Sayings of the Week.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIV, Issue 1, 5 January 1910, Page 3

Sayings of the Week.

Simply Cheating. IF the right of the House of Lords year by year to throw out the Budget is recognised we shall have, while the Liberal party are in power, annual Parliaments, and while (he Tory party are in _ power septennial Parliaments. It is simply cheating.— Mr. Birrell, M.P. ♦ • • • Invariably Pleasant. The life of a diplomat in London is invariably pleasant. — The Japanese Ambassador in London.

The Fate of the Congo. The conditions on which the Congo State was founded not only have never been fulfilled, but they have continuously and habitually been violated.— The Prime Minsfier (Mr. Asquith). ' — ■ «- * « • The Poor Dukes. If the owner of land is compelled to pay increased taxation he cannot spend the saute amount as lieretofore on estate wages. Tariff reform is the only alternative to the Budget proposals.— The Duke of Sutherland to his employees and [tensioners. • « * • American Women. I have met a great many American women—all aorta and conditions of them -—but I have never yet eome across a dull one.— Miss Marie'Corelli. • • • • The Veto of the Lords. Britons will be slaves as long as the veto of the Lords is allowed to exist.— The Rev. Dr. Clifford. The Country Behind Them. I suppose we will he beaten again as we have been lieaten before, but we have got lite country behind us. I know it perfectly well. look at the two hundred [»eople who came here thia afternoon to ■how their sympathy with a small party which is fighting for a principle.—Mr. IF. F. Massey, Leader of the Opposition,, during the reeeut “•touewall" in Psi.ia «nenk

The Budget and Tariff Reform. The Budget taxes unequally men of equal means and throws the whole of the burden upon the people of the United Kingdom without attempting to secure any contribution from foreigners. Secondly, the time is ripe for a tariff representing a method more suited to our circumstances than the system repudiated by all foreign countries equally with oversea kinsmen. Thirdly, we have now an opportunity for securing more largely the trade of the sister States. It means reciprocity equally advantageous to them as to us.— Mr. Joseph Chamberlain.

A Wonderful Prophecy. When I was in New York, Tesla informed me he expected that he would be able from a station lie whs erecting not far from New York to send messages to New Zealand, which could not be intercepted. and he expressed a very pronounced opinion that before a year or two he would be able to telephone over the same distance. “It may sound like a dream to those who are not behind the scenes, but when you find recognised scientists expressing pronounced and definite opinion in this direction, and you think of what they have already personally achieved, it makes one realise that the possibilities of communication over long distances are beyond are conception.”— Sir Joseph War d.

The People's Choice. The people have before them a vote confidence and must decide whether will give it to the Government or td the Lords. I do not believe the democracy will confer upon the Ixirds greater power than they have ever claimed m recent years.—Sir Bdward Grey ( Foreign Secretary). Wanted—A Bath and a Shave. I see in front of me hon. members wh< look as if a nice warm bath and a shave would do them good.— Mr. Merries, M.P. after an all-night sitting in the House. The Malice of the British. We are convinced it is neither morallj required nor politically justifiable o: wise to enter into a naval understandiuj with England. It must not be forgottei that construction of a German navy onlj began after the malice of our British trade rivals had found publie expression which tilled us with grave anxiety for our future. We have not only kept the peace for thirty-nine years, but have limited our naval construction to such proportions as can never be dangerous to the thrice superior English fleet, and which must acquit us of the suspicion of ambitious plans of conquest.—RearAdmiral Weber of the German Navy « « « « Our Unguarded Position. The preparation for defence is no longer adequate to our needs, and owing to the present Government's neglect it will be long before we occupy the place of security we held four years ago. but nothing can justify leaving ourselves in our present unguarded condition, ,1/r Joseph Chamberlain. « « « • Enemies to the Community, Your position is an honourable one. but in cases of this kind that is an aggravation of the offence rather than a mitigation. You are accused of itilluencing your fellows against the law, and you could not have done so if vou were not men whom your fellows trusted. You have used your qualities to fight the community and bring about a calamity to the country.— Judge Heydon. in fining the offiflicials of the Newcastle Colliery Employees’ Federation. « • » « Beresford's Indictment. We are short of four battleships now. Their postponement will delay us in the provision for future needs. We have lost the advantage we held of being able to accelerate as against other Powers. We are dangerously short of medium cruisers for scouting purposes and for the protection of trade routes. We are short of suitable torpedo craft for the North Sea. We are very deficient in stores of every kind. We are equally deficient in deck accommodation, both for the heavy ships under construction and projected. We already afloat and for the new ships have n<> war reserve of coal. In ease of a strike the fleet will be immobilised, as it was during the recent manoeuvres. These are deficiencs in matrial, and. grave us they are, there is a much graver deficiency. We are short of men. The. personnel is inadequate in all branches. ■ —Admiral Lord Charles Beresford. No Ability is Necessary. The must juvenile member of I'a/.w inent could pursue a course such as is now being pursued by the Leader of the Opposition. No judgment is required for it. no ability is necessary, no me lit at all-is called for; all that is wanted is to keep .on haranguing, and that is what is being done. It is easy for anybody—even a man who has only been in the House for a week—to move a succession of motions to reduce a vote pound by [Miund. — Sir Joseph Ward during th® "stonewall" in the House.

The German cartoonist sees King Edward sailing gaily about in the air, watched by an enthusiastic crowd crying: “Hurrah! Heavy as air!” “Ah,” says the German Emperor, “my wife won't let me do that!”