News and Views
Maoriland Worker, Volume 4, Issue 114, 23 May 1913, Page 1
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News and Views
A Pottsville, U.S.A. girl, eight■ >ears old, was killed in a preventable accident, and her parents sued, securing a verdict of 3,000 dollars. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania promptly set this aside, holding that no damages can be awarded for the grief or ioss sustained by parents, and the only question was how much was the child worth in money to the parents: ho;v much could she earn. .Am there wa3 no easy way to determine the wage value of an eight year old girl, after sh9 was dead, the Court allowed only the doctor's and undertaker's bills, which amounted to 150 dollars If a child has no value except what it can earn in tho mills, why all this tuss about child labor War is Hell. The Bulgarians and Greeks started out to pluck and skewer the Turk; and having succeeded up to a noint started to stick bayonets into one another and to shoot bullets and cannon balls and lyddite shells at one another o-tfe* tin* division of the plunder. Mr. J. Caughley, M.A.—one of New- Zealand's foremoit teaoher3 —says nineientha uf the teachers of New Zealand ire against the Bible-iu-Scliools idea. " What of the teachers who would havo to teach what they did not believe Tn teaching?" asked Mr. Caughley, at his recent mooting. "If the Bible-in- Schools League's proposals were carried out the kind of Bible-teaching adopted would simply be that dictated by the political nmjoritv of the moment. Here was a curious position: tho lecturer was a teacher and a parent; as a parent he would have the right to "conscientiously object" to his child being taught Bible-reading in school, but would have to teach the others what he conscientiously objected to his own being taught." The glories of war! The "Daily Chronicle"' publishes an interview with an English lady working at the Red Crescent Mission at Sofia. It gives a terrible account of the treatment of the Turkish sick and wounded, who wero ltft without, food, fire, water and shelter They had fed themselves by gnawing bark, and many died before the American missionaries could provide them with a little soup. It was a horrible spectacle, the interview runs, to see the starving men trampling over one another in their endeavours to secure a share of the soup. When Canon Garland states that " the Bible-rending poll in Queensland was carried by the will of the people," he states something that is quite untrue. It was carried by a minority, and the poll was taken by the Kidston Government with a degree of trickery thut would have been a disgrace to any othf-r government. But nothing could be v disgrace to the Kidston Governriii'iit—4he conscienceless combination was too completely submerged in corrnpiion
to feel the disgrace of anything; and its leader ended up by appointing himself to a big fat billet that gave him about £2,000 a yea; while the job lasts and £1,000 a j?ar pension life whe-i the job peters, out. *** The Minister for Injustice is very much worried because so mauy men have deserted from the "Xew Zealand." There is said to be so much Hell on the big boat that men are glad to get away. Mr. llerdman has told :i i K>ssman: "Information in hi 3 possession made it clear that there is little doubt that men from the cruiser are frequently enticed to desert from service by some employers of labor under promise of hii?h v.tkos."- Tli.? MiiiisT.tr thretuens those who don't hdp io hound the deserters back to their bondnge. Ho quotes Section 25 and L>G of the " Naval Dwpipline Act, 18G(V »t sudi persons. A fresh scuMiline discovery has been made in Essex. They have found that a lawyer has a heart, l'hey found it out by cutting 9 len'yer man open, in accordance wi'h the terms of a wish expressed in Ins will. Rates at which State coal is now sold in Wellington:—Town rates: Ton. 33a.; half-ten, 175.; quarter ton, Bs. 9d.; 1 cwt., Is. 10d. Suburban: 30s. ; lbs. 6d.; 9s. 6d.; and 2s. Would you believe it —the men who hew that coal are paid exactly 2s. 4d. a ton? Who said surolus values? On his return from New Zealand, where he had been editing Tiie Maow- LAND WoRKKrt, Mr. R. S. Ross was tendered a welcome dinner by the Socialist party on Tuesday night, of last week. Mrs. Ross was included in the wejeome, which was most cordial. Air. Frew presided, and the speakers were Mtisars. Eyett; Blackburn, Mead, Holloway, Ross and others. For services rendered as editor of the " Socialist." Mr. M. Blackburn was presented with a boui'd volume n«atlv inscribed, of the paper.—"Labor Call." Rev. Dr. George Chalmers Richmond delivered a sermoi at St. .John's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, on the subject: "Has J. P. Morgan gone to Heaven? If not, why not?" After critically analysing Morgan's career the minister answers the qflestion thusly: "Morgan in .Heaven? Maybe—maybe not!" Before Magistrate Hewitt, at Hokitika, on May 5, Ralph Mordaunt, a contractor, sued beer barrells , Mandl for alleged abusive language lowards him. After hearing evidence for the prosecution-— His Worship said that he would not enter a conviction aa Mr. Mandl was a respectable citizen, well-known in public matters, and this should be taken into account. Sir Arthur G'linncss (representing Mordaunt): Are there two laws in this country, your Worship? His. Worship said that Sir Arthur was wrong in speaking in such a manner. Were a similar case asainst Sir Arthur being tried, his Worship would take his record into consideration in the same way. Whatever did the Magistrate mean? ILHSEY, WILLIAM FERGUSON: Famous as a student of Euclid and originator of the proposition commonly called "The Square Deal." Specially strong, also, on circles of the Society kind. Constructed the Circular Cabinet, each unit of which is expected to circu(each unit of which is expected to circu- Ihe first politician in New Zealand to discover the cubic contents and actual weight (avoird.ipois) of the policeman's baton. Made a bold bid for fortune at the of the "N Z. Times," but lost one in the effort. Said by some of his enemies to be the "Father of Liberalism" in New Zealand — the antithesis of John Balance. —" Petone Chronicle. H.L. writes: Struck the following in a weekly paper: " The wonderful in. gemriiy and patience of the Chinaman is well shown by the skilful way in
which he has trained the cormorant to fish for him The bird is taken uhen young, aiut then, with infinite care, tauyht to catch fiah for its owner. A metal ring is placed aound its neck, fitting close enough to prevent it from swallowing the larger fish, yet sufficiently loose to rlknv the small ones to pass down its throat —its reward for working." And, ever since, I have been ruminating on how wonderfully like that cormorant the wage-slave is. F'riii!=tance: He is caught young, and with patience and cunning, he is taught to spend th> best that is in him in furnishing his boss with a hying. If he should refuse to part with his "biggest fish" he would be made to do a starve. A ring (called Arbitration) is placed round his- neck so that only small fishes pa»3 through his throat and the- bigger one* are left for the exploiter. Do you wonder why both the cormorant and the wage-slave have to be caught young P The Australian Labor Party llaS planked into its platform a "graduated land tax" with a £5.000 exemption, and Mr. W. M. Hughes has been telling the Victorian landed proprietors whose votes are being angled for, that "under no circumstances would his narty reduce the £'5,000 exemption."
i j Says the " Gisborne Times" : A good , story is being told of a citizen who made an unofficial call to the bat^le. cruiser. He is said to have rowed himself out to the "New Zealand," and made fast his tiny craft, afterwards ■ stepping aboard. An officer on duty inquired as to the visitor's business, and politely advised him to leave the deck. "Is Captain Halsey about?" ,he asked. "Well, yes, fjut he cannot be seen," came the answer, although the lieutenant agreed to take the message. ''Just tell him," said the bewhiskered old fellow, " that one of the owners was out to see how things were going on. I'll be back." Judging from recent events the insurance rates on crowned heads should be at a decided premium. "Divine righters " make just as effective a backstop for a bullet as the meanest of rodents. Many a wage-slave forgets his slavery when the boss smiles upon him. Those who talk glibly of "blowing the whistle and making the boss put !on a pair of dungarees" overlook the
l fact that the boss may have a few i soldiers guarding the whistle cord. " I The Law of the Club is now estabi lished in New Zealand. r That the class war is a myth is very i apparent to the humble millionaire who > resides unostensibly in a secluded and ' select locality. I ?"$ The late Sir George Grey estimated " that cannidalism among the Maoris was ' responsible for 4,000,000 deaths in 2,000 1 years. Mrs. Pankhurst, recently imprisoned because of her association with the , suffragette movement, conducted a hunger strike for nine days and was then released. She had been sentenced to three years. Though in a critical condition as a result of her strike she is ■ as militant as ever and as game. Says the International News Letter: " In the State printing works of Japan ' the employees work 359 days in a year. What must it be like in private industries?" ■ ; j An award, as an outcome of the re; cent ferry strike, has been issued. B'es sides conceding the short'» and
the improved rates of pay contended for, it gives preference to unionists. No boys under the Age of fourteen are to be employed as deck handa. The latest activity on the part of the abominable "Boy Scout" movement is the suggestion of Col. Cosgrove that "Scouts" —or is it "scabs"?' —should be imported from England and sent to farms to cope with the "shortage" of labor in country districts. After submitting his scheme to the Canterbury Farmers' Union the gallant Colonel had the ineffable satisfaction of knowing that his scheme was endorsed. "General" Baden-Powell is to be communicated forthwith, and a body of boys "trained to obedience" will be despatched shortly. In America the "Boy Scouts" have been used for scabs; in New Zealand they will be tied down like serfs. And yet addlebrained workers permit their sons to belong to these abominable concerns. Concerning the Municipal Elections: "Now the voting is over, Now the fight is through, Gather up the wounded, Heal the black and blue. Bandage up the adverbs And the pronouns quaint j Rub the wounds with liniment, As they limp and faint. "Adjectives are writhing With contorted joints, Pierced by several thousand Exclamation points. Interjections wander In a pallid trance^ — Take away the ballot-box And bring the ambulance." According to Australian exchanges, the C.S.R. Co. charges the people of the Commonwealth £7 per ton more for sugar than the people of New Zealand. This monopoly, which clutches the sweet bags of the unsophisticated Australian, apparently imagines it wiser to let New Zealanders down.',lighter. Reprisals are more easily carried out here than in Australia. "Socialism can't ever come. It's against human nature mv sou." "How's that, pa?" "There's great natural inequalities which make us all demand different return — J-" "But, pti " "Yes, son." "You're a shareholder in a lot of companies, ain't you?" "Cortect!" . "Well, your human nature tolerates your taking the same rate of dividend as the other fellows. Everybody's £100 brings the same return " "Mother, fetch the strap; here's a boy been listening to thesecursed Socialists again."—^"Forward." As a result of a recent investigation by the State Legislature, it has been disclosed that 60,000 women in the City of Chicago are receiving 5 dollar? or less a week as employees. Apd then people wonder why "white slaves" are obtainable. In connection With the recent disgraceful outbreaks at the now infamous Oringi camp, it it not somewhat strange how ministers of the- Gospel, alleged preachers of morals, We and brotherhood, are endeavoring to smother slimy doings of excited and demoralised youths ? Verily, there are sins committed and condoned in My Name. Gold entered for exportation from the Dominion from April 1, 1857, to March 31, 1913, according to a return published in the current Gazette, totalled 20,598,7220z., valued at 80,--961,026. During the quarter ended March 31, 1913, the gold export totalled 50,5710z., valued at £361,982, and during the corresponding quarter of the preceding year the export was 101,3750z., valued at £401,880. Mr. L. M. Isitt, M.P., and Mr. G. Laurenson, M.P., are writing in collaboration
a biography of the late Mr. T. E. Taylor. Mr. Isitt will deal with > Mr. Taylor's work in the No-license movement and his personality, and Mr. Laureuson with his work in politics. It is expected that the biography will . be published soon. ; **** >' The Socialists say with Wendall I Phillips, "No question is ever settled i until it is settled right." Therefore, ■ we demand the abolition of the wages ) system and the substitution of col) lectivism. Reform will not do. The - matter must be settled right—end it. , , Tom Mann, according to recent advices, is contesting the position of Genj eral Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. His opponents are ; John Burns, M.P., and G. N. Barnes, M.P. The position is said to carry wifh it a salary of £234 a year, with free house, coal and light; ~ When Sir John Quick, of Victoria, stalks abroad in an. endeavor to resurrect the long-buried corpse of Freetection-Fusion Liberalism, the wags remark that it is a case of the Quick and the Dead getting bogged, in double, harness, in a slough of despair. The membership of the Federated Timber "Workers' Union is well over 10,000, as follows:—Victoria, 3150; Western Australia, 3000; New South Wales (estimated), 2000; Tasmania, 960; Queensland, 700; and South Australia, 670. "Yes," said the placid plute, who has just received notice from his pal , on the Bench that ho has successfully ■ negotiated the divorce court for the second time, "I am against this Socialj ism. I can in it the destruction '. of family life and all else I held dear." * ! ?*** • Scabbery is indeed international. In" British Columbia recently white men scabbed upon Chinese strikers. Truly a eight that would tend to gladden the j heart of the anti-Asiatic 1 Press advices received indicate that " there is a serious industrial disturbance in the Northe'ii Territory. The members of the Amalgamated Workers' Association have decided not to work : for less than £4 per week for general laborers. Negotiations for a settlement rre practically hung up pending the '' arrival of Professor Gilruth, Adminis-1 trator of the Territory. The strike ' committee called upon Eylands, local magistrate and dirtoor of lands (late 1 Labor member -f Queensland), to do • picket duty. Sooner than do so he resigned from the union. Apparently the strikers had a sense of humor. 1 How life appealed to the late J. A. '" Way land, founder of th 3 "Appeal to ■ Reason," is denoted by the following L passage which he wrote recently for 5 the 'Appeal":—"l don't know how it seems to you," but to mc it seems that life is one continual struggle and disappointment. From the time we are • forced to tackle the struggle for bread 5 it is one desperate fight. The lives of i nearly everyone are a round of work, [ sleep, eat —work, sleep, eat. There is - never a chance to enjoy life —and as. I ' see it the object of life is to , develop I and enjoy it. When the time for dis■ solution comes and the poor devils look back over the fitful dream, their life has been a dreary waste, and all they have beea permitted to enjoy has been about as much food, clothes, and miser* 1 able shelter as a chattel slave. And all'this that a system might be maintained under which the voice of greed could develop and expand. The masses ", of people in this land f>nd all other lands are mere machines creating wealth they are not permitted to en' joy. Like idolaters, they have been r trained from childhood to believe in 5 the things as they are by those who happen to profit by the condition, and they are not permitted to see that it is wrong and degrading. I can see no • progress in a system that debases the - many that a few may wallow in luxury.
All the ills that affect the human family are a result of the present social system, and can he traced directly to the root —private property for profit. Whenever a mind fees he picture of the golden possibility of the new social order, it ceases to idoliso the present chaos." But what confounds the intelligence ' is that in all countries the povertystricken, the disinherited, the overworked beast of burden, ,ijl-fed, badly • housed, badly clothed, badly educated, as are three-fourths of the inhabitants •of every country, march like one man, at the first call, whatever may be the cause of the war. People who would not take one step to render a service to their -neighbors, workers like themselves, march hundreds of miles in order to get killed for masters who sweat them.—Gustave Herve. According to an American exchange, among those who visited China to be present at the opening of the Chinese Parliament was Dr. Chappie, formirly M.P. for Tuapeka. We have received a copy of the "Thir* teenth Annual Conference, of the Labor Party" of Britain. It is,'a voluminous report of over 130 pages of small type, &nd deals exhaustively vrith mattere discussed at Conference. [ A.'New Zealand paper places on record a most regrettable circum'tance. Owing 'to the death of Iho King of Greece, King George of England couldn't go to see the "Grand National" run. Last year also, because of thp miners' strike, the King dicln't get a chance to see the Grand National ; and the year bpiore the Court was in mourning, and the King couldn't see the Grand National. The paper hopes the King will bo more fortunate next year. We don't know of any greater national calamity than that a king should be prevented from seeing t the what kinge '■■ * 4 ""- '. [. ~ '. ■■' . ' ***•" They blew and blew their paper bag, They blew with all their might, Till suddenly their bag blew up, And vanished out of eight. • • # And then the windy thing was gone, Nor could a trace bo seeli, For not a single shred was- left Of what had never been. Noise or hot air never won any victories for the workers or accomplished anything worth while. Action—that « the thing. When the politician tells the people that if elected he will represent everybody's interest he realises that the old game of fooling the people still pays. If your newsagent does, not display. The Worker contents sheet, ask him the reason why. &*% "The constitution of the United States is the political wisdom of dead America."—Walter E. Weyl. At the recent Cantonal elections in Argau, tweleve Social-Democrats wore returned. In Baden the Socialist and Catholic minority parties succeeded in ousting the Radicals. In Tessin three Social-Democrats were elected to the ! ' Cantonal Council. .
