The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 1921.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3511, 28 June 1921, Page 35

The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 1921.) THE WEEK.

"Kuiitiuam allud uatura, allud sapientia dir it." —Juvb.val. “Good nature and good sense must ever join.”— Poe E.

The King in Ireland.

In the Speech with which he opened the newly created Northern

Parliament of Ireland, rlis Majesty the King declared that he could not allow a

deputy to perform the ceremony; therefore lie cv.ine in person as the head of the Empire to inaugurate the Parliament 0:1 Irish soil. On his return to London after the ceremony, alluding to the inauner in vhich Belfast had received him, King George said : "I have never had such a warm and remarkable reception in any part of my Empire.” The blot upon the ceremony were the military preparations deemed' necessary by the Government to ensure the safety of the King and Queen There was an essential contradiction between these military safeguards and the spirit of the Royal Speech: “I speak from a full heart,” exclaimed the King, “when I pray that my coming may prove the first step towards the end of‘strife amongst my people, in that hope 1 appeal to all Irishmen to pause and stretch out tho hand of forbearance and conciliation, to forgiee and forget, and to join in making for the land they love a new era of peace and good will.” Yet the spirit of that Speech was sadly marred by the spirit of its surround ingsi : “The great square on tne quay was thickly lined with troops. An armoured motor car patrolled the square. The Tenth Hussars escorted the Royalties, while the streets were lined with six battalions of infantry. Overhead a squadron of aeroplanes, at an •levation of 500 feet, kept vigil.” Such a sight, in the eyes of the thoughtful, must have gone far to minimise the effect and influence of the sound of the King's words as they sounded in the ears of the audience. It may shrewdly be surmised that had the • King and Queen had their way, they were ready to go to Belfast and trust, themselves to their Irish subjects, free from the panoply of war, and characterised only by the pomp and pageantry of peace beiittimr the opening of a new legislative assembly. It is safe to sa.T that the Irish people as a whole, including the extreme wing of Sinn Fein, have no feud against their Majesties,'and that a trust thus reposed in them would have been scrupulously observed. Had the visitors been Mr Llovd George and his lieutenant. Sir Hamar Greenwood, it is more than likely than all these military preparations and more would have been necessary, but>iot so with the King and Queen. In such matters, however, Hov.alty is often not his own master, which fact may well be taken to heart in discussing the King’s appeal. TTnfortunately, the opening of the Ulster Parliament lias been made the occasion for a renascene of religious bigotry on the part of a section of the inhabitants of the six counties, die nature of which was illustrated in the fact tnat when the King reached the Citv Hall the crowd spontaneously sang the old Orange ballad, “Derry Wnlls.’L This is obviously in direct antagonism tonVe Royal appeal to all Irishmen to “forgive and forgot,” and “to join in making for the land they love a new era of peace and good will.” The announcement that the British Government is sending all the available troops to support the forces operating in Ireland, and that the extension of the area over which martial law ia proclaimed is being considered, would seem to postdate indefinitely all prospects of peace for Ireland. Indeed, the present policy of the British Government and Sinn Fein alike prevents all possibilities of a sett'elnent. That there is a growing repugnance to the policy of the British Government in Ireland is seen m a letter recently addressed to the Scotsman hv Sir TTenrv Oraik. Si- Henry, who is a. man of strong Conservative views and a. life-long Unionist to hoot, says in the course of his letter: “It would be a grievous error to sunpo e that because the average citizen—the ever present man in the street -is at present patient and for tAc most part silent, he is. therefore, not strained and anxious about the Irish situation, and that he is not very near the moment for an outburst of indignation which may burst upon the leaders with

the force oi a hurricane. He is deeply Rnd painfully conscious of the cancer that is eating into the very heart of our coil Etitution by the prolonged agony of the Irish situation. The spectacle of Barbarous cruelty and of ineffective authority’ is telling upon all our foreign relations, and worse than all, is undermining our own self-respect. ”

The Imperial Conference.

Mr Lloyd George possesses in large measure a genius for ready

and eloquent generalisation, and this was never better

illustrated than in his sx>ceeh at the opening of the Imperial Conference. C'.osely analysed, lion ever, the Prime Minister's utterances will he found *to consist largely of pious nopes and political platitudes. charged with a certain quality of emotion which apparently duly impressed liis hearers. Among the more deeply impressed was Mr Massey, who. somewhat rashly, described -Mr Lloyd George’s sj'eech as the most important since the wav, and one that would appeal strongly to the dominions. When Mr Lloyd George declared that the world must have peace if it is ever to recover its health, he uttered a platitude from which'lew will he found to disseise; but when he alleged that some of the most troublesome and the most menacing problems of peace have either been settled or are in a fair way towards settlement, he obviously went a long way ahead of the facts. Is Ireland, to cite the most obvious case, m a fair way towards settlement, and is not the existing turmoil in Ireland the greatest barrier in the way of a good understanding between Great Britain and America.' Mr Winston Churchill made an important declaration regarding the colour question when lie said “there was only one ideal that the Empire could set before itself —• that was that there should be no barrier of race, colour, or creed to prevent any man of merit from reaching any station if fitted for it.” Yet the application of that principle to India, and incidentally to the overseas dominions, while the justice of it may be admitted m theory, presents inordinate dilncuHies in. practice. Mr Massey, in his Conference address, emphasised the importance of the AngloJapanese Treaty, and said that New /.ealand was prepared to join any well-thought-out alliance witli America; yet, while the peace o: the world may be said to depend upon a proper understanding between Great Britain, America, and Japan, Mr Massey, somewhat impulsively and perhaps without grasping all its implications, also said that, while New Zealand was feeling severely jher war expenditure, he took the responsibility of saying that slie would find her share of money to provide a navy strong enough to protect the Pacific. This, again, is in direct antagonism to President Harding s idea for a disarmament conference, and to Mr Lloyd George's statement that Great Britain is anxious for a disarmament move. Whichever way considered, it is evident that the world's peace hinges very largely upon the conclusions reached bv the Imperial Conference, for which reason the responsibility attaching to the utterances of the several Prime Ministers assumes very large proportions.

The Coal Strike.

The statement that since the Xew Tear

-70,000,000 -working days have been lost m the United Kingdom owing to- labour

disputes is sufficiently serious to arrest attention. The gravity of the existing situation, as the direct result of the coal strike, is seen in the additional statement that for the first time in the history of the industry in Great Britain not a single blast furnace is operating, whereas in normal conditions at least 300 furnaces should be in full blast. Since it costs £SOOO to rekindle each furnace, an expenditure of £1,000,000 will be necessary before the 325,000 men employed in the industry can be re instated. From these bare facts some conception may be formed of the calamity which the continuance of the coal striae spells to British industry and commerce. The strike, all efforts at settlement Having failed, has now settled down into a stern trial of endurance, and even when the miners ultimately succumb to the pangs of hunger and sheer financial distress, the victory will be won only through the attrition of the weaker party in the struggle. “Does anybody in his senses think,” inquires one authority, “that the defeat of the miners in a war of attrition is going to produce a settlement containing the promise of a lasting peace, or that a million men, who are by nature or tradition determined and highspirited, will accept defeat in such a war as a reason for whole-hearted acquiescence in the results”? The coal industry is of such vital importance to the well-being of the United Kingdom that it should be possible to devise a settlement which would he acceptable to the miners and be workable by the mine owners. There is evidence to show that the coal industry needs reform, but there exists a variety of opinion as to what form the reform should take. The miners proposed nationalisation as a method by which waste might he eliminated, but the Gov eminent refused the proposal, despite the powerful support lent to it by Mr Justice San key. At the beginning of the present dispute the proposal made by the miners for a national poo! was al.-o rejected by the Government. Yet it is evident so long as th< c< I mines are carried on ns a collection of many handled:: of separate undertakings, the iinr-iovcments necessary to ii:ea ■■ product vitv \ ill not I e made. 3 et the urgent need of some such reform is manifest in tin following li'unes:----The average yearly output of coal pel person employed in 1920 was 193 tons; in 1911 13 it v.as 257: in ISOS-1910 it was 275. Any impj > ement made will depend partly on administrative reforms and partly on the temper of the miners. A suggested wav out is the forming of the mines into groups, after the fashion proposed in the Railway Bill before Paiiiament, thereby effecting economy in work-

j mg ana giving tne miners somewnng atan to their demand. The fa<it has been recalled that when, in August, 1919, Sir i Arthur Uuckhan recommended the amalgamation of colliery interests in the several districts, Mr Lloyd George said that the Government would adopt the pr.jjtosal. Yet to-day they reject the national pool.

== | Considerable dissatisfaction is said to ex- | Ist amongst trade unionists at the refusal ; of the Court of Arbitration to depart from the pronouncement regarding the bonus. | A prominent labour official says that there ! was talk in labour circles of abandoning ' present methods of settling industrial disputes by reference to the court (says a I Press Association wire from Wellington), i Either the unions would cancel their regis- | tration under the Arbitration Act and use | the machinery provided by the Labour IJis- ' putes Investigation Act of 1913 (which I gives the right to strike) or else steps | would be taken to bring about a change | in the constitution of tho court. It was | felt that no good purpose was served by I having a Judge as President, that it would | be better to have disputes adjudicated upon by people chosen from the industries concerned. Difficulties arose over technical matters; for that reason, it would be better i to have industrial cases heard by men who ! had a thorough knowledge of all the points | involved. j The Minister of Education (die Hon. C. I J. Parr), on behalf of the New Zealand school children on Thursday sent the following telegram to the Prince of Wales on the occasion of his birthday (says a Press Association wire from Wellington) : “Over I 200,000 New Zealand school children send I a birthday greeting of affectionate loyalty | and remembrance.” ' During the past month 45 vessels, totalling j 89,981 tons, arrived at the port of Otago, j These were made up of 27 coastal vessels j (26,661 tons), seven intercolonial (10,855 j-t.ons), and 12 foreign (52,465 tons). During the same period the departures numbered ] 46 vessels of 91.583 tens, these being made ! up of 35 coastal vessels (42.220 tons), eight ! intercolonial (32,424 tons), and three foreign | (16,939 tons). i A passenger by the Makura from Van- ! couver on Friday morning, John Alexander j M'Naughton, refused to take the oath of | allegiance, and consequently was not per- | mitted lo land (states an Auckland Press Association message). M'Naughton is a I single man, 39 years of and is a British ! subject, both his parents .being born in | Scotland. He is travelling through to Syd- | ney, and it is understood that he will make ] a similar refusal to take the oath in Ausi tralia, the reason for his objection being one of conscience. After a close season of three years, opossum taking has been in progress in the Wellington district this month, with extraordinary results (states a Wellington Press Association message). About 30 men have | been engaged, and it is estimated that about i 15,C00 skins will be offered for sale. The 1 quality is remarkably good, j Mr Cx. Mitchell, M.P.. recently wrote to i ihe Acting Prime Minister (states a Wellington Press Association telegram', suggesting that instead of the present flat rate in relief works of 10s per day for single men and 12s per day for married men, ail men should be paid the same wage, but that the wives of married men should bo paid 2s per day for the maintenance of them- , selves and Is per day for each child under 1 16 years of age. To this Sir Francis Bell has replied: “I shall submit the question to Cabinet at an early date, but in anticipation I may point out that we could hardly pay £1 2s per day to a man with 10 children under 16. If any scale were provided of an increase in pay per child where there are children dependent, the increase must I cease at a certain number. A meeting of the Council of the New I Zealand Federation of Drapers and ! Clothiers discussed a proposal to estabj lish a producers’ line of steamers (states a ; Wellington Press Association telegram). It ' was decided to favourably consider any ] movement which would tend to minimise j the difficulty that New Zealand labours under through distance from her markets. | “ I am unable to advise the Government j to recommend Parliament to ifdopfc the i financial methods outlined,” is the reply I sent by the Acting Finance Minister, Sir j Francis Bell (states a Wellington Press As- | soeiation telegram) to the Auckland Labour ( Representation Committee and other Labour j organisations which have sent him lengthy resolutions demanding the imposition of a levy on accumulated wealth arising from abnormal war conditions, which is declared | to be over £200,01X),000 in order (1) to pay I off the war debt; (2) to stabilise prices ; (3) to carry on the authorised public works; (4) to make advances to local bodies so that work may be found for Ihe unemployed, union rates of wages to be paid for all j work whether of a relief character or otherJ wise. J PII3 use of rabbit traps for catching opos- | sums was the subject of a letter from the i Minister of Internal Affairs to last week’s j erecting of the Canterbury Society for the I Prevention of Cruelty io Animals, acknewI Edging a protest from the society against such. Ihe Ministsr stated that experiments | were being made as to (fie least cruel method of trapping opossums. He was en- ! firoly in sympathy with the society’s obj jeets, and woidd do all in his power to prevent unnecessary cruelty. | A message from Albury published in the 1 Sydney Sun states that owing to the very I strong demand from America for opossum j skins these to-day realise by far 1 he highest | price ever known, being even more v.uluaj able than the much larger and more aliracj live foxskins. The best varieties of moimj tain opossums are worth now 16s to 17s each, and ordinary varieties with fair fur j realise from 7s to 5s each. The vagaries j of the market were shown (lie other day j when a father and his son brought a hulj lock hide arid an opossum skin to a dealer. | The boy received more for the opossum j skin than the father got for (he bullock j hide.

The Mayor (Mr J. S. Douglas) on Saturday morning received a telegram from the Minister of Labour (Mr G. J. Anderson), stating that the returns from the Labour Department at Dunedin did not show a marked increase in the number of unemployed. The Public. Works Department, which took men registered in the Labour Department office, informed him that camps were being erected and surveys completed as quickly as posiblc. Seventy men pier week would be provided for during the next three weeks, this being intended to absorb all men willing to take work. The Mayor forwarded the following reply:— ‘Thanks for wire. Labour Department’s returns do not apparently cover all unemployed, as over 100 returned soldiers reported out of work. Married men with large families are daily requesting my assistance. I appreciate your present proposals, but consider them only suitable for single men. I suggest the Government undertake, the immediate commencement of railway deviation on the foreshore, with preference of employment to men with family responsibilities. At present, several local authorities are endeavouring to keep men going. They are awaiting Government assistance.” The policy of the Education Department (states a Press Association message from Wellington) is to encourage exchange of teachers between the various dominions. Already Canadian teachers are in New Zealand as the result of having made exchanges with New Zealand teachers, who are now filling the positions of the Canadians in Canada. The system is being extended. “I have consented,” said Mr Parr, “to one of our school inspectors, Mr N. R. M'Kenzie, an experienced man, making a temporary exchange with an inspector of schools in Vancouver, Canada, Mr T. A. Brough, B.A. The exchange will be for one year. It is all to the good that we should encourage these exchanges. This one has the added benefit in these hard times that it involves no extra expense to my department.” The Middlemareli Medical Club has considered four applications for the vacancy caused by the resignation of Dr W. S. Roberts, with the result that Dr Rosa Collier, of Christchurch, has been appointed. , Dr Collier is well known in the Strath-Taieri, having been in practice there 10 or 12 years ago. In the City Police Court on Saturday morning, before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., Sebastian Samuel Crawford Valiis, clerk in the Magistrate’s Court, pleaded guilty to the theft of £ls 7s and £l4 15s while acting as cash clerk. Senior Detective Kemp prosecuted. Evidence was given by the Government Auditor (Mr Henderson) and by the chief clerk (Mr Harper), another clerk, and Detective Palmer, who put in a statement in which the accused admitted his guilt. The accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. A remarkable escape from serious injury was experienced at Wellington by a young woman, who fell from the first storey of a building in Cuba street out on to the footpath, a distance of about 13ft, The victim of the accident had climbed out of a window above Stanbridge’s fruit shop in order to recover a thimble which had fallen on the glass verandah roof. She was standing- on a narrow wooden frame when she slipped, falling through the glass and a protecting crowning of wire-net)ii:g to the footpath. She managed, however, to keep her equilibrium, and landed on the pavement without suffering any injury. She was immediately assisted into the shop, but was found to be suffering from nothing more than shock and a few bruises. A peculiar position arose at Friday's meeting of the’ Southland Education Board (says the Southland Times), when a letter was received from the Education Department pointing out that some boards were in the habit of not observing the regulations of tiie Act, and also that in some instances action had been taken without the necessary authority of the department. At the same time another letter from the department to the board stated that the chairman of the Queenstown School Committee had notified the department that it was not intended to make any application in the meantime for the establishment of a district high school in the Queenstown district. The chairman of the board, Mr P. de la Perrelle, said that in this matter the department had gone right past the board and entered into direct communication with the school committee. Obviously the proper course for the department to have taken was to place the matter before the board. In one letter the department complained of >he non-observation of the regulations of the board, and in the other letter it was disclosed that the department itself had not observed these regulations. Mr Blake expressed similar views, and moved that the board take strong exception to the action of the Minister in dealing with matters which had not been considered by the board. The motion was seconded and ca tried unanimou sly A call at Humphrey Island, a lonely spot in the Pacific Ocean, was made by the steamer Waiotapu on the voyage from f-an Francisco to Auckland (states the New Zealand Herald). The course taken by the steamer brought her fairly close to the island, and when aproaching it Captain Barlow observed a party in a ship’s boat making towards the steamer. The Waiotapu was slowed down to allow ihe Glanders to come alongside. They explained rlial no vessel had visited the. island for many months, and asked for books and reading matter. This was immediately given, together with a supply of fresh vegetables and stores. Humphrey Island is one of the Mana.hiki Group, about 600 miles south of the equator. It has about 500 inhabitants, who exist principally on cocoanuts and fish.

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