori legend, preserved by the late Mr Percy Smith in his “Wars of the Northern against the Southern 'Tribes,” published 18 years ago, is set out in the Taranaki News: “It is strange,” „says Mr Smith, “but prior to the advent of the white man the Maoris appear to have had an idea that they were to receive the visit of some strange race. The following is the prediction as told by Pangari, of Ilokianga, somewhere about the year 1820. At that time Pangari was an old man, and he had heard the story \vhen a child, as related by the old men of the NggPuhi: ‘ln the days of old when Maoi was alive he told this story: Maoi was a tohunga. a priest, and when he approached his end he said to Nga-Puhi, “It will not be very long before I die, nor very long after I am dead, that a god will come to the crest of the wave, and ghosts (kerhua) will be on his back. That god will be like the canoes in appearance,' but he will bo much longer, and he will sail all over the ocean, over everywhere. He will never be mistaken in his course over the ocean; he will sail away, and will not be seen by the people. After a long disappearance another god will appear, who will be like the former The first god will come by the aid of sails, but the latter by the aid of fire.” It was not until 20 years, after Pangari spoke of this prophecy that the first vessel arrived in New Zealand.’ ” - 1 ■- ■ . The Returned Soldiers’ Association has received the sum of £5 16s, being the proceeds of the Anzao Day service at Middlemarch, and the amount will be added to the Poppy Day Fund. - The Otago Mutual Starr-Bowkett Society is disposing of £SOO free loan on Thursday, May 11, at 8 o’clock, and also invites ap- ’ plications for shares in No. 3 group. Leave the traffic in y6ur dust. Ride a Harley-Davidson motor cycle, and be first on the rood.—W. A. Justice and Co., Otago agents. 292 Princes street. Dunedin.—Advt New arrivals' to Dunedin should be promptly informed of the wonderful laboursaving and perfect cleansing qualities of “No-Rubbing” Laundry Help to avoid wasting money on washboards.—A. H. Carrington, agent for “No-Rubbing.”—Advt. , Otago Motor Cycle Hill Climb. —H. Burrow, on 7-9 h.p. Indian, secured fastest time sidecar class, also fastest time solo class.—Cooke, Howlison, agents, Dunedin.— Advt. 18-inch floral nets for evening wear; shades—cream, sky, Paris, and pink: usual price 3s Hd; May bargain price, 2s 6d yard. Mollisons Ltd. —Advt. Strange, but true. Startling reductions in tailored suits. There are reasons why you should let us make your suits. Style, satisfaction, and workmanship guaranteed. Suits, from £6 Ifls. —G. S. Roberts, Stock . Exchange Buildings.—Advt. Woods’ Great" Peppermint Cure, for Coughs and Colds, never fails.—Advt. Watson’s No. 10 is a little dearer than most whiskies, but is worth the money.— Advt. A E. J. Blakeley, dentist. Bank of Australasia, corner' of Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office). Telephone 1859. Advt. Save your Eyes.—Consult Peter G. Dick, D.8.0.A., F.LO., London, consulting .and oculists’ optician.—“ Peter Dick,*’ jewellers jnd opticians, Moray place, Dunedin.—Advt.