The Otago Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2490, 4 December 1901, Page 47

The Otago Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY.

THE WEEK.

(WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER U, 1901.)

" Snaqsia aliui oatura, allad >apientla dixit."— Jivimt. "9*»i nature aad gooa least muse «rer j»m."— Port,

The Premier's reply to the deputation which waited upon him last Mr Seddon Saturday to urge the neces-

and the sity of immediate action in Sooth African providing direct and regular Subsidy. steamship communication with South Africa was supremely Seddonic, in that he tried to throw the blame of his own dilatoriness upon some one else's shoulders. He admitted that our limited means of communication with South Africa had enabled Australia to cut in with our produce for their large steamers, thus saddling New Zealand products -with undue middlemen's profits, but declared that the colony would by this time have been in possession of a suitable seivice had the New Zealand Shipping, the Shaw-Savill, and the Tyser companies not bluffed the Government by putting on a six-weekly service which liad proved inadequate for exporters' requirements. But Mr Seddon, as is his wont, carefully evaded the real point at issHe— viz. , that the altered tariff conditions in Australia make immediate connection with South Africa imperatively important. The Premier, with an eye to the dramatic, so dear to his heart, announced amidst applause that the Government had taken the sanction' of Parliament for 1 a grant of £30,000 for the purpose of establishing a diiect service with '4soutlf Africa, but the manner in which that sanction was taken is a sad object lesson in present-day parliamentary procedure. Bidden away among«t the Supplementary Estimate:*, parsed in" the eaily honrt of the last day of a protracted se^ion. Vfithout discussion^ jrais the itejn, "^ufesid^ steam

service to South Africa (on account £30,000), £5000." Why a matter of such absolute first-rank importance to the colony was not brought out into the open and discussed in all its bearings upon agricultural and cominercnl interests passes comprehension. Yefc, in the face of this, Mr Seddon has the assurance to say : "The Government were limited to £30,000, and they must have such freights as would enable producers to get into the market. He was aware that freights from Australia were very low, and our producers must be put into such a position as to be able to compete. If the freights were put too low the probability was that the subsidy available would not be sufficient." Is not this begging the "whole question, and another instance of Ministerial bungling? Of what use will any service be unless the freights ore low enough to enable New Zealand pro* ducts to compete in South African markets, not on]f with Australia, but with the world? If the Government is limited to a subsidy of £30,000, whose fault is it, if the amount prove insufficient, but the Government's own, seeing that Parliament was not allowed to have a voice in the matter? It Is absurd for Mr Seddon to say that the Government did not intend to let the grass grow under its feet, when by his own admission the Cabinet has only just decided to call for applications and the advertisements are not yet out.

According to the statement of Mr Kennedy, Wellington manager The Union for the Union Steam Ship j Steam Ship Company, the outlook for Company that company, so far as the to the Rescue. New Zealand produce trade is concerned, is a very black one indeed, and there is every likelihood ot the present weekly "services between this colony and the Commonwealth being discontinued. Even the summer service, continued for the benefit of tourists and travellers, is being carried on at a loss. As evidence of the falling off of cargoes to Australia, it is stated that last year seven steamers carried in six weeks 4040 tons more than in the corresponding period this year, owing to tile altered tariff. Seeing that the Union Company is a large employer of labour, whose welfare is identical with the bast interests of New Zealand, anything which tends to the diminution of their operations in. the colony is much to be deplored. The common-sense solution ot the whole difficulty would be for the Government to ascertain whether the Union Company are willing to undertake the South African service, thereby practically giving effect to the shipping subsidy clause of the late President M'Kinley's Buffalo programme : "We must encourage our merchant marine ; we must have more ships built, manned, and owned by " — New ZeaUuders. In this way, the South African direct route would be doubly beneficial to the colony, not only opening up a remunerative market for our products, but also employing New Zealand labour. Some indication of the Premier's ideas on the matter 'may be gathered from his statement ihat the Agent-general had cabled him to the. effect that inquiries were being made in London T>y a number of shipping companies as to tlie details of the scheme, so that there was a possibility* of our obtaining reasonable offers for the carrying out of the service. But it does not at all follow tnat the lowest offer would be the best from a New Zealand point of view, and the advantages of the service being conducted by a purely New Zealand rather than by a London company mu&t be patent to the -colonial mind. It may be objected that the Union Company does not possess the tramp class of boats needed for the service, but that difficulty could easily be overcome by an enterprising directorate if the Government offered sufficient inducement, for it would be possible to charter first and build afterwards. With handsomely subsidised New Zealand steamers I running regularly to South African poits. our trade would increase by leaps and bounds.

The Summer show season is now in full swing, and, following the The Standard gratifying success of the of the Otago A. and P. Society's Summer Show, twenty -fifth function, a number of the local provincial shows take place this week. Given fine weather, a (Summer show affords occasion for pleasant fraternisation, the renewing" of old acquaintances, and the making of new friends — in short, a pleasant break in the toil and whirl of everyday business. But, apart from its success as a holiday, the educational value of the Summer show must not be overlooked, in its effect upon keeping up the standard of slock. The future of the colony is largely dependent upon lhe extent to* which we can raise the .standard of our exports, and to " keep up the quality ' is every whit as important as to "keep down 'the freights." As the yeais go by, Australia is destined to become New Zealand's rival in almost every line of produce, ana, in the long run, it is quality alone that will tell. Other nations aie on the alert, as witness the announcement that a number of British commercial representatives are visiting Russia in January to ascertain the progress of agriculture and the prospects of meat supply. It is a moot question whether it would not be to the ultimate advantage of agriculturists to centralise the Summer shows, ond, by greater competition, raise the standard of jn'izetakers. It is a case of sacrificing local interests for the good of the community at large, and, as such, the proposal would encounter opposition, but in the long run it would possibly be found to pay all j round. Of course, in saying this we do not lost sight of the fact that the smaller ■shows act is feeders to the larger ones, and it is doubtful whether this fact alone does not wan ant their continuance.

Tariff fi-diiiers have to be prepared for all kinds of unexpected conseFiji and (lie quence«. so peculiar ire .the Comiaonucaini. effects of the imposition of customs duties. Thus the Fedeinl Minister of Customs states that the s&yjffig ska* a te^e »ufirgage

over the estimate, and he is unable to explain the reason. The Commonwealth Government are thus confronted with the likelihood of a two-million surplus. On the other hand the Federal tariff threatens to throw Fiji into the arms of New Zealand, for the Sydney merchants and shipping companies 'declare that its adoption must destroy the trade between Sydney, Fiji, and the Pacific Islands. We are told that the Fijians themselves are working very hard canvassing for a petition in favour of federation with New Zealand, and, as pointed out by the Sydney Daily Telegraph, after all their professions about Commonwealth guardianship, wh«n protesting to Mr Chamberlain against New Zealand s detire to annex Fiji, the Federal Government are doin<r absolutely the most efiective thing imaginable to cut the Islands adrift, and so justify their union witu New Zealand.

Tariff farmers have not only to consider the effects of tne imposition A Breach of of duties, but also the conFaith sequences of their remission. The New Zealand Government find themselves in an awkward predicament at the present time, exactly on that account. Encouraged oy the duty on kerosene and on paraffin wax, the New Zealand Coal and Oil Company started oil and shale works at Orepuki, investing £100,000 in buildings, costly machinery, and plant. Last session the Government remitted the duty on kerosene and reduced it on wax, and when reminded of the breach of faith which this- amounted to, so far as the Orepuki works were concerned, the Premier postponed the day of reckoning. So successful has the enterprise proved that the company lias 'been enabled to claim the bonus offered by the Government for the first 100,000 gallons of oil manufactured from shale iv the colony. Naturally enough, the company are now inquiring what steps the Government propose to take to .protect the infant industry which the original duty has brought into being. As pointed out by the manager, the Government's action in removing the duty meant £15,000 per annum to the company, against which all they had got was a bonus of £5000 ; and yet Mr Seddon stated that if anyone thought that the Government did not desire to give security to capital coming into the colony they were labouring under an hallucination. The net result of the Premier's visit to Orepuki is the giving of a pledge to the company to consider the question of the reimposition of the duty on oil, so soon as the New Zealand manufacture is equal to the imported article. Should, however, the duty entail 'an increased price to the consumer, there will be trouble in the air.

The innocent announcement that the Paris Chamber of Deputies has The Frenchman authorised a Franco-Chinese in China. loan has more^ in it than meets the eye, for it practically makes possible the exploitation of Yunnun by the French, nation. Although Great Britain obtained from the Cfiinese Government a concession for a railway from Burma to Yunnan-fu, yet nothing has been done in the matter. The French also got a concession for a line from Tonking to Yun-nan-fu, and prior to the Boxer outbreak their engineers were actively surveying the loute. It is now wel] known that the French consuls and engineers have returned in increased numbers, with greater resources', and no doubt enlarged conces- ] sions. M. Doumer, the Governor-General of Indo-China, visited Paris with the avowed object of obtaining the necessary millions intended to ensure the triumph of Tonking over Burma as the outlet for the trade of South-west China, and apparently this seductive scheme has captivated the imagination of the French investing public. The apathy of the British Government furnishes a text for the utterance of the following warning by Mr Demetrius C. Boulger in the Fortnightly Review: — " Encouraged by our apathy and by the belief

that our energies are engrossed in South Africa, French schemes in Yunnan are taking a wider scope. A French line to its capital, ths equal light with this country to construct railways and work mines, in the province, apparently, will no longer suffice to satisfy the expectations of the Colonial School on the Seine. It is openly declared ihat the leaders of the French, .expedition to Yunnan which recently left Toulon aim at the ' annexation ' of that Chinese province. It is boldly asserted that Yunnan is ' already under French influence,' although there is in existence a formal declaration to the effect that England and France recognise their mutual influences and engage not to- clash with one another. When the precedents of iFashoda and Abyssinia nre borne in mind, it will be realised that French pretensions are not to be lightly dismissed, and that a small expedition allowed to proceed towards its goal without effective piotest may give rise to a grave entanglement. For this reason we should carefully note and openly denounce the assumption, now passing current in the French official Avorld, to the effect' that '\unran belongs only nominally to the ! Ohme«e Empire.' If we tolerate for a day the acceptance of this contention, we are paving the wav for the detachment of ! Yunnan from China and for its incorpora- ! tion with the French province of IndoChina."

A revolution in a South American' Republic is such an ordinary occurTlie rence, and changes of GoSigniflfaace vernment are so frequent, o f that these petty disturbSoutli America ances pass by almost unnoticed. The recent fighting in Columbia, involving the interference of the American bluejackets, has at this precise juncture a peculiar significance. Mr Poultney Bigelow, writing in the Contemporary Review, remarks :— " The attitude of Germany towards the United States during the Spanish-American war has given ground for a widespread feeling in America that William II would welcome some American entanglement which might furnish him Ytiik » Jak exeuss for lading hold; at

territory which at present is regarded aS lying within the American sphere of interest. German politicians and newspapers, inspired by Government, make no concealment of their purpose of contesting the Monroe Doctrine at some convenient opportunty, and that opportunity will probably arise* when Russia, Germany, and France shall have entered a triple alliance, withi the point directed against the Anglo-Ame-rican world. To-day Spanish America cordially detests the YanL.ee, and pretends fuendship only so long as it feels that the United States is a guarantee of their several ineten-sions to foe independent States. The day may come when a war ia South America -will invite German interference, and this action may be sustained by one or moie of our South American friends. German public sentiment is ripe for such a contingency, and neither the American army nor the navy is at present in a position" to prevent it. President Roosevelt feels this danger, and, as Commander-in-Chief under the Constitution, it is his duty either to repudiate the so-called Monroe Doctrine or to place the country in such a state of preparedness as shall make a violation of its spirit difficult."

XL may be of interest to recall exactly what is this Monroe Doctrine — The Monroe that hazy document, most Doctrine. useful at thn'es to America.

and at other times vexjn. dangerous It is p term applied^ to th» determination expressed by Jamc-s Monroe? when President of the United States, in. his message to the Congress <J 1823, not to permit any European Power to interfere with the concerns ol any independent State of North or South America. Mr John Hay, the American «Se<"ret&^y of State for Foreign Affairs, when addressing the New York Chamber of Commerce ths other day. stated that the Monroe Doctrine was still their golden rule, and Mr Hay and President Roosevelt are known to ba of the one opinion on this point. This suggests the possibility that the German, outbreak of Anglophobia, to which we referred last week, may seek vent in interference in American affairs, thereby precipitating an alliance between England! and the United States and forecasting a great international war. It is said that President Roosevelt would be the first to welcome an understanding between all! branches of the English-speaking world, so that to that extent war would be impossible, and that nothing would be more likely to sweeten the closing years in office of Mi- John Hay than the consciousness o£having done his share towards securing" peace throughout the whole diversified Eng lish-speaking family.

The establishment of some scheme of Imperial reciprocity would bo Imperial an important step in the diReciprocity. rection of such union of the English-speaking peoples, la this> New Zealand can clearly take" a hand. Sir Charles Tupper, -the well-known Canadian politician," strongly advocates a preferential tariff within the British Empire. This is what he is reported to have said on the subject: — "Canada showed her readiness to adopt a reciprocal trade policy of that kind when she went in for a commercial treaty with New Zealand. That treaty was defeated by the New Zealand Legislature, but Canada is still willing." Mr A. Moritzson, of this oiiy, who has just returned from a visit to Australia, has expressed, the opinion that something in the direction of leciprocity might be arranged ■between the Commonwealth and New Zealand. He declares that Australian business men are in favour of such an arrangement, and especially the fruitgrowers of Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales. If a start were made with the ■scheme, there can be little doubt that the whole Empire would gradually come into line, the United 'States (judging from present indications) might be induced to follow suit, and thus a phalanx of British and American trade would be created which would practically defy opposition or competition.

The Farmers" Union, that healthy and vigorous body which, actuIn the Interests ally surviving the Premier's of Justice. sneers and the jeers of Ministerialists generally, 'promises to become a power in the land, got somewhat out of its depth the other day when discussing the trial by jury sy*tem. Probably when Mr Fraser gave it as his opinion that trial by jury was one of the bulwarks of the nation, he had not noticed Sir Hartley Williams's utterance to a criminal jury at Geelong the other day. That eminent Victorian judge sai-castically observed that " much valuable time would 'have been saved had the jury given their decision before hearing the evidence."' In an assault case heard during the criminal sittings at the Dunedin Supreme Court last -«eek. the Crown Prosecutor said that 'he deemed it his duty to impress upon the jury the absolute necessity of maintaining the purity of the fountain of justice, and pointed out that it was the sacred duty of every member of the community to guard that purify jealously. The growing discontent with which the verdicts of juries are received, coupled with disgust <it the vagaries of justices of the peace, points to the need of lecasting our entire judicial system. An immediate reform is requisite, so far as New Zealand is concerned, in the manner in which the Crown Prosecutor is re munerated for his services. It is highly improper -that a Government servant should have a voice in the fixing of his own income, as is at present the case. Under the existing arrangement, the Crown Prosecutor is paid according to the number of informations in which he appeals before, court. Consequently, when the unusual course is followed, as m \i\e totebetting ca»es the other day, of laying 59 informations against one defendant, there, are not wanting those who insinuate thai, the mfoimations are laid not ?o mv.eh m the interests of justice as i'oi Lhe sake v" putting guineas into the r(.,ket of tt I**1 ** Crown Piosecutor. We l.i>ve pvevioii-l/v deeljieil in fai oui of the Cro" n lVcPecuU) \ conducting all hnporf-uu ctefer.dul police, ftpjyifc cjvßes A iv older tiit.it justice hh?}\ £«t.

be defeated by the astuteness, of opposing counsel, and it is therefore all the more important that such insinuations should be immediately silenced. ,We wouW^ recommend to the Minister of Justice that the 'CJrown Prosecutor's salary Ibe fixed at an adequate amount, on. the understanding jthat the Crown shall have first call upon ,fhis services, he, of course, being at liberty [to devote the remainder of his time to [private practice.