FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 116, 12 November 1938, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FROM THE "POST"

TURN OF THE TIDE

"When the Premier was interviewed in Christchurch by the unemployed some time ago, one of the arguments used was the exodus of working-men from this colony to Australia," remarks "The Post" of this date .fifty years ago. "It was pointed out that every steamer was taking away large numbers of artisans and labourers—steady, industrious men, who were unable to find employment in New Zealand, or were attracted by the prospects of higher wages and greater opportunities in New South Wales or Victoria. The Premier did not appear much impressed by the argument, and bluntly expressed his confident belief that most of them would very soon be glad to ■ come back to New Zealand if they were able to do so. Some people attempted to scoff at this prediction, and blamed Sir Harry Atkinson for failing \ to recognise, what they deemed the , gravity of the situation. For ourselves we commended his attitude, and expressed our belief that he would prove a true prophet. Events are already justifying the prediction. Every steamer from Australia is now bringing back large numbers of the very class who were recently so eager to flock to Australia, and no doubt the majority are men who found that they made a mistake in leaving New Zealand for Australia. Last week's steamer to the Bluff brought 59 steerage passengers, and this week's steamer another 85. At this rate it will not be long before our recent loss in population is fully made up. Of course there are amongst those who went away a great number of men who, however anxious to get back, lack the means of doing so. That this is the case there is abundant evidence. The captains of steamers from Australian ports to New Zealand are inundated with applications for reduced or free passages, and have to use the utmost vigilance to guard against stowaways. Every mail brings hundreds of letters from men expressing regret at" having left New Zealand, and stating that they are far worse off in their new country than here, and are striving hard to earn'the means of getting back. The lesson has been a severe one to, the colony and to them, but its ultimate effects on both will probably be beneficial." THE DUNEDIN EXHIBITION. "The Dunedin people are trying to raise a guarantee of £10,000 to enable them to, have an -International Exhibition in that city next year. They seem to expect that great benefit to local, trade would result from the project if carried out, that the Exhibition as a show would be a great success, and that it would attract crowds of visitors from Australia and from the other parts of this colony, and that in fact it -would establish a boom and give the coup de grace to the depression. We fear that none of these great expectations are likely to be realised, even if the Dunedin people manage to carry out the project, which is by no means certain as yet. The fact is that Exhibitions have been very much overdone of late years, and all.classes of people are heartily sick of them. Manufacturers dread the very name, for they have learned by experience' that except in most exceptional instances they are of very little advertising value. The number of orders obtained very rarely indeed covers anything like the cost of the exhibit. Local tradesmen invariably complain ' that their takings are unfavourably affected by the competition within the Exhibition walls, and the public are coming to consider Exhibitions a bore, and" to vote them decidedly slow. This will be especially the case after the Melbourne Exhibition. Dunedin cannot possibly hope to get together a collection which will be either as extensive or as interesting as the great show now on in Melbourne. Anything it may be able to accomplish will look very small beside the Melbourne Exhibition, and the people who have visited the latter will have no inducement or desire to travel to Dunedin to see how very severely its exposition suffers by comparison. It would hardly have been possible to'select a more inopportune time than the present for an Exhibition in any part of the colony, and, if carried out, we are confident that the Dunedin Exhibition of 1889 must prove what in the theatrical business is expressively termed 'a frost." CITY LICENSING DISTRICTS. "The petitions now in circulation praying for the • amalgamation Of the city licensing districts are not being signed as generally as they ought to be. The object in view is a very desirable one, and ratepayers should have no hesitation in assisting to bring it about by placing their signatures to ■the petitions. In the first place amalgamation will establish uniformity in the administration of the licensing law throughout the city. There will no longer be a possibility of licensed houses on one side of a street being under totally different rules to those in force on the other side in regard to such matters as. keeping lights burning, hours of closing, and similar things; and the granting of renewals may be depended upon to be conducted on some general principle, instead of according to the caprice of several independent committees." ' AMERICAN PRESIDENCY. "The result of the Presidential election in the United States will excite very mixed feelings among British communities. For Mr. Grover Cleveland himself no feeling of sympathy will be expressed. He has by his recent action entirely forfeited the respect previously entertained for him. He has besmirched his hitherto high character by condescending to the most compemptible and hypocritical dodges to secure election at any cost, and we are glad to think that his action excited only disgust where it was intended to gain support. General Harrison's victory, however, will be somewhat unpalatable in the colonies, for the Republicans make it a plank in their platform to enforce strict Protection, and especially to maintain the wool duty. But the new President has grand opportunities for making himself an enduring name in the history of his country, and we hope that he will turn them to better advantage than President Cleveland has done those which fortune accorded him. Time will show."