It is impossible to imagine that people can live and not be stirred by the clamour of the reformers, or believe what the reformers assert with so much vehemence. A week or two ago the Commonwealth Government was about to be swept from office by a scandal without parallel since the lapse of Noah. To-day, and for several days, the Public Accounts Committee has been taking evidence, the clamour has died down, and the evidence finds a furtive foothold in the pages of the newspapers, chiefly devoted to advertisements. Of course all sides are heard. The jam manufacturer has explained that the price of sugar has ruined him, and he has also explained that, if Australia produced more sugar, it would have to sell at £5 a ton. This evidence will doubtless be taken sérieuz, though the boss jam maker—Sir Henry Jones—has practically committed himself in writing to the statement that it does not matter what the price of sugar is in the home market, so long as he gets his rebates for ox-port, which he does get. We have also had the mouthpiece of the retail trade declaring that the limitation of the retail price to 6d. a Ib. is compelling grocers to lose money. One felt quite sorry for. them, until he picked up their monthly journal to find that the Grocers' Association was holding jubilations
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.