Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 18 April 1912, Page 34

Notes

Previous Home Rule Bills

Readers will be interested to compare the proposals in the new Bill with those brought forward by Mr. Gladstone in. the Home Rule Bills of 1886 and 1893. These latter may be thus summarised: 1886. A Parliament, composed of two Orders, to sit in Dublin, and transact Irish affairs. The first Order to consist of twenty-eight representative peers and seventyfive elected members, the latter possessing an income of not less than £2OO a year. The second Order to comprise 20 members, elected by the existing Irish constituencies. The two Orders to deliberate together and vote together, with power to call for a vote by Orders. Irish members to cease to sit at Westminster. Executive to consist of the Lord Lieutenant, with a Privy Council, practically independent of Great Britain. Irish Parliament to possess powers of taxation, except as to Customs and Excise, but not to interfere with the Army or Navy, or foreign or colonial affairs, and not to enact any religions endowment. # 1893. . A Parliament composed of two Chambers to legislate upon and administer Irish affairs. The Upper Chamber, or Legislative Council, to consist of fortyeight members elected by voters possessing a £2O qualification. The Lower Chamber, or Popular Assembly, to comprise 103 members elected by the existing Irish constituencies. In case of deadlock the two Chambers to meet in a Joint Assembly. Irish representation to be retained at .Westminster, but reduced to eighty-one members, ' in order/' quoting Mr. Gladstone, 'to give Ireland a full-voice on all Imperial matters, but not to vote on subjects affecting only Great Britain.' The new Legislature not to interfere in questions relating to: The Crown ; peace or war; treaties with foreign nations ; treason; law of alienage; external trade; coinage; religious liberty; personal freedom. All executive power to be devolved by the Sovereign on the Viceroy, who would be appointed for six years and freed from all religious disabilities. Executive power. to be exercised by the Executive Committee of the Privy Council, the Cabinet, and the Viceroy. Power, of veto to reside inthe Viceroy, acting on the advice of the Cabinet, subject to instructions from the Sovereign on any given Bill. Customs, excise, post office, and telegraphs to remain subject to Imperial Parliament. Ireland to bear her fair share of Imperial expenditure.

The Church and Socialism

The four, articles on Socialism which appeared in our leading columns some short time ago have, at the request of the Executive of the Australian Catholic truth Society, been reprinted in pamphlet form, with the abridgment necessary to bring them within the compass of the ordinary 32-page publications of the

Society. .; The articles were written without any thought of publication, ' and make no pretence at anything approaching : exhaustive treatment of; the subject, but aim merely at giving a -plain and popular answer to the questions so often propounded to Catholic working -men by their Socialist fellows, namely: Why does the Catholic Church condemn Socialism, which many of its supporters hold to be purely an economic system ?'' And (2) 'lf the Church condemns Socialism, what has she to offer in its place as a remedy for existing evils?' In a brief foreword it is pointed out by the writer that on the purely economic question —that is, v where the economic theory does not violate any moral principle—the Church has not officially pronounced, and, it is safe to say, will not- pronounce. That is outside her sphere. She leaves her children free to , work out economic remedies and adjustments without interference, so long as they do not trench on her rightful domain, the moral and the spiritual. In regard to the moral side of the question, howeveras distinct from the purely economic—the Church has all along wrought hard and spoken straight. It is shown in this little pamphlet that, besides being an economic system, Socialism has a very definite—and hostile—attitude towards religion; and the quotations under that head from representative Socialist leaders and Socialist papers are unanswerable as to the irreligious basis and tendency of . the movement in its extreme form '."."'""'

In New Zealand, as elsewhere, Socialism is the question of the hour. In America, as we have shown elsewhere in this issue, the movement has become aggressively _ anti-Catholic. In. New Zealand, we have the evolutionary Socialists who profess to respect individual religious convictions, and aim at bringing about economic Socialism by gradual and constitutional process; but we have also the revolutionary Socialists, and the official Socialist Party in New Zealand belong to the latter category. At the fifth annual conference of the N.Z. Socialist Party, held last week in Wellington, it was resolved to adopt the International Socialist badge and to co-operate with the Socialist Federation of Australasia in the sending of an accredited representative to the next International Socialist Congress, which will be held at Vienna in August, 1913. • ' The Conference concluded its business,' savs the press report 'with the singing of 'The Red Flag' and cheers for the social revolution.' It is clearly the duty of every Catholic,"whether lay or cleric, to be 'made up' on this question; and this latest A.C.T.S. publication—at least m some small degree—will be found of service in that direction. It should be specially useful for handing to Catholic or non-Catholic working men who are .interested in the Church's attitude on the social question , The pamphlet may be obtained from the N.Z. Tablet office, price Id.

The "N.Z. Tablet " . V Some short time ago we had the pleasure of chronicling the fact that, in the matter of adding to our subscribers' list, our travellers last trio in the Wellington district was record in the history of the paper The returns just to hand from the West Coast tell the same pleasing story regarding his visit to that interesting and hospitable part of the country. Thanks to the ungrudging and most valued co-operation of the clergy and to the hearty and loyal assistance given by our old supporters, our representative is able to describe himself as having been ' rushed ' with orders; and, as we have said, the returns constitute an easy record over all previous trips to the Coast during. our representative s long and successful connection with the paper Ihese results are.as: gratifying to us as they are creditable to the generous enthusiasm and fine Catholic spirit of our West Coast friends; and they augur well for the further success and progress of the Catholic paper. During the last few weeks we have added considerably to the amount of reading matter provided for' our young vie a w e to «?J?i f° r n Ur CCmntr ? supporters ; and with a view to still further;increasing the attractiveness 'and readableness of: the : Tablet we propose to commence

next week a sporting page, in which the doings of'our Catholic young men and Catholic clubs in the athletic world will receive the notice and attention to which they are fairly entitled. We resume also next week our lists of suggested topics for essay; and debate for our young men's literary, clubs. While speaking- of the Tablet, it may ease some of our readers', minds to know that the use, of the present somewhat inferior • quality of paper is due to the. non-arrival of our Home supplies and the matter will be remedied ;in the course of a very few weeks. ■;.■-■ a.-.-; ' ' "