The Star. WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1916. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11754, 19 July 1916, Page 4

The Star. WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1916. EDITORIAL NOTES.

PUBLIC WORKS VOTES. The calls of tho war and the consequent necessity for a heavy reduction in internal expenditure deprive the Public Works Statemnt this session of xauoh of its accustomed interest. *x~!3stimatcs are cut down wholesale and much of the proposed expenditure for this year consists only of the unexpended votes on tho Estimates for 1915-16. Thoro will bo no additional votes for roads and bridges, and the provision for railway expenditure is reiuced by £200,000. It is unfortunate that the Minister has been -unable to consider! any new grants, for roads and . bridges, for while the unspent vote at his disposal will enable work to bo continued on" such contracts as were authorised last year, it is apparent that the canse of settlement will suffer un- ' less fairly liberal provision is made for pushing on with the roading of • the back country in the North Island, in giving new settlers proper access to tho * main roads and tho railways, and in breaking down tho disheartening isolation in which so.many Crown sectionholders live for nearly half the year, fa: want of decently passable outlets - ' for their stock and produce. The Dominion can reconcilo itself more easily to a lessened expenditure . upon railways than upon roads. Tho only really urgent railway work in this ' island is the completion of the connection' between-the East and West Coasts, and the £60,000 vote proposed . for the year for tho Otira-Bealey section is presumably sufficient to keep the tunnel operations going, though not at the rate which we should expect in normal times. In the North Island thk most pressing work is pro- .- bably tho connection between the Main Trunk Railway at Okahukura and the Stratford line, a connection very necessary in the interests of the great North Taranaki country, newly settled but already a highly' productive district, ■ and doubly in need of rail service, because of the difficulty and expense of maintaining the bush roads in condition for heavy traffic. For this line £50,000 is set down this y%ar, and it is by no means enough. Some of the minor lines might very well have been - permitted to stand over for a while In favour of the Taranaki connection )rith Auckland. There is little room for criticsm in -other aspects of the Statement. Mr (leaser realises that expenditure on public buildings must be vigorously curtailed, and that none but absolutely (Urgent construction should be jjroceed- * fid with. ■ The vote for the new Parlia:insnt Building in "Wellington shows a considerable reduction on last year's. fChfisichurch will bo chiefly interested ijn the vote of £15,000 for post office accommodation in this cityj a vote 'originally proposed last'year, but of . i.Wiiich only a few hundred pounds were expended. Urgently needed additions to the Sunnyside Mental Hospital will be met by a vote of £38.000, The Lake 'Coleridge electric power scheme- will involve considerable new espenaiture, . and the arrangements in progress for utilising the current more extensively in Canterbury industries fully warrant the thorough development of this highly successful source of energy. Next'year tho North Island may fairly look to the Government to make a definite start in : utilising the great' volume of waterpower available in the Upper WaiKato lKivcr and elsewhere, a source of power which will assist very considerably in ilie development of industry in the heart of the North. EDUCATION BOARD ELECTIONS. The election which is in progress today in connection with the new Board of Education should, if the electors accept their responsibilities seriously, mark a new era in educational matters, and it is to bo hoped that the •best candidates available will be selected to watch tho interests of the rising generation. It must bo admitted, how,ever, that up to the present the general publio appears to have taken scant interest in the'mattcr, and little has been iione to bring the views of the various candidal under the immediate notice of those who are called upon to mate the selection. Very likely this apparent Jac'i of interest is traceable to the war, which has now for nearly two years absorbed public interest, to the almost entire exclusion of other subjects. ■ The number of nominations deceived is much smaller than wo had a right to expect, and it is worthy of notice that in Timaru the number of candidates did not exceed the number of vacancies. Many of the candidates offering their services possess undoubted qualifications for tho important duties which will devolve upon them, but it must be conceded that in other instances tho qualifications are ,of axather negative order. The electors will have it in their power to make or mar tho system by the members they return, and such being the case, it is highly desirable, in the interests of the State, that they will use the wisest dis- ■■' crimination in recording their votes. iWomen are so closely interested in tbo matters that will come before the hoard that it seems to us impossible that tile bssto results can be achieved unless both 6exes are represented. Unfortunately, the numebr of ladies nominated is limited to two, both in the fJhnstchurch urban area, and consequently it will be impossible to have ■ the sexes' represented in equal numbers. The lady candidates, fortunately, possess undoubted qualifications for eeats on the board, and wo hopo to see them elected.

In. an article which appeared in this journal on Monday, Mrs E. F. Wilson, one of the lady candidates, set out the claims of women very convincingly, sod in speaking of her experience on other local bodies said:—•''l have sat for eight years in council with men, and 1 am pleased to testify to the unvarying courtesy and consideration I have received. I am convinced by experience that when women maintain

their womanly dignity aud their own point of view in a womanly way, noither shrieking nor scolding, but discuss reasonable* things iu a reasonable way, men wo only too glad of their advice and assistance, and support them loyally. It is only by such cooperation that tho problems of the future will be mot. To include women is to -widen the held of choice and to increase efficiency. Neither sex con claim a monopoly of wisdom or any other quality, and society can no longer afford to deprive itself of the services of its thoughtful, educated, capable women. Such women are not found in every street, I admit, but judging from existing conditions, from Parliament downward," neither are men." This attitude of mind is ono that will meet with goneral approval, and there can bo no questioning tho fact that Mrs Wilson would be a decided acquisition to the board, but wo hope that the representation of tho sex will not be limited to a single member.

MR PAYNE'S LANGUAGE. We can scarcely imagine even Mr John Payne's stauuohest supporters approving of tho attitude he saw fit to adopt in the House last night or endorsing tho epithet which he applied to the Ministor of Finance. Whilo tho proposal in the Land and Income Tax Bill which aroused the indignation of tho member fcrr Grey Lynn is disapproved of by many besides himself; and is a quite legitimate subject for criticism, tho uncouthnoss of the language used is inexcusable. To describe Sir Joseph Ward' as one of tho. biggest traitors to the British Empire is so obviously absurd that the Minister could afford to regard the attack with contempt were it not for tho fact that it was an unpardonable breach of Parliamentary usage and ordinary decency. Sir Joseph is himself so scrupulously courteous in his intercourse with his fellow-mem-bers and in his utterances in the House that this'offence is doubly inexcusable. Few, perhaps, will deny Mr Payne's sincerity in his denunciation of legislation which appears to him to bo opposed to the public welfare, but it is very evident that his over-ardent exciteablo temperament is a drawback to his Parliamentary usefulness and that his offensive methods of criticism only injure the cause for which he stands. He must learn, it he hopes to increase his' influence in the House, that terms of abuso discredit only the user, and that a deliberate and persistent disregard for common c : vility seriously impairs the value of a Parliamentary representative. It .is possible to condemn a measure in the most incisive and effective terms without resorting to the extravagant language for which Grey Lynn's member appears to have a decided weakness. AN INTERNATIONAL NUISANOE. Tho news that Cipriano Castro, the ex-President of Venezuela, who was some years ago banished from his own country oh account of, his many misdeeds, is endeavouring to enter the United States, probably with tho idea of ultimately reaching his own country, will turn people's thoughts towards Germany. It has been fairly well established that Germany, in the hope of causing a diversion, so as to ease the pressure which threatens to overwhelm her, is responsible in a great measure for the unrest in Mexico, which a few weeks ago appeared likely to spread the conflagration across the Atlantic. German gold, too, it is shrewdly suspected, has not been altogether unconnected with the trouble at present permeating China, bringing about a position of affairs which may in the end bring the ancient empire into the melting pot. But Germany has not confined her attenton to one or two important countries in hei efforts to stir up strife, as evidence has been 1 accumulating during the last two years that tho area covered by her secret service agents is world wide, few countries not coming within the scope of her diplomatic activities. The ex-President of Venezuela has for years found refuge in tho West Indies, and in his absence other statesmen have laboured to restore his country to the place it occupied before she submitted herself to the dictatorship of Castro, who has not ineptly been described as an international nuisance- In their straits the Germans are no doubt prepared to do anything to involve their enemies in trouble, and it will not be surprising to learn that the Kaiser's minions have been at work with a view to fomenting dissension in South America by using Castro as an instrument, as, judging by his past, he would probably not be irresponsive to the lure of German gold.

Ex-President Castro is a. highly inters esting personage. Eighteen years ago ho was an obscure politician, who sat in the Federal Senate. The would not pay his taxes, and his cattle were seised to make good his default. That was tbo real starting point of his career. He promoted a rebellion—an easy task in South America—and marched against Caracas, seduced the OUOO troops of President Audrade, and established himself at the Yellow House. For eight years he was dictator, ruling by corrupt and revolutionary methods, and in defiance of tho obligations of. the country to foreign creditors. The wrongs inflicted by him cm companies and individuals who had invested their capital in various industrial enterprises in Venezuela led to a blockade in 1903 by British, German and Italian warships. Finding that diplomacy was of no avail to obtain the reparation from Castro that was demanded by their subjects, the three Powers bad unwillingly to have recourse to coercion. The President, however, sheltered himself behind tho Monroe Doctrine, and appealed to tho President- of America, with tho result that tho (Hsputo was referred to* The Hague Court/ of Arbitration. Finally, in 1908, a dispute arose with Holland, on the the ground of- harbouring refugees. Tho Dutch Minister was expelled, and Holland replied by dispatching gunboats, which destroyed the fleet and blockaded the ports. At the close of that year Castro visited Europe, and drring his absence a rising took place which ultimately resulted, in June, 1910, in placing Juan Gom*?/. in power, and Castro was forbidden to return to the country. Knicc the deposition of lb-.' stormy petrel iiu- a,i:al;y has o:i.;'v<'d

something approaching tranquillity, but now that the arch-disturber is once more afoot there is no knowing what may happen. They are an essentially volatile* people, these Latin-Americans of the hybrid republics of South An erica.