THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 1923. “AS DEAD AS SLAVERY.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18898, 26 June 1923, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 1923. “AS DEAD AS SLAVERY.”

President Harding has, in the course of Messages to Congress and in not a few pronouncements and declarations, made various notable attempts to prove the sincerity of the desire of the United States to promote the welfare of the world. Many of the sentiments which he has expressed have been lofty and noble, but there appears to be a substantial skeleton somewhere in the Republican cupboard which has the effect of creating an obstacle to action. On several occasions Mr Harding has affirmed the readiness of America to take its share of the burden of the white nations. With pride he has pointed to the part played by America in the history of modern times, and it is to be admitted that the Disarmament Conference did constitute a substantial contribution towards the practical solution of international difficulties. On February 24 last the President made an effort to induce the Senate of the United States to associate itself with the Permanent Court of International Justice established at The Hague in connection with the League of Nations. In urging the claims of this body, constituting as it does one of the most noteworthy achievements in the history of' judicial tribunals. President Harding addressed these weighty words to the members of the Senate:—“lt is not a new problem iu international relationship; it is wholly a question of accepting an established institution of high character, and making effective all the fine things which have been said by us iu favour of such an agency of advanced civilisation.” In a stimulating and stirring address which he delivered at the Rotary Club luncheon in this city yesterday Sir Harry Lauder powerfully pleaded the cause of peace in the interests of humanity, doing so in terms which could not have failed to impress any gathering of English-speaking people, and it is impossible to suppose that the heart of the American people is not with those nations which through the League of Nations or through other means are working to supplant chaos in the world by order and justice. It may be surmised, indeed, that some of the changes of front by the Republican Party spring from anxiety regarding the extent of the volume of American sentiment in this direction. If President Harding had been a strong man he would have stood to the terms of his Message of February. Instead he desires now to have three changes made in the constitution of the International Court of Justice, the plain purpose being the partial elimination of the League. He has followed these suggestions by a remarkable declaration that “in the face of the overwhelming verdict of 1920, the League of Nations issue is as dead as slavery—it is not for us.” The history of American politics since “the overwhelming verdict” has shown that the League of Nations issue is not even sleeping, and, as a matter of fact, based on experience, “overwhelming verdicts” which are subject to periodical review are by no means permanent. The result of the recent visit of Lord Robert Cecil to America was to suggest that the issue is likely to become prominent in the Presidential campaign of next year. Iu the course of an impartial review of the prospects, the Literary Digest describes several recent developments tending to show the renewed interest which both political parties are evincing in the league, and it cites the declaration of a former Supreme Court Judge, Mr Justice Clarke, “who is generally looked upon as Democratic presidential timber,” that “the League will bo an issue in the campaign next year because the women, the churches, the great newspapers, the farmers, the labour unions, and the world war veterans will inject it as an issue, regardless of what the politicians may desire.”

THE TOWN HALL PROJECT. The ratepayers will have the opportunity to-morrow of voting upon the proposal to raise a loan of £90,000 for the purpose of erecting and equipping a Town Hall for Dunedin. We hope that they will reveal less apathy in the matter than upon some occasions in. the past when questions of civic moment have been referred to them in a similar manner, and that the number of votes that will be recorded, whether they be for or against the loan proposal, will at least indicate that the electors as a whole take an interest in the welfare and progress of the city, and are possessed, in fact, of a civic conscience. We have already indicated why, in our opinion, it is desirable that the loan proposed should be sanctioned. It would scarcely bo going too far to say that the self-respect of the city is involved in this question, for its lack of a Town Hall, or a building that would serve as its equivalent, is apt at times to be rendered regrettably conspicuous. A city owes something to itself something over and above lighting, and drainage, and tramways, and other public utilities of the more prosaic order. What we may perhaps terra the civic amenities must bo adequately catered for. And citizens of Dunedin who are sensitive about the reputation of their town must often have felt more

than apologetic on the score of the lack of accommodation it offers for any gathering of more than ordinary magnitude and importance. The advantages which the people of Dunedin would derive from their possession of a Town Hall would be very considerable. Not the least of these advantages would be the provision of a rallying centre, such as is at present lacking, in which the spirit of the community might manifest itself. From the educational viewpoint, moreover, the Town Hall would be no negligible asset. Against the proposal to vote a loan for the desirable object that will be served by the erection of a Town Hall, the argument has been advanced that the revenue derived from the building would fail to meet the interest on the capital required, and that it must fall upon the public to provide the balance. It is not to be expected that the Town Hall will bo profit-earning in the ordinary sense. It is unlikely, however, that the call that will have to be made on the ratepayers will be other than very inconsiderable, and we venture fb .suggest that the advantages which the citizens would derive from the existence of a Town Hall would much more than balance a rate of Hd in the pound. We trust that the majority of the voters will be able to view the matter in this light, for we are convinced that the Town Hail project has hung fire long enough. There are those, however, who still think that the time is not opportune. We do not disregard the suggestion that at a time when the Exhibition buildings have to be erected there will not be labour available in sufficient quantity to admit of the construction of a Town Hall, and that, if it were available, it cannot be adequately housed. That raises a question respecting which the City Council will have to exercise its discretion. The housing problem is not insuperable, and if the Exhibition buildings and the Town Hall cannot be erected simultaneously it must be left to the judgment of the municipal authorities to decide when the Town Hall shall be built. A vote m favour of the loan proposal to-mor-row will not commit the council to the immediate erection of a Town Hall, but it will provide it with the authority to raise the funds for the purpose and th undertake the work upon a favourable opportunity. If the project is not approved at the poll, we shall be inclined to attribute the result more to public apathy than to anything else, and to construe that apathy in terms of lack of that civic pride which helps a community to make progress.

THE STATUS OF INDIANS. There are many signs that changes of a far-reaching character are taking place ill India, and the cabled reports respecting the murmurings of protest against the exclusive policy of the dominions in respect to Asiatic immigration convey merely a faint intimation of faraway thunder. It is not, of course, necessary to place very much importance upon notices of motion by private members of any Parliament, but well-informed observers of modern developments in India realise that the mental attitude of the country is evolving very rapidly. The question of the status of the Indians will necessarily occupy the attention of the Imperial Conference, and it will be one of the mosrt important questions and of the most difficult problems that will have to be discussed. India produces some of the keenest intellects in the world of affairs—men trained to the highest possible degree in the arts and sciences—and it cannot be regarded as surprising that a nation which produces such men should object to a policy on the part of dominions within the Empire which discriminates against its people. The problem has an economic as well as a racial side, and the policy of the white-peopled dominions rests upon this dual basis, having its genesis in the fear of economic disadvantage and of an admixture of the races. It is a physiological fact that the inter-mar-riage of certain races produces the decay of the progeny of both, while the economic factor is of importance in its clear relation to the standard of living. These considerations lie at the root of the “White Australia” policy. But the question as affecting the Indians concerns subjects of one' Empire, and equality is a cardinal principle in British citizenship. When Mr Sastri visited the dominion last year he placed particular stress on the denial of the rights of citizenship to Indian residents of British communities, and it must be admitted that he adduced strong arguments in favour of a - modification of the conditions against which he protested. In fairness and in logic it would be very difficult to uphold a contention that while British subjects of one country within the Empire should possess rights to enter another country no reciprocal rights should be extended to the residents of that other country. India has agreed in the past to the immigration restriction policy of the self-governing dominions, deferring in this respect to' their established principles, but for the immigrants who have proved to bo law-abiding citizens she desires the concession of the rights of citizenship. In the abstract the claim she makes is not unreasonable, and it is to be hoped that the genius of Imperial statesmanship will be equal to the formulation of a solution that will be just and satisfactory.

Writing to a friend in Wellington (says our correspondent), a prominent farmer and trader of Rhodesia, describes in an interesting manner the political conditions obtaining in that portion of the British Empire. The writer is evidently not impressed with the present conditions of affairs in South Africa in that respect or with the outlook towards Imperial relationships. Ho does not think that General Smuts’s proposal regarding dominion status is in the interests of the Empire. - He writes: “We know hero what Mr Massey, or Sir R. Borden, or Mr Hughes mean when they talk of dominion independence, and they do not mean the same as General Smuts at all. If the people in Rhodesia did not know much about Mr Massey or New Zealand before last year, they know all about them now.” At its meeting last Thursday the High Schools Board of Governors, when considering the arrangements made by the Diamond Jubilee Association of the Boys’ High School, unanimously adopted the following resolution: “This board desires to record its appreciation of the efforts being made by the Diamond Jubilee Association to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the Otago Boys’ High School, and, in conjunction therewith, to unveil the memorial arch; also, it expresses the hope that the rector and staff will cordially co-opcrate with the association to make the celebrations worthy of the occasion and urge upon the present scholars that every boy should join the association and thereby help to make these functions a historical event. Further, that a. copy of this resolution be forwarded to the rector, to each member of the staff, and to the secretary of the association.” The celebration will commence on August 3, which is the sixtieth anniversary of the opening of the school.

A novelty at one of the Christchurch fruit auction rooms on Friday was a small consignment of passion fruit grown at Heathoote Valley, which is probably the first fruit of its kind to be grown in that district (says the Christchurch Press). The fruit was in first-class condition, being perfectly round and well ripened, and it attracted considerable attention among the growers and retailers present. Most of the passion fruit sold in Christchurch comes from Auckland and Sydney, and the experiment of growing at Heathcote Valley will be watched with interest, especially as it is a prolific fruit and commands good prices. The price realised was nearly Is 5d per lb. The voting of aliens at school committee elections was referred to in a letter from the Department considered by the Auckland Education Board at its last meeting. The opinion was expressed that an alien should bo disqualified from election to a committee, and the question of amending the Act in this direction was being considered. It was further stated that the' Department could see no objection to voting by alien friends. The secretary, Mr E. O. Purdie, said the board had already obtained a legal opinion, which was to the effect that aliens had equal rights with other citizens in this connection. This opinion had been conveyed to the Department.

It would appear (says the Oamaru Mail) that owing to the high price of seed and the difficulty experienced in working the land owing to its wet state, the area sown in potatoes in North Otago this year will fall much short of the average. In the Perth Police Court Bernard Wesberg was prosecuted for advertising himself as “Dr,” “M.S.” and graduate of American University of Chiropractic, Chicago.” Wesberg, who is not a registered medical practitioner, was convicted on this count. A further charge of practising medicine was that, after advertising himself as a curer of cancer, he treated a tramway employee named Walk Evidence was given that Wesberg said his fee was -6100, but in the circumstances he would take £SO, which the tramway employee agreed to guarantee. Defendant told him after 10 days treatment that “the disease was killed.” Wall wanted a written guarantee of the cure to be submitted to a lawyer. Defendant replied that “ho did not want a rope round his neck.” The tramway man declined to pay without the certified guarantee. The case was adjourned.

Tho Darwin correspondent of the Melbourne Ago states that reports are in circulation regarding dissension on board the naval survey ship Geranium between members of the crew and one of the officers. Commander Bennett paraded the men, and three were sent down to naval headquarters at Pyrmont by the steamer Montoro on Thursday. It is alleged that one of the men has a salvage bill against him of approximately £Bo.' It appears that when the Montoro berthed at Darwin on the way to Singapore he got on board in an intoxicated condition, and was not found until the steamer had left. He was put on a small boat and taken back to Darwin, delaying the Montoro’s voyage by an hour and 51half. It is surmised that one of the officers has tendered his resignation. The men used frequently to annoy him by whistling the tune “I Want to Go Homo.”

It was recently decided by the Federal Government (says the Melbourne Age) to erect commemorative headstones over the graves of all enlisted men who died in Australia as a result of injuries received on active service or in performance of wartime duties in the commonwealth. The whole number is reckoned at slightly more than 2000, who are buried in cemeteries in different parts of Australia. The Department of Works and Railways has just made a contract to supply and erect 327 headstones iu cemeteries throughout Victoria, for £IB2O. Other contracts will be made in other States during the next few months-

At the recent congress of tho Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, held in Wellington, tho results achieved by tho forestry policy of tho Victorian Government were reviewed. A communication has now been forwarded to the various Statd Premiers from the president of the association (Sir George Knibbs), pointing out that the council felt that there was “a vital and urgent necessity to prevent tho destruction of the native forests,” and that it was a matter of very great importance to arrange for the establishment of suitable plantations under scientific direction. A resolution was carried by tho council of the association asking that those matters might receive early and favourable consideration from tho variorr, Governments of Australia.

In conformity with a recent decision by the Department of Health, tho local district health officer proposes to employ tho Hospital Board’s steam disinfecting plant in the treatment of certain classes of bedding and clothing. It is intended that in the city and St. Kiklu. borough where infectious disease or filth has existed in the house from which bedding or clothing is to be sold, the material bo disinfected, an exception to be made in the case of articles likely to bo damaged by the process. When clothing is bought by a second-hand dealer it will be treated. Tho proposal is dependent upon the consent of the Hospital Board, to which it is pointed out that the spread of disease means a drain on tho hospital district that might be lessened by the steps suggested.

“My belief is that the council should take a strong stand in this matter and should not allow departures from the building bylaws except under extraordinary circumstances,’’ remarked the Mayor of St. Kilda (Mr C. Todd) when at last night’s meeting of the council a letter was read from a ratepayer asking permission to erect looseboxes less t'/an tho required distance from another building. Councillors held similar views, evidently, for it was decided to inform the writer that it was necessary for him to conform to tho regulations.

Tho approximate number of sheep in tho dominion on April 50 last was 22,928,864, of whioh number 12,095,505 were in the North Island and 10,200,821 in the South Island. The tptal is 706,605 greater than when tire final return was made in IB2S.

As the express from Dunedin to Christchurch on Saturday was rounding a curve on the line near Purakanui cliits, a heavy parcel jvhich had been placed on the luggage rack of a car was swung off. As it fell it struck on the head a lady passenger sitting immediately below and stunned her, some minutes elapsing before she was revived.

At a meeting, of the Canterbury College Board of Governors yesterday (says our Christchurch correspondent), the registrar reported that Professor J. MacMillan Brown had given £250 as a prize for English composition. Mr L. B. Wood, in moving a vote of thanks to Dr MacMillan Brown, said that the gift was another of the many benefits conferred on the college by him. The conditions of the gift were referred to the professorial board.

In spite of the inclemency of the weather, there was a fairly large attendance in the Coronation Hull, Ravensbourne, last night, when the first community “sing” of the season was hold. Mr W. R. Don led the singing, the various songs being given very heartily. Miss L. Monk acted capably as accompanist. At the conclusion of the sing, Mr Don announced that it was intended to hold weekly “sings” in Ravensbourne. and ho hoped that they would receive every support. The annual reunion of members of the Dunedin branch of the Gore High School Ex-pupils’ Association was held in the Waratah Tea Rooms last night. Although the attendance was not large, the meeting was very enthusiastic. The president (Mr -H. R. Domigan) occupied the chair. The election of office-bearers resulted as follows:—President, Mr H. R. Domigan; vicepresident, Mr H. W. Boddy; secretary. Miss W. Johnstone; assistant-secretary. Miss Robertson. It was decided to hold a social evening at an early date, arrangements to be left in the hands of the committee.

The City Fire Brigade was called out at 9.45 last" night to a chimney fire in High street, near Messrs Ross and Glendining's premises. No damage was done. In -the past a good deal of consideration has been given in certain quarters to the commercial value of red and fallow deer skins, and it has before now been discussed in a casual way by the Otago Acclimatisation Society. At the meeting of the council of that body last night some very fine specimens of skins were produced in a tanned condition, and were universally admired and favourably commented upon. After a brief conversational discussion, it ■'■•.as decided to procure a small number of sking for tanning purposes —calfskins up to one year old. The skins that have been sent to the tanner by way of experiment lead the society to believe that if the skins are taken from animals of the right age and tanned they will be of considerable commercial value. .

At a special meeting of the Taieri River Trust yesterday in connection with flood damage, it was decided that Mr D. Ford should accompany the chairman, Mr Sadd, to Wellington. A delegate representing .South Taieri farmers will also go to Wellington. Among the passengers who returned to Now Zealand from Australia by the Tahiti (says our Wellington correspondent) was Sir William Ball-Jones. He declined to express an opinion on State or Federal politics. “They are recovering from the drought,” he said, “but they seem to let the droughts come without taking the com-mon-sense viev/ of providing for them, knowing that if they have a couple of good seasons they will recover.”

Fourteen bankruptcies were notified in the last issue of the New Zealand Gazette, all but one of them being in the North Island.

Sir Harry Lauder told a good story nt the Rotary Club luncheon yesterday. . He said that a tramp had gone to a minister’s door and asked the minister if he could spare him a piece of bread. The minister brought out some bread and said that it was not for my sake, nor thy sake, but for th© sake of the Master.” that he gave the piece. The tramp took the bread, looked at it, hesitated, and then said, “Not for iny sake, nor for thy sake, but for the Master’s sake will you put some butter on it.” Bir Harry also told that on one occa sion he was speaking to a member of the House of Commons, and he asked him if they got any laughs in the House. Tho member replied that they did. He then asked the member what they laughed at. “Just let me get it.” The member said that one source- of merriment was when a member sat down on his own hat. Sir Harry laughingly added that they would think that that should b© a signal for sympathy.

A sale of work will be held in the Reid " r -dl n f the South Dunedin Presbyterian Church to-morrow- and Thursday afternoon and evening. Excellent programmes will be submitted both n I edits by Miss Lily Srevens’s pupils and Miss Jimsie Fraser’s concert party. Lovers of / good music and those interested in church choir work should note the announcement that First .Church Choir will interpret the Oratorio entitled “The Prodigal Son,” in First Church on Thursday next at B_p.ni., with the assistance of prominent soloists and an augmented choir under the direction of Dr Galway, organist and choirmaster. It is daddy’s great delight listening to mum singing “Home, Sweet Home” while “No-Rubbing” Laundry Help washes the clothes. —Nancy.—Advt, For bronchial coughs, take Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure.—Advt. A. E. J. Blake'ey, dentist, Bank of Australasia, corner of Bond and Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office;. Telephone 1859. Advt. Diamond Engagement Rings,—Great variety, £lO to £IOO. Before buying elsewhere oompam our values.—Peter Dick, jewellers and opticians, Moray place, Dunedin.—Advt.