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West Coast Times, 3 May 1912, Page 2

NOTES AND COMMENTS. Wh heard the other day of an onihvcnk of diphtheria which was attributed to' the sucking of lead pencils. The pencils in themselves arc harmless.' What caused the mischief was the school children’s habit of sucking dirty pen Is and then passing them on to one suothcr. In the United States the danger has long been recognised, and in all schools the utmost procauimns arc taken to prevent the intershango of both pencils and paint brushes. But sterner methods arc necessary. The

very first lesson every child should be taught is not to put a pencil in ‘'s mouth. If it was known that the sever- ) est. punishment would follow pencili sucking, the habit could bo rooted rut promptly. It is practically impossible for any teacher, however viligant, to prevent children borrowing each other's pencils, but it ought not to be a ' cry difficult task to see that the little on -s keep their pencils and paint brushes

out of their mouths. This undesinblo habit is not confined to the school children, indeed, it is not long since our attention was drawn* to the act of a fashionable young lady in one of our public offices who persisted in putting the office pencil into her mouth, regardless of the state of the mouth into into which the pencil had been previously placed. The habit was acquired, no doubt, during childhood days and had been, unconsciously, indulged in, long after school days had become but a. memory. The practice should bo dealt with in the children when it first manifests itself.

The present session of the British Parliament lias, from its opening, given promise of being of extraordinary interest. The session will afford the first example of the new method of legislation established hy the Parliament Act, which had for its purpose the restriction of the veto of the House of Lords. The legislative supremacy of the House of Commons has been secured and the

Liberal Party, and its allies can now come into their own. The significance of the session of 1912 has been stated hy the Hon. A. Bonar Law (Leader of the Unionists), “If the Government “get thei/r way, tjhis” ho said, “will he a “memorable year in British history. »“Up til! now they have been creating “the machinery of destruction. Now “the machinery is to be brought into “operation and the destruction is to “begin in earnest. ’’ Nobody outside the- fold of the Conservatives will agree with Mr. Bonar Law’s declaration. The Parliament Act was a piece of machinery ; it was a means to an end, not an end in itself. If for Mr. Law’s “destruction” wo road “reform,” the Unionist Loader’s statement may bo accepted as perfectly correct. This is the meaning of Mr. Bonar Law’s saying iianslatcd into the language of Liberalism, Tin' present session has to deal with the merits of the Irish Homo Rule Bill, the Welsh Disestablishment 1 Bill, and the Electoral Reform Bill. P' these measures arc enacted during ■the short space of one session, it will be, in very truth, a memorable one.

The new Prime Minister evidently disregards the virtue of the old adage: “Self praise is no recommendation,” for he Ims consistently landed Ids Government to tho skies, oven since he and his colleagues grabbed the reins of office. Mr. Mackenzie may talk iill he is blue; lie may rail and rant o\or Mr. Massey’s shortcomings and lii.s lack of “smartness’ and “cleverness,” but there is no disguising the naked truth. When the two contending parties went to the country; one, was led by Sir Joseph Ward, and tho other by Mr. Massey. The sham “Liberals” gave their backing to eighty candidates—fifty of whom tho people sent back into the oblivion from which they never should have obtruded themselves. The once strong Party, came hack from the polls weak, disunited, dissatisfied and crumbling. A Party of thirty-one, which later on received the additional support of three Maori members. On the other hand Mr. Massey’s Party came back thirty-eight strong and it now stands solid, despite a temporary set-back it received at the hands of two pledge-breakers. Mr. Mackenzie may talk long and disparaging about other people, but the bald fact still stands. On the backing of twenty-two members of the crumbling Party, ho snatched the Leadership from tho rightful owner while he had not tho courage to meet tho House until he had enjoyed tho sweets of office for throe months, without being able to show that he possessed the confidence of tho House or the country. A leader having tho backing of twentytwo members (before ho chose his Cabinet) can scarcely be expected to bo over-anxious to test tho feeling of a House of eighty members. But the testing time must come !