The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY (WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1904.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2650, 28 December 1904, Page 47

The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY (WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1904.)

THE WEEK.

■' -Vunauam ttitid nature, altuii «apieatla tlixit."— JunxiL. "G»ott a»iure aad j»od aense must eTor join."— Pori.

The year which is just closing has been an eventful and yet indecisive A Brief one, and in reviewing the BerJewofthc happenings of the twelve Year's months in all parts of the Happenings, world we may write against the most important of them, "To be continued in our next." Overshadowing all else in point of importance comes the Russo-Japanese war. On January 1, 1904, the Czar held a council to consider Russia's reply to Japan, and th© year closes with the Japanese planning what promises to be the filial assault upon Port Arthur. Since February 6, the date upon which Japan finally broke off negotiations, disaster upon disaster has followed swiftly upon the heels of the Russian forces both by land and sea. In addition to the destruction of the Port Aithur fleet, the Japanese scored notable successes at Kinchau, Nieu-ci?.aig, and Liao-yang, whilst the assassinations of General Bobrikoff in Finland and of M. de Plehve in St. Petersburg testified powerfully to the revolutionary feeling prevalent throughout the dominions of the Czar, and which even the rejoicings ov-er the birth of the Czarevitch have- not been able tp »lla.y. The year

closes with the spectacle of a vacillating Czar hesitating between the clamour of the party urging necessary reforms and the obstinacy of the Bureaucracy, who declare that reform spells revolution. Twice during the year have serious internationar complications threatened — once owing to the vagaries of the Volunteer fleet, and again when the Baltic fleet committed an unprovoked outrage upon the helpless trawling fleet upon the Dogger Bank. The efforts of King Edward, rightly dubbed the Peacemaker, in bringing about a better understanding between Great Britain, Germany, and the United States have done much to make peace possible at a time when passions ran high and when misunderstanding might have resulted in a terrible international conflict. In these efforts the King has been ably seconded by President Roosevelt, whose re-election to the Presidency of the United States is matter for sincere congratulation. In England the chief event of the year has been the fiscal discussion, still actively engineered by Mr Chamberlain, but apparently as far off a settlement as ever. The education .controversy is still being bitterly waged, and thi roll of passive resisters who allow themselves to be despoiled and imprisoned rather than pay the required rate grows daily larger. The centenary ' celebration of the British and Foreign Bible Society was also one of the principal events of the jast twelve months, our own colony contributing handsomely towards the fund for the dissemination of the Scriptures. The Salvation Army has been kept well before the public, first in the great Congress held in London in June, and next in the fact that both King Edward and Queen Alexandra gave audience to General Booth, and spoke generous words in favour of the organisation which he has brought into being. The General astutely enough followed up his advantage,

and undertook a motor-car tour, travelling from end to end of the British Isles, thus gaining additional advertisement. The once-despised Salvation Army is now, ,ikere-, fore, in that dangerous position that all men speak well of it and its founder. Scotland has been thrown into a ferment over the decision of the House of Lords in the Free Church, case, and the victorious Free Church has been following up its legal victory by taking hold of the vase property to which it has made good its claim. A Royal Commission is to be instituted to^ndeavour to deal with the condition of chaos into which the Law Lords' judgment has reduced things ecclesiastical in Scotland. Great Britain has not been without her Hitle wars, which have included expeditrans to Soinaliland and Thibet, the latter culminating in the occupation of Lhassa by the expeditionary force under Colonel Younghusband, where a treaty was signed by the Dalai Lama in September last. Another event must not be forgotten as having an important bearing upon the future of the Empire — viz., the reconstruction of the British War Office, as a result of the report of the Commission and the efforts of thu Reconstruction Committee. South Africa has passed through a time of depression, from which she is slowly, but, let us hope, surely, emerging. Despite the opposition of several of the colonies — New Zealand under Mr Seddon leading the way — the experiment of im- ' porting Chine&e labour for the Rand is being tried, with what success time alone will show. The gold discoveries in Rhodesia pi'omise to add^ con&iderably to the wealth of that region, and already a rush has set in to that part of the world. One event reads curiously in the light of the past —

T viz,, the formation of a cabinet by Di Jameson, as Premier of Cape Colony. The Australian star, too, is in the ascendant. The drought period has passed, and prosperity once more attends the efforts of both agriculturist and pastoralist. Ths grain harvest, although not the record one of last year, is still above the average, the export of dairy produce has been prodigious, the price of wool is high, and altogether the outlook for the Commonwealth is most cheery. In matters political it should be recorded that Mr Watson's > Labour Ministry was short-lived, and the closing year sees Mr G. H. Reid .wrestling with the knotty problem of governing the Australian Federation. The history of New Zealand may be well summed up in one sentence — "Mr Seddon is still here." How much longer he will remain in office is a debatable point. We have had a change of Governors, Lord' Plunket succeeding Lord Ranfurly, but no change of Premier, despite all the talk aboiit the High Commissionership. The Parliamentary session was a barren one, resulting chiefly in the pushing of several bills which wilf have either to be suspended or repealed. -Licensing matters havj occupied much attention during -he year, and the workability of the new act has to be tested by experience, and at the next local option poll. The 3*ear has not been without its terrible disasters, notable amongst which are the General Slocum disaster in New York, resulting in the loss of 1000 lives, and the great fire in -Toronto, when two and a-half millions worth of property was destroyed. The year's death roll is a heavy one, th© ranks of literature and art suftering severely. The deaths included' such names as Ca,non Ainger, Sir Leslie Stephen, Sh Edwin Arnold, Dr Samuel Smiles. Mauiu^ Jokai, Clement Scott, and G. F. Watts. K.A. Amongst deceased statesmen fire found such well-known mer as Sir W. V. Hftrcourt, M. Waldeck Rousseau, and Sir George Dibbs. The stage has lost Nellie Farreni and Wilson Barrett, whilst of other celebrities we note, the passing of Dean Hole, Senator Hanna. the Duke if Cambridge, Rear-admiral Domville, Sir Henry Thompson, Sir H. M. Stanley, and last, but by no means least. Ex-president Paul Kruger. As we approach the New Year the wish that ri§es uppermost in almost every hear is that the war between Ri^sia and Japat may mercifully be brought to a speedj close, and the further spilling of blood anc spending of treasure" be avoided.