PUBLIC OPINION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17342, 15 July 1924, Page 6

PUBLIC OPINION.

WHAT OTHER WRITERS ARE SAYING. A SORELY; SHAKEN PARTY. “ The greatest gift that the Republican Party has to bestow,” said the New York “ Nation ” on June 18, “ goes almost by default in a Convention which will surely be the dullest and drabbest m the history of the party.”. But of tne rival show which opened a fortnight iater in New York the worst enemy of the Democratic Party could not say tnat there was anything dull or drab about it. It was expected to make heavy weather and it did. Except that neither of the two strongest candidates would be chosen, the prophets made no attempt to forecast the outcome of the Convention’s principal business, but they were all agreed that there would be trouble, and they were rignt. But they were right to an extent which neither the most sanguine no. the most pessimistic of them had ventured to predict.—" Post,” WellingBANKRUPTC Y REPORTS. r ,District Official Assignee at Unristchurch took occasion this week to make some interesting remarks aeour. the right, or otherwise, of Press reporters to attend bankruptcy meetn*p; bankruptcy is not altogether an affair solely between debtor and creditor. A private assignment of an estate may be but those who take advantage ot tiie Bankruptcy Act are in a different position. It has been considered, hitherto, that bankruptcy proceedings formed part of the .Supreme Court's activities, and as such a report of the proceedings is legarded as ‘-privileged, frankness of publication being thus rendered safe for the Press. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that tile Press reporters attend bankruptcy and other—meetings primarilv as representatives of the general public Cureymouth Evening Starr’ IV ANTED—A SCHEME. The Minister for Education has out ins finger on th© weak spot in th© advocacy for university education ‘in agriculture. It is the lack of a practical scheme. By this time there should be, and there _ is, little need to emphasise the importance of attention to this subject as one for higher education. Nothing of great practical moment 23 to be gained by reiteration of ‘ agriculture ” as a twin blessed word to “Mesopotamia,” or by firing blank cartridge m its honour as at a review. Th© country wants education designed to place its great rural industries on a sound scientific basis. This means a- task of many parts. In primary education a foundation has been laid m nature-study lessons, and the secondary- schools already do quite useful work in agricultural science.—‘ New Zealand Herald,” Auckland. LABOUR'S OPTIMISM It has fallen to a Liberal member of tne House of Repi-eseniatives—the Hon A. T. Ngata—to take Labour to task for its over-sanguine treatment of matters of foreign policy. “ Too trustfm is Mr Ngata's characterisation of that treatment, and the description fits like a glove. A curious childishness, he avers, marks the Labour Party in regard t-o defence. The mistakes of youth are born of inexperience. Labour’s recklessness means endangering others for whose safety it may rightly be held responsible. It is the guardians that are foolishly venturesome, leading their proteges into harm’s way. Ignorance, in such circumstances, 13 no excuse for crime } it is itself criminal, and the childishness that 'it manifests is a matter of more than curious interest. It demands stern reproval. Being too trustful. Labour 13 untrustworthy. Its claim to competence in statesmanship is shattered by its own hand.—“ ‘New Zealand Herald,” Auckland. ALLIED UNITY. Mr Ramsay MacDonald, in his dealings with h ranc©, has an advantage net enjoyed by his predecessors.— -the absence of M. Poincare, whose attitude in any negotiations touching Reparations was almost invariably shaped with tli© idea bf blocking any useful discussion. In almost c-very instance lie opposed sentiment to reason, and, sieving on the fear that Allied unity would be endangered, he managed to get his own way. M. Herriot, while he has not yet relaxed to th© extent desired by th© British Prime 'Minister, has displayed a greater readiness to view the whole problem of Reparations with an idea of securing a practicable solution, and the conference next week should mark a step forward. The Dawes Report, although its scop© was limited by the French policy preceding th© elections in France, opens th© way to a reasonable solution, providing the Germans tune their behaviour to th© occasion.—Southland Times.” POLITICAL GO SLOW. The electors throughout New Zealand inay pardonably ask themselves wherein li&s the public advantage of the still unfinished debate on the Address-in-Reply. A debate of th© kind, in which no limit is set to the scope of the discussion, unquestionably has its uses. It admits of th© ventilation of matters which the forms of Parliament may render it difficult to bring otherwise under th© notice or the House. It provides the occasion for impressing upon the Government the claims of electorates in respect of local requirements. But the special value which the debate should have consists in the opportunity it presents for th© discussion, unrestricted save as to the time accorded to individual speakers, of broad questions of public policy. It furnishes th© setting at once for the “ grand inquest ” upon tli© administration of the recess and for the consideration of the Government’s programme as revealed in the public utterances, of Ministers and, more vaguely, in th© Speech at the opening of th© session.—“Otago Daily Times.” A MEMORIAL IN PRINT. It. over ten 3 ears ago anyone had said that more than 18,000 New Zealanders would d a for their country and the Empire ,iu one few would have taken hi n seriously. Yet this great sacrifice am© to pass, a tragic illustration of tlio truth that in th© affairs of men ind nations the unexpected rules. The passing of time and th© long suco ssions of blows inflicted by th© ti agedy of the war have to some extent blunted our capacity to feel th© vast significance of this loss of the country’s manhood. A record that should help us to realise what th© death of 18,000 men means comes from tho Government.. This is a book containing th© names and ranks of all members of th© New Zealand Expeditionary Fore© who gave up their l;v©a in th© Great War—those who died during training, or after discharge, from th© effects of their service, as well as those who fell on the field of honour or died from wounds —‘Auckland Star.”