CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 58, 17 June 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

, THE COST OF TRUSTS. In order to demonstrate elearlv the danger of trusts, it js onh' neeessarv to sar tIM Bntain lost twentv million nounds iliv the recent cotton swindle in tlio T T 'iitpd States. American cotton Vi-r ,1-or,, ~(, ) nvr ns ibnt is now nearing 0-1 ■»■ irviind, Tt is not. srenernllv realised, hn-pver. that it onlv reouires an (i.v»rc7fi increase of -2Vod mer pound to he n.ft*nr] to the co=+ of the present .average cotton crop of the world to increase its value hv no less, a sum than one hundred millions «terlin:3 ner annum. Of such additional cost, England, with her 53.500.000 snindles, mains' 4.000.000 hales, would have to pav in round figures £20.000.000, mud the other twenty-one cotton manuf,ipturin<r countries, with 7R.000.000 snindles. would have to pav the remaining fSO.fIOO.fIOO. Tt was. of course, obvious that this increase had to he added to the cost of {roods. Beyond' developing the cultivation of cotton in the colonies and r ler>endencies, England could not do anvthing to stop the operations of Messrs Patten and Co. Tt will lie a Ions? time hefore Enarlandi can 'he independent of America for the cotton supuly. hut the cultivation of cotton in Tndia mi<rht he developed .to a much greater extent. Tt, is not generally known that the cultivation and manufacture of cotton was for manv yars confined 1 to Tndia, where it was grown five centuries hefore the Christian era. America, in the matter of trustmon<rerinp'. does not confine herself to cotton. The mo=t pernicious trusts are those dealing with foodstuffs, and Inure, fortunes have, ibcen made and numberless folk ruined hv the onerations of financial sharks. There is. however, a •Crowincr disposition to fi<rM the trusts, the 'onl-i- weapons for which .are tnunter.production. To take the cotton illustration, it is neeessarv hefore Britain can ko independent, of the American trustmonsrer that she shall produce all the cotton she can use in her own territory. There is room in British territorv to grow everv ounce of raw material reouired liy the millions of the Kind's subjects.

TXTEEXiATTONAL FOOTBJfiL. Australia is iftiitn an important centre of football operations just now. There are no less than four overseas tourin<r teams in the Commonwealth to-day, and' the nubile will have, no doubt, a surfeit of tire game which does not a« vet rank, as the national of the island continent. Rwsilrr has been matins great ( strides "on he other side" of .late years, «and on this account, and 'because of the j columns scribble'! on the decadence or football in this Dominion, mam- affected a fear that the New Zealand team now visiting Australia would not have foo .•rood a Da.°.«we. 'So far the "All Blacks" have nlaved two matches, and have won thein. both handsomelv, securing a fair margin of points even in the second

match in Sydney, which is usually -the most unsatisfactory match in our Australian tour. This wou*<t seem la indicate that if there is a retrograde tendency in football it is not confined to ■New Zealand, but that Australia shares it with us. Whether it is so or not is a matter of opinion, but it may be that the 'present team, withi its several "colts," is capable of extending even the combinations which provided hot battles for the original "All Blacks." At any rate, they have made an auspicious opening of the tour. Of the other teams touring the Commonwealth, possibly the greatest interest, as far as we are concerned, centres in the doings of the ■Maori team, and they, too, are covering themselves' with honors. The British team playing under Northern Union rules is not likely to meet with many reverses, for this paine is as yet in its infancy in Australasia. America sends her first Rugby team to Australia, too, and the elect of her universities is now becoming acclimatised 'before entering upon its round of matches. Both the British and American teams are due to play [programmes of matches in the Dominion, hence their performances are being followed with interest.

MR. McNAB ON LOYALTY. j Mr. R. McNab, formerly Minister of Lands in the New Zealand Ca'iinet, has returned to this 'country from .1 visit to Britain. Inevitably, he has been mnch interviewed. The most extraordinary! remark he has made was elicited by a I question regarding British loyalty. Hei holds that to the 'New Zealander loyalty] is a religion. It is obvious 'by a perusal of his remarks that a British refusal to close a meeting by singing the National Anthem is a sign of disloyalty. If this is so, when the Empire meets the yellow invader it ought to show its loyalty by going to the sea-shoi'ii and waving the Union Jack. Mr. McNab utterly misunderstands the Briton. He says one may make almost any remark derogatory to Britain and a British audience will take it unmoved. Therein lies the finest illustration of the British character. The British are disciplined. The British resent antagonistic deeds, not heated words. If Mr. McNab made derogatory remarks, he showed ill-taste. If the audiences he made them to did not openly resent them, they showed self-control, discipline and the finer feelings. If the real loyalty as apart from flag-wagging and the screaming of sow's of the British people is to be tested, it l must be tested in a deeper way than by i mere hurling of words, and its actions during conventional occasions. There have been two occasions when New Zealand was called upon to show real loyalty to the Empire. These were when she fought for the country her people lived in, and when she helped to fight fori the maintenance of the flag in South Africa. The real occasion for loyaTty in Britain not only brings out every o'd soldier who can stagger to the parade ground, but countless civilians who want to be soldiers. The idea that the colonies show the way in the matter of loyalty to the Old Country is mere heretical nonsense, and harmful nonsense at that. TRUE LOYALTY 7 . True loyalty cannot be shown by the voting of money, or a mere paper scheme of defence. The action of collective men and not their mere expressions is the real 'basis of loyalty. One of the most pitiable features of life in a - .' countries is an- assumption of pre-emin-ence over the 'parent stock. The Englishman of yesterday is the father of the New Zealander of to-day. The Irishman of ten years ago is the parent of the loyal Canadian." The 'Scotsman of 1880 is now the possessor of young Australis!,. Because the British do not yell every time the flag is mentioned there is no reason why they will not fight for it; because they forgot to sing "God Save tlie King" now and then, it cannot be held that they will not help to save the King themselves; and because they do not advertise their deeo and abiding intention to retain the Empire intact, it cannot be shown that they are less willing and able to keep the glorious traditions alive than the Canadian, the Australian and the New Zealanders. There is more nonsense tolked about British decay, British disloyalty, and British inferiority than is necessary, and all of it is poisonous, undeserved and harmful. The dependencies of Britain suffer more and more with swelled head as time goes on, and their leading men always forget that the silent men who sit through a McNab speech and thereafter do not sing "God Save the King," are of the class that made the colonies possible. Tt is only when trouble comes that true loyalty can be tested, and it is only then'that decriers. of the parent stock will be aible to see whether flas-wagging or deeds is the better way of showing it.

AUCKLAND EAST BYE-ELECTTON. It was a foregone conclusion" that Mr., Myers would win the Auckland East Preelection, decided yesterday. Mr. Myers is a public-spirited man, 'who has done much for the city of Auckland. The result indicates that people in a political election do not vote for party so much as a man. We do not know whether the Auckland public like the very plainspoken prohibitionist Mr, Richardson, or whether Mr. George 'Davis is popular, or if Mr. R. W. Hill is favorably known. But this is certain: The people of all con,, stituencies vote for a man on his known worth and for the work he has performed for them. They did not know Mr. iHill, who had only been in Auckland for a year. They knew Mr. Richardson, who had never conferred any benefits on them, and both Messrs. Davis and McKnight were new men. Mr. Myers, although a rich man, has apparently sacrificed business to the service of the .people of the city for many years. He was a successful Mayor, and during his Mayoralty the city prospered .greatly. He will be a good member of Parliament, because it is impossible that he can personally .gain anything by being there. He is independent of emolument', partv, and the meannesses of parochial considerations.