Untitled

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5943, 23 September 1890, Page 2

The Nelson papers aro not as a rule given to leading articles, but tho Evening Mail last week indulged in ono from which we make tho following extract:—" New Zealand has a population of some 600,000, "mostly fools." Would thero be good ground for complaint on tho part of New Zealanders if some casual visitor, after spending a week or two hero at tho present season, wero to arrive at this conclusion 't Let us Lok into the matter a little and seo. To begin with, what would lie find ? A general condition of gloom and depression; trade in a state of thorough disorganisation, merchants doing nothing, shopkeepers wondering how they are going to meet their bills ; tho postal service thrown completely out of gear; steamers lying idle ; wharves, onco busy, almost deserted ° four thousand men voluntarily—or rather at tho bidding of their leaders—out of work, and hundreds of other men also deprived of employment as a result of the existing state of things. Our visitors would naturally enough want fokuow tho reason why everything was thus brought to a standstill. Could he throughout the length aud breadth of the laud meet with any ono who could give him a satisfactory answer to his enquiry ? Certainly not. He might hoar all sorts'of excuses, but not a singlo reasonable explanation. Ho would probably be told that all this inconvenience, all this trouble, was the result of a determination on the one hand to assert tho principlos 'of Unionism, ou the ottyii l to destroy theso combinations. If he wero to tako the trouble to trace the wholo thing to its source, he would find this was an altogether onoiit .us statement, that tho principle of Unionism had novor been assailed, but that only ono small and comparatively insignificant phase of the question was at issue, and that, one on which thero is, at all events, a great deal to be said ou both sides, namely, whether the officers of steamers should be allowed to affiliate with the body which controls the actions of tlio men's unions. This is the question which bus been deemed of sufficient importance to justify the disputants in upsetting the whole trade and commerce ; of Australasia. Siuco tlio folly began all I . sorts of side issues have arisen, byt this | ; particular point w-ith regard to the- officers 1 is tho source of tdl the pnvont trouble—tho , real rjason why New Zealand is now- sub- t jeotitig itself to all this loss and annoyance. f! 1., it a satisfactory one, ~r would our .■, imaginary visitor be right in slimming tho c New Zealanders vo a: "mostly fouls''" y Lot everyony, unionist and -.ion-unionist ( alike, answer this questi m, or at all events a think over it, for hims; If without allowing <-, anyone elso to bias his judgment." „