TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8153, 1 June 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

Speaking at Dunedin recently on the question of naval subsidy Mr Jap. Alien, said from what had been going on in this Eastern part of the globe one could easily realise that a very strong' fleet might be needed before many years bad gone by to secure New Zealand and Australia and that such a fleet, might have its seat of operations some distance from these Australian seas. Such a fleet mus,t needs be strong.. It was our dutv to assist in the formation and maintenance of so strong a fleet in these Eastern waters that no Power—Japanese or other—would be able to attack us in such strength as to make us lose the command of the sea. Onoe we imbibed that notion he did not see how we could fail to support, on every occasion, when he had the opportunity of doing so, an increased subsidy for naval defence, so that we might be supplied with a sufficient fleet here to maintain tho great Empire of which we formed a portion in suob a position that it might retain command of the sea.

The Rev. Lockbart Morton, of Adelaide, who is visiting New Zealand ia connection with the Baptist Mission, can speak with special authority iu the matter of inebriate homes, as he conducted an in* stitution of that character in South Australia for some sixteen years. His verdict is that the inebriates' home, so far as cures are concerned, cannot prove effective under existing conditions. "1 gave the best years of my life to the work of conducting an inebriates 1 home," be said. "We bad some fine cures, but look at; the hundreds of failures." Thejaw in South Australia gave considerable power to those dealing with inebriates, and there was but little difficulty in keeping patients from drink while they were actually in the institution. Thediffioulty was that the inebriates relapsed almost immediately they were exposed to the temptations of the numerous liquorjbars. Tho superintendent of the inebriates' institution was made a special constable under the South Australian Act," and had power of forciDle detention, and a patient who broke away after having been committed by a magistrate could be brought back by the police, and if necessary sent to gaol.

Every boat that arrives in Buenos Ayves from New Zealand or South Africa, says the Pastoralist's Keviews' oorreapondent, briDgs a considerable quota of your countrymen to assist in the development of this Republic. The number of Australians and South Africans in thi9 oity at the present moment looking for work ia, in view of the scarcity of suitable billets, somewhat alarmingly great. 1 should like to avail myself of this opportunity of tendering a pieoe of advice to any colonial who anticipates leaving his home to try his luck in this country. And that piece of advice is, "Dont, unless you have plenty ot capital." The days of what are known in the colonies as rosy billets are long gone past, and the over-supply of young men from England and elsewhere who are only tou ready to work for nothing in exchange for an opportunity of learning the language, has caused a glut in the market, with the result that a colonial, however capable he may be, Aids the greatest difficulty in securing a position where he will get paid anything more than a merely nominal wage. Furthest fields are always the greenest, and doubtless the glowing reports sent by settlers here to their friends in Australia are exceedingly tempting to those who are not making a fortune in their own country. But it woul<i be as well if intending immigrants remembered that people who write letters from foreign countries are somewhat inclined to uniutentionally exaggeratfl the good and leave the bad unsaid.

Iu dealing editoriallly with the question of bank holidays the Otago Daily Times says:—The decision by which the banks will be closed on Monday and Tuesday is no doubt felt, and not without reason, a hardship by many business people, and a closing extending over two or three days may be presumed to mean a certain amount of cause for anxiety and inconvenience. It will be remembered that the matter of bank holidays was discussed at the conference of Chambers of Commerce, held -in Wellington rather more than four years ago, while in July, 1902, at a meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce letters were laid on the table relative to a meeting of Wellington bank offloials and stating that the banks would agree to the sagges tion to abolish as holidays Saints' days, and Whit Monday and the days following Boxing Day and Easter Monday. While some reform in this matter might have been expected from the Bank Holidays Aot of 1902, the ach3duled list of holidays was therein increased by the addition of Labour Day. But clearly, inasmuch as bank managers have the power, which they exercise pretty freely, of proclaiming as f a holiday any day they deem necessary with certain stipulation as to notice thereof, the matter of holidays is to a considerable extent in the hands of the bank officials, suob holidays as are the custom on the day after Boxing Day and the day

after Easter Monday coming under this category. We have heard no vory good reason why scheduled bank holidays should not be confined to tuch days as ace universally observed as holidays.

j At the Canterbury Provincial Con ference of the Farmers' Union last week a resolution was moved in favour of establishing a co-operative milling company to provide capital to eietit and work flour mills in all th« large centres of the colony. Under the auspices of the Union operations need not be started so long as the New Zealand Flour Millers' Trust manufacture and dispose of their product at a reasonable price compared with the ruling price of wheat. The subscribed capital is to be held in readiness to start operations when it was deemed necessary. The mover said this was an idea to check any oppresiveness on the part of the Millers' Trust. The seconder of the motion said the best way to combat any oppressiveness was to have means of making the necessary flour apart from the Trust Another member did not believe in extending the functions of the State too far, but thought a State flour mill would be a better idea. At all events the thing was too big' for the Union to take in hand. X'heie waß a considerable disoussiou, several members characterising' the idea as more or Jless impracticable,. and the motion was lost, only the mover and seoonder voting for it.