The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News and the Morning News. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1874.

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1493, 23 November 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News and the Morning News.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1874.

For the cause that lacks *mii«tauce, I'or the wronc Hiat needs resistance, Fcr the fet-jre in the distance, hst the csod that -no can do.

The genuine spirit of selfishness which animates the Sydney merchants was well illustrated in the effort to capsize the arrangements for the trans-Pacitic service. We made brief reference to their action in our issue of Saturday. It had just been announced that arrangements had been made for a joint service, in which New South Wales and New Zealand would contribute equally and receive equal benefits. But one day elapsed when the meeting was convened, and a large proportion of the mercantile influence in Sydney assembled and insisted on leaving our colony out in the cold. It is curious to read some of the arguments advanced, which bore evidence at once to the hurried and immatured arrangements, and to the earnestness of the effort to support foregone conclusions. One distinguished name appears connected with the remark that " if we allowed for the detour by way of the coast of New Zealand, which might be said to be the graveyard of steamers, the increased cost of insurance and coaling would be a heavy one." It is needless to say that the argument of the " detour,' seeing that Sydney mails will not go by New Zealand at all, but direct from Fiji, was speedily dissipated by the members of Government to whom the deputation presented the resolutions of the meeting ; while the "graveyard" business was summarily settled by a member of the deputation itself. Said Mr. Watt, with more credit to his own sense of justice and fairplay than to the manner in which the agitators had marshalled their forces, " There is a good deal of misapprehension as to the danger of navigation along the New Zealand coast. No accident had ever occurred to any of Mr. Webb's or Mr. Hall's boats on the New Zealand coast, and the cost of insurance along that coast was precisely the same as for vessels along our own."" ffhe movement dictated simply by the most narrow-minded selfishness, which in it 3 haste could not wait to reason, has resulted as it deserved in a very ridiculous fiasco, and it is pleasant to see that even the Sydney Morning Herald sits upon the movement. That journal, after reviewing the objects and the arguments of the deputation, sums up the case as follows: —" The point to be decided is simply this—Shall we copy the example of Victoria and establish the Pacific service ourselves and for ourselves, leaving all other colonies to co-operate with us afterwards upon our own terms, or to attempt competition, if they prefer it ? Or shall we endeavour to retain the friendly co-operation of New Zealand, by establishing the service under a join agreement, upon terms which New Zealand would have a share in adjusting, and which would, by some sacrifice- on our part (of money, but not necessarily of efficiency), relieve us of the risk of encountering competition, and a certain —probably a larger—pecuniary loss in consequence' The views of the meeting were laid before the Premier on Thursday, when the reply was, in effect, that the interests of the colony

were not to be overridden by the interests of

the metropolis."

As mill be seen from telegrams in anothef column, the Naval Training School intended for establishment at Kohimarama, has assumed form. We cannot but rejoice at the location in our vicinity of such an institution. It will not, we believe, answer all the expectations formed generally respecting it. Training ships, as a rule, have been failures, and the dullness of life on board ship being presented too soon to lads without the accompanying excitement and change of scene, has as often produced repugnance as attachment to a life on the ocean wave and a home on the rolling deep. There is, however, a feature in the projected establishment which will be its salvation. There will be life ashore as well as life afloat, and instead of lads being sickened to desertion by being couped up in stifling bunks, and pacing the weary round of the deck, they will have the opportunity of planting potatoes and smelling flowers and kicking football. For the treatment of incipient hoodlumism, aboard ship presents the advantage of perfect seclusion, and enables those in control perhaps to exercise a closer supervision. But few indeed are the bojs whose feelings will be enlisted by the weary round of do-nothing-ism, which must coustitute duty on board a brig becalmed and at anchor too. As compared with a training ship, an agricultural training school, where boys may learn the duties of farm life would be, beyond all expression, more efficient as a means of transforming city arabs into good citizens ; and with all respect for the sea and those who follow it for a profession, we thiuk that country life presents the prospect of more comfort and happiness, and contentment, and altogether a more desirable life than is likely to fall generally to 'the lot of shiver-my-timbers. In the new establishment, if wisely conducted, on laud as well as water the tastes of boys may be consulted ; and taught by the failures of Others and the disappointments usually attendant on training ships, we are warranted in hoping that the new institution may succeed in draining off the scam as it begins to rise, and diverting it into wholesome channels, make it to become a blessing instead of a curse to society.

About the coolest piece of impudence which we have seen for many a day is contained in the lirst leading article of the Cross this morning. In a soapy article, in which it soft-sawthcrs down what it is pleased to call the "labouring class" it speaks of "several very absurd features about the recent case of the Hydaspes immigrants at Motuihi," and, with an effrontery that is inexplicable, speaks of the whole story of the forcible resistance to authority as sensation-monger-ing and characteristic of evening journalism. Why the whole of the cock-and-bull story was given lirst to the world by the morning papers, and from the first till the present wis have not ceased to ridicule the aboard report, aud the ridiculous expedition sent down to conquer Motu-lhi. 1"; was in the Cross itself that we lirst read the words that "the immigrants positively refused to allow anything to leave the island. Under these circumstances the superintendent of the station was completely at the mercy of the immigrants," &c, and the Government was appealed to " to meet this emergency." This was in the Cross of Thursday last, in the seventh column of the second page. The fact is that paper intended another Caskowiski story, and was abashed at the ridicule with which wo invoated it; and now when the immigrants will jrobably soon be coming up and able to speak for themselves, the journal whichcounselledan armed exjieditiou to reduce the insurrection, and had not a word to say for the poor unfortunate men, women and children, turns round to soap them down and to patronise the "labouring cl&ss." Had it not been for the ridicule which we cast on the whole thing from the lirat, we question if the inciting of the authorities " to meet this emergency," might not have led to such a demonstration as would have provoked a riot. As it was, the police went down half ashamed, and returned with their tails drooping. Let the Cross manufacture as many Caskowiski stories as it likes, but let it not slink out of the consequences and seek to smother remark by stuffing tho " labouring classes " ■with " soft-sawther."