PUBLIC OPINION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17177, 22 October 1923, Page 6

PUBLIC OPINION.

WHAT OTHER WRITERS ARE SAYING.

Judging from the batches of immigrants that arrive in Wellington from time t-o time under the Existing system, the physical standard demanded is not a very high one. Bbt trhat is even of more consequence, the great majority of the new arrivals have neither tbe -means nor the qualifications to enter upon development work.—" Maiftwatii Daily Tiroes.” The Timaru Ministers’ Association, accredited by the Mayor, on behalf of the citizens, has arranged to make, a, street collection in aid of the Japanese relief funds, and we believe the people of this district will gladly avail themselves of the opportunity to give tangible expression of their deep sympathy with the Japanese nation in its hour of staggering calamity.—Timaru '‘'Her-' aid.’* The announcement that Mr Massey has arranged with the Overseas .Settlement Committee for the- migration to Yew Zealand of farm labourers of little or no experience, of boys from the public schools and of girls with little domestic training will not bo received with enthusiasm. f rho Dominion is certainly not in need of unskilled labour at. the present time.—Southland “ News.’* The Dairy Control Board will find amp]© scope within the- Dominion for bringing about reforms which should materially benefit the industry, and it may also assist to improve the system of marketing and distribution in Britain. If it succeeds in doing this without coming into dahgerous conflict with those who control the business in Britain its establishment will probably be fully justified.—Southland ‘'News.” Tn many parts of New Zealand motor traffic on the roads is proving a rla.magifig competitor for passenger traffic, and it looks as if the Department has no hope of winning this revenue back while it sticks to the expensive steamhauled trains. Petrol-driven trains

: have been the subject of experimental 1 operation in Australia. and by this ! time the results of their use should be i available.—Southland “ Times.” t The difficulty at tbe back of the. Gerj man vacillation appears to be that- tbe . men who bold the negotiable wealth i and assets refuse to utilise them. The | prospect of the immediate future is not very clear, but the situation apI pears to lie inviting France to annex l the Ruhr and work it with Frenchmen, j In a nation so wrecked as the Germans are. one must, perhaps make al- | lowacoe for outbreaks of desperation and shrinkings from the big final sac- ’ rifiee, and one will await the repair of •the latest stampede with prayerful j hopes.—Ashburton “ Guardian.” ! The. British Admiralty has refused to < be stampeded into an abandonment of ships ot the line, though in accord- | ance with the Washington Treaty it 1 has voluntarily restricted tho size and I tonnage to be maintained. It must j be concluded, therefore, that sound { reasons exist for this policy, and for j the decision to establish a base at j Singapore. Views such as those ex- ! pressed by Sir Percy Scott and Admiral j Kerr are full of possibilities, but they j must convince - the Admiralty before | such controversialists make much I headway with the non-expert public.— j Auckland “ jderald.” Men will be accepted farm labourj ers with no other qualification, at the i worst, than their physical capacity for farm work. They will learn farming soon enough in New Zealand if they have the will; but the prospect of reduced wages while they are learning, may make an additional incentive to a proportion of them to increase the undesirable drift to the towns. Boys of the public' school class will be also accepted, and they may make some of the worst as well as the best colonists. The training and the environment of Eton are not the most natural system to prepare men to rough it in a new country.— Dunedin “ Star." The absence of nominators will throw upon the Immigration Department in New Zealand the burden of finding suitable- accommodation and employment for the newcomers. This is where private organisations and other Government Departments may assist. The Farmers’ Unions which are calling for labour mav well offer to take the untrained laboureis and the public school boys when they loav<* the experimental farms, and make themselves responsible for their welfare. If an efficient voluntary organisation is thus built up. supplementary to the official force, the settlement work will be made much easier and the possibility of failure will be slight.- Wellington “Post.”

Although the. miners are told- by our | contemporary that the v arc in a strong position, and all other unionists are i yearning to support them financially, these claims are not supported by the relatively meagre total of subscriptions received on the miners’ dependents’ behalf. The story of this dispute Is like others -previous to it. Tbe miners were misled by the troublemakers, and. now after several weeks’ idleness, the result- will he that serious loss of wages has occurred, meaning unnecessary hardship to wives and families, and nothing will be gained from the forthcoming conference that could not have been gained by one held whilst- the men kept at work.—Greymouth “Star.” T-dataDUi'fcy of government is bad for the country, and bad also for those who exercise authority which is too brief and too uncertain. A Government secure rn office, may be tempted at times to disregard public opinion, but if it. yields to such temptation it lessens its security. On tbe other a Government, which has no certainty of tenure may be tempted to balance. Even tbe most high-principled of politicians mav insensiblv be led to make the first plank of their platform read : “ To keep in office.” Tn suggesting that them is such a danger now in New Zealand we do not imply that the present Government lacks principle. oilier that it is liable to human error.—Wellington “ Post.” No efforts should he spared to make the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition the first and chief resort for Australians travelling on holiday in the summer two years from now. No provincial exhibition can fulfil the objects that were sought for in the inception of this Dunedin fair, which were to show the whole Dominion, and all others who can be brought here not ourselves only- -w hat, Otago can do. to bring more people to this city a.nd province, and tn persuade as many as possible of them to stay v At tbe same time all New Zealand would benefit-, because the visitors from Australia and olse.w here who would he drawn here by the Exhibition’s attractions would not bt* likely to confine their travelling to

a single province, and whatever gives a stimulus to one part of the Dominion cannot fail to be- of benefit to the whole. It toc not the attendance of the Christchurch people alone which, caused the tramwav traffic of that city to be almost doubled, as. official figures show, while its International Exhibition was in progress. The Dunedin project can expect as wide support if its promoters take proper measures to attract it.—Dunedin “ Star.’’ Assistance to sh ipowners must go hand in ha.nd with an equitable and adequate protection of the commiuiities they serve. It is not by any means clear that this vital consideration is even yet. given the prominence it deserves in the plans and policy of the Imperial Shipping Committee. The exact contrary indeed is suggested in Sir H. Mackinders extraordinary defence of the action of his committee in inducing the Common wealth Government Line to become a party to the rebate system in the shipping trade between Great Britain and Australia.The rebate is one of the principal weapons with which monopolistic trusts and combines in America and elsewhere kill competition.- Wellington ' •Dominion.'’ The question of earthquake resistance in building is graver than any of those in which this practical investigation has been adopted by the Government and by the municipalities. There could not be a better field of investigation than is offered by the ruins of Yokohama and Tokio. A visit by the Government architect would give us the light of most important evidence, to tho general enlightenment and the information of the architects and builders whose business is to supply our buildings. Tile thing to do. however, in view of the magnitude of the opportunity, would he to a committee of architects and engineers. The result would obtain for the Dominion the very latest information about the character of the earth-quake-resisting buildings.- Wellington “ Times/’ Italy—or more strictly Mussolini—seems bent, on troubling the peace of Europe oy some pretext or other. First it was JAume, then it was Corfu, and now it is Tangier; and. flimsy as were the pretexts for aggressive action in the first two cases, there seems to l>e less excuse than ever for this latest outbreak of Italian Chauvinism. It is' true that, the existing arrangement about Morocco is not satisfactory; at all events it does not work out in such a way was to provide for the peace of the country, or the securitv of the interests of foreigners who have invested money there. *But wljat has Italy to do with all this? . . . The answer to this question i*r to be found simply enough in the character and the policy of Mussolini. This extraordinary man has gained the remarkable ascendancy that he enjoys over his fellow-country-men not more by his force of character and his courageous though arbitrary methods than bv Iris inspiring appeals to their patriotism and their Imperialist ambitions. The Italians have never been able to forget that Romo was once the mistress of the world, and that for centuries later her temporal and spiritual ascendancy was recognised by all the. civilised Powers ; and it is only natural that an imaginative and emotional people should linger over these historical reminiscences mid traditions of past grandeur and glory, and long for the realisation of their dreams in 'actual life.—Auckland '■ Star.”