Topics of The Day.

Fair Play, Volume I, Issue 26, 1 October 1894, Page 19

Topics of The Day.

THE WAR IN THE EAST. ' The Japs, have most thoroughly thrashed the Chinese on sea. ’ Of that there is no "possible, probable shadow of a doubt," as the Grand Inquisitor of “ The Gondoliers ' would remark. But will they be equally successful on land ? There comes the rub. Be it remembered that the Chinese have immense reserves to draw upon, and although they are poorly earned, ills trained, and none too brave—judging by all accounts—number, must count for something. So far, however, the Son of Heavenas the Chinese Emperor grandiloquently entitles himself, has apparently been unable to get his armies to the front, and, for a Celestial monarch, he has, up to the not been specially favoured by that ancient deity, Mars. . The Japanese are undoubtedly in possession of the Cprean capital, and will probably act upon Marshal McMahon’s motto, j’y mis j'y resto. Certainly the orders given by the Son of Heaven that his braves should “ chase the Japanese scum into the sea," are not likely to frighten the men who have already been successful in two or three land engagements. So far as outsiders are concerned they are mainly agitated in mind as to what will be Russia’s move. Russia has long coveted the Corea, and should the Japanese bring the war to a completely successful conclusion, and permanently annex the Corean Peninsula, Russia will want one of the Corean deep water harbours as a price for her non-inter-vention, or will know the reason why. And once Russia has got such a harbour —accessible all the year round, and not blocked by ice, as is Vladivostok—she will be doubly dangerous to British maritime commerce in the China seas when ones the great struggle between John Bull and the Bear takes place.

THE SESSION. People are becoming very weary of politics. To use a vulga expression they “ want a rest" and the empty galleries at th e House this week are not only a sign of public interest in th e Musical Festival, but an outward and visible sign of the sheer disgust which Wellingtonians begin to feel at the very mention of Parliament. The Session has been both long and tedious, and members and outsiders are both weary of it. That it has been so long, and, nevertheless, so unproductive of good, useful work is mainly due to the culpable negligence of the Government in not bringing doWn the financial policy bills immediately after the close of the debate on the Financial Statement. Considering the length of the recess there was no good reason for such negligence. Instead of fooling away time over such asinine legislative productions as the Hawkers and Pedlars Bill and other similar ill-conceived and mischievous measures the Government should have brought down the Cheap Money Bill, the Consols Bill and the Native Lands Acquisition Bill within a fortnight from the end of the Financial Debate. Add to this that there has been a frightful waste of time through the limitless verbosity of some of the members, and it is easy to understand how the Session has slipped away, and yet so much will have tobe left undone. A sorry business truly!

THE GERM OF REVOLT. When the recess does come and honourable member# so away to their homes some of them —many of them tobe exact—will take away with them a very strong feeling of resentment against the way in which they have been treated by at least two members of the ministry, Messrs Seddon and McKenzie The way in which the Premier has bounced and blustered and bully-ragged whenever one of his party had dared to hold an opinion of his own, and to express it, has probably never been equalled in the history of the New Zealand parliament. As for Mr McKenzie he has established himself, most firmly in public notoriety &s the champion parliamentary hoor of the colony. He was always an uncouth creature at-the best of times, but 5 late he seems to have thrown aU idea of courtesy and

decency to the four winds of Heaven and to have triad how far be could push oifensiveness. All this will not be ,forgotton—- ' and by no one less so than by those of the Government party who have been badly treated. Men like 1 O’Regan and Smith, - Buiek and others are not likely to forgot the insulting remarks • by ministers, nor the threats which kave keen made both in and out of the Houro to injure theifi with their constituents. Slights • and insults will be chewed over in the calm seclusion 6f the homo, and there are quite a dozen ministerial supporters who are likely to pouder greatly - during the recess how thoy may get even with their tyrants of the session. Mr. Seddon may yet find this majority which now makes him so bold iading away, and with a narrower majority he will not be able to have things ■ all his own way. It is a pity thut the two ministers named should have so frequently and so grossly have bullied their sup. porters, for wo will do the Government this much credit that we fully believe they moan well by the groat majority of the colonists and.much of their new legislation will, it carried out, prudently, be of great public bonoht. Also, we should bo the first to regret were the folly and worse of Messrs Seddon and MoKenzie to end in the return to office of the squatter and financial middleman party. There is yot much work to be dona in favour of the massos, and Messrs Seddon and McKonssio can give good assistance in doing that work. In tyrannising over their followers, in creating the germ of revolt by their discourtesy and their bluster, they are only playing into the hands of the Conservatives and rendering it only too possible that the Liberal party as a party will be‘kicked out of office at the next general election. And as genuine democrats this is precisely what we do not wish to see. Therefore, wo have spoken with exceeding frankness, and it will not bo amiss if the two ministers to whom we have referred would read, mark, learn and inwardly digest every word we have above written.

SECTARIAN BIGOTRY. The School Committee of Moa Creek, a miserable little hoi* down in Otago, not far from Palmerston South, havo set an example of sectarian bigotry and fanatical intolerance which, It ' is to be hoped,will not bo widely followed by school committees. A female teacher, White by name, was sent to the school by,, the Otago Education Board, but the committee refused to aocept her. The young lady’s personal character was excellent, her credentials as to teaching capacity unimpeachable, the committee themselves had no other candidate for the post, vet, notwithstanding all those points, thoy refused to allow her to take charge, on the ground, so it subsequently tran»pired, that she was a member of the Roman Catholic communion. Moa Creek is hardly a place whero one would expoct to find either groat culture or an overwhelming amount of intelligence, for the bucolic community of the place are mainly small settlers of the hardshell Presbyterianism, and accompanying smallmindedness, so frequently found in some of the Otago country districts. But such an exhibition of intolerance as that of which the Moa Creek Solons have been guilty is astonishing, oven for —Moa Creek. What right have the Moa Creek or any other committee to lay down asectnrian colour lino of their own on the adminstration of the Education Act? None whatever, and it is satisfactory to know that the Otago Education Board have roundly reprimanded those turnip-headed bigots. Wo certainly did not think that in these days, when education, religious tolerance and common sense are supposed to govern the, English speaking race, such an exhibition of impudent intolerance could-have been found in a British colony. But Moa Creek has proved it to be otherwise; Its school committee have proved themselves to be totally unfit for the discharge of the duties of their pdsition. We are not aware whether the Minister of Education has it in his power to make the committee resign, but if such a power is in existence it shoud certainly be exercised.

COOLGARD3EI Fair Plav has a very large eirculatioh in the cbtrotty districts, and we wish to say a fe# Wdrds bn the iubjbcfc dl Cbbß

gardie for the special benefit of young New Zealanders who may have thought- of trying their luck on the Western Australian goldfields. We do not say, “Do not go," but we do say, “ Listen to what we have to say before you even think of going," In the first place no man with less than 41100 cash ought to go. In spite of all' the glowing reports which have been published — many of them lying reports —Coolgardie is not a poor man’s field. There are a few very rich claims, but from what we hear (and that on excellent authority) the gold is mainly in pockets, and, although at one spot there may be hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of the yellow treasure, there may not be another spec of the precious metal discoverable within a ten miles radius. Secondly, please to remember that the smartest men, skilled in mining, from Sydney, Melbourne and other Australian centres have been on the field for months, and that all the “ good things” in the way of shares in developed or partly developed ventures have long ago been snapped up, and you.novices from New Zealand won’t be allowed to pick up a good claim for nix. Thirdly, and this is for the special benefit of those who go over with slender purses, and are buoyed up with the mere hope of something being sure to turn up—there are quite 3000 men on the field also who are eagerly and hungrily awaiting a show at day labour, and likely to wait! What show will you have ? fourthly—and this for young farmers—don’t you think you’ll be foolish to leave your farms to go to ruin for want of personal management, while you go running after a will-o’-the-wisp fortune on the other side ? We could say more, very much more in,fact, but lack ot space prevents our doing so. There is no reasonwhy a man in good health, with a couple of hundred or so to spare that he can afford to lose, should not take atrip to Coolgardie, but there are very many reasons why young New Zealanders should think twice, aye, a dozen times, ere they rush off in search of a very problematical reward. And, after having thought it over a dozen times, we hope they’ll. stick ..to their work, put their cash prudently into the bank, and let the Pair Play pill of common sense knock the “ gold fever” completely out of their system.