CURRENT TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2076, 7 December 1893, Page 15

CURRENT TOPICS.

(Otago Daily Times.)

We have good reason to think that in the Hon. John M'Kenzie's own district more will yet be heard of the Pomabaka purchase. Most people of course await the real explanation,which has not yet been given. To some extent the discussion has tended to lead inquirers off tha scent, as more attention has ■been paid to Mr John Douglas's connection with the matter than to the substantial interests of tha country. There ia little doubt that the circumstances of the purchase were beginning to affect the minds of voters, and bad the election been deferred for a few week?, or even a few days, Mr John M'Kenzie's majority would have run down steadily. We cannot htlp noticing the fact that Mr Scobie Maqkenzie was mainly defeated by the Shag Point and Hyde votes. The Shag Point miners, though not mere birds of passage, are not like true settlers; while as to tbe Hyde votes s, they were simply placed on the roll, mainly by illegitimate means, for the purpose of controlling the election. Among the true settlers Mr Scobie Mackenzie's support was daily growing stronger ; bat the power of a Minister of the Crown with the control of the purse strings was too great for a private candidate. We do not thirk that it is any exaggeration to say that the majoiity of the Waihemo electors will before long regret their choice.

Tfcere v nothing new in tha undercirrent of feelirg which now rues so strougly in Europe that a great war is at hand. It is, however, a very dangerous feeling, and it is rapidly taking a new form. It is no longer due to m&re blaster, but it is connected with the fact that preparations for war have brought the Powers near to the breaking strain, and that unless the threatened war is brought to a head soon some of thf m will break down to the extent of being incapable of taking part. Toe fervent demonstrations o£ affection between Russia and Frarice may mean much or little : tbe most obvious fact is that the Russians, who are ahead of all nations in the arts of diplomacy, have fairly taken charge of the French for the moment. One danger is that this may lead to mischief through the Russians trying to make me cf their new friends. That the Pope has made himself instrumental in brirgtrg about this combination we simply disbelieve. His first thought mu&t be that Russia is actively exerting herself to crush the Citholic faith out of Poland, a proc-ss which would be greatly aided by an alliance with revolutionary France. The financial coadition of Paly, which is well nigh desperate, would not be much bettered by an immediate war, but the Italian statesmen might think that it would. Tbis.is a second source of danger. The real end of all France's armaments is to pursue her supreme object — viz., to get back her lost provinces. France is, however, often put off her true aim by superior diplomacy, and she is at present being egged on to diplomatic hostility to England by designing statesmen. There are several important paints at which friction arises— viz., Egypt, New Hebrides, Siam, anel Newfoundland. Over any of these trouble may occur. France is the only Power which could ultimately cause us groat injury in a war, and thoogh it would be impossible to foretell results, it i 3 scarcely probable that she would in the end gain much. The position is now recogD'ssd as serious, and these colonies cannot afford to disregard it.

To the people of this colony the expected downfall of the M'KINLEY tariff ought to be consoling. We do cot eupply many things to tbe United States, but they may bs largo bujers of our wocl. For many years a very liigh tariff has been maintained on this wool — cqusl at present prices to more than half its value free en beard. This is not quite so lii-^h as the protcc'ive tariff levied by Victoria oa our oats, which i 3 sometimes as much as 100 per cent, on the value at the farm. The object of the wool tariff has always been to raise the price of wool, and this cl^ss of raw material affords one of the bebt illustrations of the law that protective tariffs always have that effect. The effect of raising the price of wool was to hamper Atce ican manufacturer?, so, as a kind of counterpoise, further duties were laid on woollen goods. This double protective dr-ty had to be paid by the unfortunate consumers, and this of course fell mainly on the working classes. It would seem an obvious measure to repeal a vicious law which did liotle gx>d and immsnse lurca, but that was no easy matter. The arguments which would lead to a repeal cf this duty would repeal that on irorj, and might briog dowa the whole fabric of Protcc'.ion ; the whole ft rces cf the Protectionist party were consequently concentrated on the preservation of this paiticular duty, which they themselves admitted to be a vicious one. The repeal of the wocl duty will undoubtedly here-are the demand for raw wocl, and this in time will have a steadying effect on the market in which we are bo much intercs'ed. Nearly or.c half our exports are repre.eated by wool, and a substantial rise in t) c value of this commodity would have a mo>t beneficial effect upon colonial prosperity. The lo3S of revenue to the United S at es— equal to 10 millions EterJicg — is not so terious as to be embarrassing. A country wh'ch catf devole 31 millions sterling to peiiiioES, lirgely given to undeserving claimantp, can afford this.

Asia still remains the land of big disasters. The destruction of 12,000 human beings ia Persia by an eartbqmk?, appalling as it is, will probably be found not to be unprecedented. We knoT7 that mes 1 ; Asiatic counties have a dense population, and are always prepared for a holocaust. The great hurricane in Calcutta about 30 years ago destroyed more lives than this. Compared with the Orissa farniae, the great famine in China, anel the great disaster on the Yar>g-tze-Kiang river, thi3 event is trifling. Europe of to-day i^ not so constituted as to facilitate suca disssters, hut the Irish famine of 50 years ago, beforp the railways were bull-, was a disaster of th 3 first magnitude. An earthquake destroying Me on a scale similar to thi3 occurred s»,t Manila in 18(13, and n similar one a l , Calabiia. (Sicily) in 1X57. All Uv. s \ however, pale btf ore that of Li <bi-n in 1755, when in that city alone 50,000 inhabitants were suddenly buried, while in the

city of Fez 12,000 Arabs perished, and the waters of the great lakes of Canada were observed to tremble.