OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 17, 21 January 1910, Page 6

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

[OWN COBBESPONDENT.]

SYDNEY, January 14. RETURNING SANITY. Among' the most unmistakable signs of returning sanity on the part of the southern miners may be enumerated three: (1) Their request to W. M. Hughes to come back and address them again, after they had allowed him to be silenced in an unmannerly way at Bulli; (2) their decision to allow a ballot to bo taken on the question; and (3) the spreading recognition that the. severe privations which they are suffering are worse than useless. They do a great deal of harm; but as for doing any good—judging even from the perverted idea of "good" which obtains in unionistio circles—they are of no more use than the proverbial blister on a wooden leg. Another indication that reason is resuming its sway over passion was afforded by the decision of the wharf laborers to work cargo on the P. and 0. mail boats, notwithstanding that they had been previously declared "black'.' for being bunkered with Japanese—therefore—non-union coal. A TREACHEROUS WEAPON. W. M. Hughes was very outspoken and his eloquence and grip of the position has greatly influenced the waterside workers, who are his own special protegees. A general strike lie declares is a clumsy weapon which only injures those who use it. It exhausts their funds, causes them to be thoroughly well hated by the workers whom they injure; and what is. worse than all, being a public calamity, it calls upon the Government to use its immense powers to crush it. The Government has all the powers which the unions would like to have, and which they will have if the electors should be so ill-advised as to give "•Labor" a victory at the polls. It commands all the public funds and all the public credit, all the police, all the volunteers, and all the military too. If the union firebrands had this power (judging by their own utterances) they would sweep the hated employer "en masse" into the Pacific, and when they had consumed all the accumulations of capital, they would begin to devour one another. The public, as represented by the Government, treat the unions very much more leniently than the unions would treat it. But that belongs to another story. Meanwhile commonsense is declaring that a minority, with no funds, and very little power, outside that of inflicting petty annoyance, is virtually helpless in the hands of the majority, which has all the money and all the power. THE BALLOT. The decision to take a ballot, arrived at by the southern men, was regarded as proof positive that they would vote to return to work. Wotildbe despots have a holy horror of the secret ballot. Trades-union incendiaries, and the little knot of firebrands who operate the machinery of trades union tyranny, have a holy horror of it also. It remains to be seen whether they have succeeded in vitiating the appeal, btit the result should be known before these lines appear in print. I believe it will demonstrate that the majority of the miners are sensible men, but at critical moments, through weakness or timidity, they are apt to allow themselves to be hustled into an untenable position. TOYS DISCARDED. If Australia shows an undue devotion to toys, she also exhibits an infantile propensity in the capriciousness with which, she changes them. There was a time when she gloried in her volunteer service, when she was

delighted to promote its efficiency, and did not grudge any small expenditure that might be required to proI mote that end. But it was only a i toy, and to-day it is a discarded toy —discarded in favor of the more i gaudily tricked out compulsory serI vice scheme of the Government, and of the toy navy, which will be superfluous when it' is not wanted, and of very questionable utility should its services unhappily be called into requisition. However, these are the toys of the moment and engross attention accordingly. LORD KITCHENER. Lord Kitchener has left the State some days. 'But we have not yet got over our astonishment at. the sight of a public man, who is such a whale for work. With all Australia, so to speak, waiting to execute his slightest behest, he is at work all the time, sometimes in his shirt sleeves. The Australian public man is not built that way. Whether he is the chosen of the Commonwealth, of the State, or only of a union, he seldom or never gives one the impression that he is devoted to hard work. But in the matter of flowery—or any other sort of—talk, he can beat Kitchener pointless. The conqueror of Khartoum, for instance, has two speeches only for reply to the addresses of provincial Mayors, a long one, and a short one. The long one is: "I thank you very much, Mr Mayor, for your cordial welcome." The short one is: "I thank you." A "nation" which makes a toil of pleasure naturally finds difficulty in understanding a man who makes toil a pleasure. There can be no doubt, however, as to which habit is the more fruitful . THAT DAILY PAPER. The Australian Workers' Union, which leads the way in journalistic enterprise, among the industrial bodies, has voted m favor of establishing a Labor daily paper, instead of the weekly, which it already possesses. There" is still, however, a very large minority opposed to the proposal. On one hand it is obviously much better calculated to promote the objects of the union than the wasting of incalculable sums of money in futile attempts to "paralyse" industry. On the other hand, it would entail a very large expenditure, with very questionable prospects of ultimate profit. To find any enjoyment in Labor literature, as at present conducted, a man must be a rabid partisan, determined to see only one side—and that the worst side—of every question treated. Even among unionists men of the rabid type are by no means in a majority, and for thai reason the paper would probably fall flat. TRESS THE BUTTON. An enterprising poultry proprietor rigged up an electric alarm to sound if any one approached the fowl-house. One night it was duly sounded, and he received some damage in an encounter with an intruder, who said he wanted a fowl to take home to his sick wife. However, he stuck to his man, and had the satisfaction of seeing him sent oft' to "do time." The idea of the electric alarm was highly approved by the magistrate. It can hardly be considered complete, however, until it provides for electrocuting the marauder, or at any rate, for placing him "hors de combat." SHALL BUMBLE RULE? A question of profound interest, not only to pastoralists, but to all citizens, except, perhaps, vegetarians, has been adroitly shelved. It is whether the new abattoirs shall be adequately and completely equipped for the important function which they have to perform, or whether they shall be hampered—taliacotianised, so to speak—with the obsolete Flemington saleyards. The latter are so tant as to entail much driving from the yards to the abattoirs. This is cruel to the animals, and deteriorates the quality of the meat, the more so because the driving can only be done at certain hours. It is, moreover, highly dangerous to those who reside in the neighborhood. The obvious and coramoiisense course woidd be to have new saleyards, after a modern and up-to-date pattern, in close proximity to the abattoirs, and the great and growing interests connected with the trade strongly advocate this course. But the present yards belong to the City Council, which for very many years has derived a lucrative revenue from them, and has been very parsimonious in its outlay. The Government has apparently espoused the cause of the council. Hence the shelving. But the question will not stay shelved, but is being resurrected with considerable energy. Why should the Government spoil a really good scheme, b ymarrying it to Bumbledom ? . ' | SPOON-FEEDING. Dr. Arthur, in common with other gentlemen who are actively bestirring themselves to promote immigration, expresses indignation and disgust at the amount of "spoon-feeding" which some of their protegees expect. A place for instance is found for a man two or three hundred miles up the country. It does not suit him, or he docs not suit it. Then, instead of making some effort to obtain other employment, he comes back to Syd- ! ney, and throws himself on the league to find him another billet. But what else can be expected P All that is demonstrated is that the enthusiastic immigrationists made a big mistake in their selection, and need to exercise much greater care. The men who are wanted are not those who want others to carry them, but men who are prepared to strike out for themselves. Every sensible man knows that the task of obtaining a footing in a new country is necessarily attended with difficulty, and that hardship is very likely to be encountered before it is accomplished. The man who wants to shirk the task is a knave. The man who supposes that everything is going to be plain sailing is a fool. Neither, till he comes to