PUBLIC OPINION.

Star (Christchurch), 20 December 1907, Page 1

PUBLIC OPINION.

FROM YESTERDAY'S NEWSPAPERS. (By Telegraph.} j SUPERANNUATION. Through a technical difficulty, which was not realised in time, the school teachers and the police had to be de- , nied last session the option of coming j under the Act which was offered them ( by an amendment originally adopted | by the lifouse, but the Premier showed himself mindful last night of his promise to introduce the necessary amending Bill fox this purpose next session. He also hoped to establish a national annuity scheme on the lineus favoured by Mr Seddon, but it is surely, a mistake to speak of this as offering to the public the same advantages as are now enjoyed by the Civil SerViice. If the advantages to be equal, how many millions will it cost the country P— " Evening Post." v LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION. According to Mr Massey the legislation of last session "struck a great blow at successful land settlement," and though we cannot undertake to say precisely wha,t he means by tha% it seems to indicate that, back-down or no back-down, the Minister of Lands has achieved the Vicked' purpose which was in his heart last .year. Mr Massey may : have. -cheiered. the ' hearts of his ..friends -at" Pukelsohe/ but at this' dia■'tance he is not illuminating.- — " New Zealand. Times." , - ' POLITICAL MATTERS. For 1 a score of years Mr Thomas Mackenzie has occupied the dubious and generally: .unsatisfactory _ position of an "Independent" politician, and it speaks volumes for his personal acceptability and force of character that he has never come to be regarded as a public nuisance. But there is a limit to the 'usefulness ,of the unattached politician, and we can easily believe that Mr Mackenzie has often felt his Parliamentary work to be shadowed by a certain impotence or futility. He has determined, wisely as we think, to take a «de for the future, and it will be the side of a reasonable Liberalism. _It is quite possible that his_ iie\r attitude will eventually give him an opportunity of serving the dominion in a Ministerial capacity and as a supporter of the Government. — Dunedin "Star." MISDIRECTED, HERO WORSHIP. Lionel Terry's attitude towards the man he shot wa6 precisely that of the anarchist who takes the hie of a fellow creature as a protest against a 6ystein of government which is repugnant to him. The stability of the whole fabric of human society would be threatened, however, if crimes of this* description were to be condoned .and. if those who perpetrated them were to be erected upon pedestals and made the object of the admiring gaze of the public as self-sacrificing patriots. It> would indeed be a terrible, misfortune if through the . exercise lon the part of the executive of a mistaken leniency . towards Terry any section ol the community were encouraged to believe # that human life might be- taken in vindication of any supposed principle without ajny greater risk being incurred than that of a few years' confinement in either a gaol or a hospital for mental diseases. — " Otago Daily Times." METHODS OF CHARITY. There can be only one' opinion as to the duty of the public in the treatment of cases where destitution has fallen upon those who have been ordinarily industrious' citizens. These should be unhesitatingly assisted in as fenerous a manner as- the public nances will allow, and without any unnecessary unpleasantness to the unfort unates involved, but' the difficulty is that a class is growing up which looks upon almstaking as a much more pleasant way of obtaining a living than honest . industry. Constant . practice enables the professional paupers of this most objectionable class to reduce their tricks and methods to a fine art, and they can only be detected by rigid precautions. In the taking of these precautions against fraud and imposition genuine cases have to be investigated and tabulated, which is a great pity, but quite unavoidable unless public charity is to be allowed to- escape entirely beyond official control. — t( New Zealand Herald?' VANCOUVER MAIL SERVICE. It seems that the Canadian Government intends to withdraw the Vancouver service subsidy on the ground that the Australian protective tariff is a severe blow to Canadian commerce The refusal of the Commonwealth Parliament to make the fiscal concessions asked for by Canada has certainly roused some ill-feeling on the other side of the Pacific, and we can hardly expect that Canada will be prepared to give freely toward a Pacific service with, one hand -while withdrawing her help with the other, but when everything else lias been said, the fact remains that the fate of the All Red route depends upon the amount that England is prepared to pay for it, and we can hardly be surprised if a Liberal Government, committed commercially to a doctrine of laiseez fair©, should hesitate to risk so much money on a scheme which is certainly out of harmony with the main principles of the Cobdenite creed. — Auckland " Star:" I