Taranaki Herald. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1910. LOOKING BACKWARDS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14396, 31 December 1910, Page 2

Taranaki Herald. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1910. LOOKING BACKWARDS.

Within a few short hours of the time these lines go forth the year 1010 will have passed away and we shall have entered upon a new year, presenting a clean i sheet upon which fresh records have to be written. At such times it is customary to look back : upon the happenings of the pass- ! ing year. To recall a tithe of : the events is almost impossible, to review them within the limits i of a single newspaper article absolutely so. Yet\ time-honoured custom has to he observed, and we must try to mention, however briefly, some of the most striking events of the year. It has been a year of sensations, chief among which should be placed the lamented death of King Edward the Seventh, wdiich called forth such world-wide expressions of grid and sympathy. If, however, ive were asked to state in a couple ; of w'ords what is the most striking feature of the year's history we should say, labour troubles. ; These, have not been confined to j one or two countries, for, whether ! there is any close connection bc- ! (ween them or not, there have been serious strikes in llrent lirilain, particularly among Welsh minors, in the Lulled States, in .Franco, where the Government took very prompt and effective measures to restore discipline among the railwayman, in Germany, and other European countries, and, manor home, in Australia, where the workers in the mines have kept the owners in a constant state of anxiety. The future belongs to organised

labour, u lis arms aml methods arc legitimate, but if the coining v'cnr sees a repetition of Ilia taclies of the past there is likely to be something like a revolt among ! hose who have to sufffer by the disorganisation caused by these repeated strikes and unreasonable demands. Another striking feai arc of the year—or it seems so, 1 hough one is happily apt to for-

get what has occurred in former years—is the number of disasters involving g'reat loss of life which have occurred. Halley’s comet has been blamed for some of

these, such as the terrible floods in France and hurricanes in the West Indies and storms elsewhere. Whatever the cause, the toll of human life has been heavy. There was the wreck of the General Chanzy, a French steamer, on the coast of Minorca, when only one of the . 134 people on board was saved to tell the tale. Then in January there was a colliery disaster, resulting: in the loss of 49 lives, in Colorado, U.S.A., followed in May by one involving the loss of 133 lives at Whitehaven, in Cumberland, and, just recently by the still more dreadful explosion in a mine at Bolton, in Lancashire, whereby 350 miners were entombed, besides numerous smaller accidents underground. In the United States fatal railway accidents are of such frequent occurrence as to almost escape notice, but the British railways are generally so free from disaster that the collision the other night in Yorkshire stands out prominently, as does also that at Richmond, near Melbourne, when nine poeple were killed. Fire every year exacts its toll, generally in small instalments, but .within the last few months there have been dreadful outbreaks, causing heavy loss of life, at Philadelphia and Chicago, while the explosion at a San Francisco newspaper office, resulting in about sixty deaths, sent a thrill of horror through the world, because it was believed to have been deliberately planned. In the political world the year has not passed without remarkable events. The British, constituencies have been twice appealed to within the year, each appeal resulting in a renewal of confidence in Mr. Asquith’s Ministry. In Australia, Commonwealth and State elections have been held, resulting generally in favour of the Labour Party, which bears out what we have said above, that the future rests with Labour. In Portugal a revolution, short and sharp, drove the young King to take refuge in England, where he remains awaiting developments which may permit of his return. In some of the American republics there have also occurred more or less serious revolutions, without which, indeed, a year rarely passes. The annexation of Korea by Japan, the union of the South African States, and the settlement of the old-standing Newfoundland Fisheries dispute are among other striking political events. Perhaps one of the most important features of the year has been the immense development of the science of aviation. It is only four ' years since SantosDumout made the first flight, which extended over a dozen yards; now there arc scores of aviators who have achieved flights up to and over a thousand miles. Wireless telegraphy has also made great strides, and it is difficult to foresee what the future has in store in this respect. Death has been busy as usual, and many notable figures have been removed from the world’s stage. In addition to King Edward the Seventh, our own Royal Family has lost Prince Frahcis of Tcck, while the Czar of Russia lost his groat uncle the Grand Duke Michael, and other losses rulers have passed away. The world of art, science, and letters is the poorer for the deaths of Professor . Gohlwin Smith, ’Holman Hunt, Mark Twain, Bjornson, the Norwegian poet, Sir William Huggins, the great astronomer, Professor Koch, the bacteriologist, and others, while polities and religion have chiefly to mourn Earl Spencer and Archbishop Maclagan. The death of Florence Nightingale caused many a pang among Crimean veterans. To name but a half of the deaths of well-known people would l , however, fill eolumns of our space. In Taranaki the ranks of the early settlers have been further depleted by tbe deaths of Thomas July, Mrs. Moyle, Mrs. John Oliver, William Foreman, Edward Okey, 11. S. Matthews, Matthew Carrick, Daniel Bayly, Mrs. Copestake, Mrs. W. Cottier, John Oxenhnm, Ben Gray, James Kenyon, the Hon. H. Scotland, and others. There are now but few left of the earliest pioneers. Turning to a pleasanter subject, it has to be recorded that 1910 has proved a prosperous year generally throughout the world. In

Great Britain tliere lias occurred a remarkable revival of trade; so also in tlie United States of America. Nearer borne, Australia bas bad almost a phenomenal year, and New Zealand bas eclipsed all previous records in the volume of its exports, the measure of its prosperity. It is satisfactory also to note that there is every appearance of a continuance of prosperity during' the coming year. Generally speaking, British industries are more than usually busy, and that means a large consumptive demand lor New Zealand foodstuffs and raw materials. Locally, we are convinced that there are particularly bright times coming, and in that firm belief we will conclude this brief sketch by wishing our readers a happy and prosperous New Tear.