OF NEW ZEALAND INTEREST.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18995, 17 October 1923, Page 10

OF NEW ZEALAND INTEREST.

UJUJI rum’ CiIAKUES. UN E N EIGHT BN KD Cl IRI ST IA NIT V. (From Our Own Cobißksponpent.) LONDON. September 7. ‘"Backward be our watchword” seems to bo (tie motto of religious folk iu New Zealand, says Mr Sidney Kiek, in a very candid summary of his impressions iu Ibo I’urley Times. The Christian World seems to think .Mr Kick’s opinions worthy of comment, and has the following in a current number.

“Scotsmen were dominant in New Zealand, as in Canada, among the pioneer emigrants, and they, we suppose, are largely responsible for the stereotyped theological conservatism. Only once —at the Anglican Cathedral—did Mr Kiek hear a preacher with the accent of a prophet and with (he assured knowledge which modern times demand. Wo must allow for the fact that the tides of fresh religious thought and knowledge lap feebly when (hey reach faroff New Zealand. Mr Kiek found a good number of able preachers, but they strangely lacked the modern note' The religious public, indeed, becomes noisily hostile if the modern note is heard. Still more disquieting is Mr Kick’s report of the sway of wandering evangelists—ignorant, fanatical, sensational. ‘The more huggermugger the subject, the greater tne crowd.’ But amid the prevalent religions frothiness Mr Kick testifies to the presence of ‘many sober-minded, steady-going, truly Christian souls throughout the dominion.’ Both Anglican and Free Church modernists might evidently do a really good evangelistic work if they sent, some of their host men to preach an enlightened Christianity under the Southern Cross.” WARNING TO PREMIERS.

A far from complimentary photograph of Mr Massey is reprinted in the Birmingham Gazette, and ihe paragraph attached seems to be a note of warning to all the visiting Prime Ministers.

“The dominion Premiers and representatives who arc on their way to London for the Imperial , Conference may well look with a little alarm on the programme of social entertainment, which is being prepared for them. They /are to be dined and feted in the most lavish manner, and one can imagine that, some of them will he inclined to wish the hospitality were a little less generous before they have finished their labours. On the occasion of the last Imperial Conference there were several ‘casualties’ as a result cf too much diningthe digestions proving unequal to the strain imposed upon them.” SHIPPING CHARGES.

Although the criticisms of the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom relating to excessive port charges in Now Zealand have evoked replies from the dominion (says. The Shipping World) they have not been satisfactorily answered. Indeed, such criticisms found support in Mr R. W. Dalton’s last report on the trade of that country, and, as the British Trade Commissioner for New Zealand, he assuredly wrote with authority. “A very great deal.’’ he observes, “could be done in New Zealand itself to better conditions as regards cost of transportation of New Zealand produce. Leaving out of account entirely the cost of getting stock and milk to freezing works and dairy factory respectively, and from these works to port, the delay and extra cost caused by large steamers calling at a imbiber of ports round the coast, instead of being able to lift their cargo at one port, or at most two, materially adds to the cost of sending New Zealand produce home.' 'I he figures recently quoted by us are proof of this remark, and the remedy is for New Zealand to recognise that overseas vessels can trade more economically and will be able to quote lower rales if they load and unload in one or two ports, instead of a number. This means the development of a coastal trade for the purpose of collecting and distributing the produce, and the establishment on a much extended scale of coastal refrigerated services. In (his way efficiency and economy will be alike promoted. A LINK WITH CARDIFF. I lie Western Mail records (he death ol Mrs Mary Collins, of Cardiff. “She was the mother of Mr T. D. Collins, who some years ago, when Labour extremism threatened to overrun New Zealand.” savs The Mail, “formed a society which later became the aggressive National Party of New Zealand. When the parly was in full power. Mr Collins was made general secretary, and in (lint capacity he was responsible for several strong Nationalistic moves in New Zealand. At present he is in charge of a large printing establishment m Australia, issuing, among other periodicals, (he well-known “Australasian Wireless Review.

•'Another son is Mr Daniel Collins, of the Cardiff lire Brigade, who a short time ago was presented with medals for life-saving. He holds the Humane Society's medal, the Cardiff Watch Committee’s medal, and the medal of the Society for the Protect ion of Life from Fire.” CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY SYSTEMS. Mr Alan E. Mulgen. writing from Auckland, describes for the benefit of Daily Mail readers the operations of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, and shows what, benefif.s have been derived from cooperation. “What- has all this got to do with the troubles of the English farmer?" he asks in conclusion. "That is for the Englishman to say; the above facts are offered as possibly suggesting certain ways in which the lot of the Home fanner could be improved. Dominion producers often discuss British farming and (ind it hard to understand why the British farmer is in such a bad way. The land here is no better than his. and the best of it, is dearer—some of it much dearer. There is, however, the groat advantage of climate. New Zealanders are not- obliged to house their cattle and horses in winter; indeed, in many parts .v is not even necessary to mg stock. Nor is winter feed anything like so serious a matter as in England. No doubt the system here of freehold tenure confers other advantages. Against all this, however, is the fact that the English producer is at the door of the English market, whereas New' Zealand producers are 1?,,C0D miles distant. It may be that, co-operation is much less important to British iaimeis, but might not its adoption make a considerable difference to the British farming industry?” TROUBLES IN THE PACIFIC.

l)r O H Scholelield. 0.8. E., contributes nu interesting article to the journal of the Overseas league on ‘‘Some of our 1 roubles in the Pacific.” In this lie describes what has hapnened in Samoa since it was taken over by' New Zealand at the beginning of the war.

Referring to (he past and present grievances in the Islands, he writes: “The most favoured change is sought by transferring the islands to the Colonial Office, which, being more remote, is generally more respected than the Dominion Governments. Whether this would be any more agreeable to the whites in times of depression is very doubtful. The ■ Colonial Office is just, as insistent as the Dominion Governments on the paramount interests of (lie natives wherever there may be a conflict, and as regards labour for the plantations, it is the Colonial Office itself that, has forbidden the further indenturing of Solomon boys for work outside their own islands. Then, again, we have in Fiji, which is the prime example of Colonial Office government in the Pacific, almost a worse condition of discontent than anywhere else. The fall in the price of sugar and the resultant reduction of the price given by the O.S.R. for cane has driven many white planters out of business. The great, Indian population, which threatens shortly to outnumber all other nationalities, is not at all a satisfactory 'factor. It has already, by agitation and revolt, obtained an increased represen ration in the Government, and the white population is not at all easy ,a S l 0 the ultimate outcome of this movement. Fearing the full accomplishment of selfgovernment, with the inevitable ascendancy of the Indian element, they have long since resigned themselves to remaining permanently under Crown Colony Government, . . As for the grievances of whites and natives in the islands, I believe they will disappear with a return of trade prosperity, and especially as it is realised that the rule of Australia' and Now Zealand is intelligent and well-intentioned, and, above all, is perinanenl. ”