TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 142, 15 December 1908, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

To-day fin.ish.ea the pickings for the duel between Webb and Cabinet Arnst, and the people who Pickings, have been noticing a, smalt stoop in the champion, and a slight croach in the challenger (or iancying that they noticed them) Trill go out of tho guessing business for a while, but there are others to fill their places. Tho Cabinet speculators are doing enough guessing for tho whole community. Mysteriously, many members of Parliament have flitted in and out of Wellington lately, and they mostly convinced themselves that they "heard something." Mr. A. L. D. Fraser, during a brief stay in the capital, satisfied himself' that Uv. T. Mackenzie would be the new Minister for Lands, and Mr. P. E. Baume would join the Cabinet, "probably as Minister lor Education." Another member is prepared to stake his salary and railway pass on Mr. K. M'Kenzie (for Publio "Works), and) Mr. A. W. Hogg (for 1 Lands), with Mr. H. G. £11 as runnerup Mr. Hogg, a staunch leaseholder, .and eminently a man of common-sense, has many friends working for him. Ho is not, of course, so well known in tho South as in the North, but it is safe to say that he would not be long in. convincing New Zealand that a portfolio would not be beyond his strength. Political opponents are not loth to concede that Mr. Hogg has toiled hard in many capacities for the public good, purely for the public good, and not for private profit. However, Mr. Hogs; liafc many competitors for Ministerial rank. The names of men reckoned to have a reasonable chance are the Hon. A. E. Guinness, Messrs. R. M'Kenzie, T. Mackenzie, Hogg, Davey, Laiuenson, Ell, Jennings, Baume, Arnold, and it is not long odds that this list may not include more than one of the Prime Minister's selections. Many of the tipsters believe that Sir Joseph will cast the die just before Christmas, when people will be too interested in holiday-malting and wishing peace and joy to one another to quarrel about thei issue. The "strenuous opposition" to the Brit- _. , ish Coal Mines Eight Hours Day Eight Hours Bill, in Coal Mines. reported in our cable messages yesterday, is said to bo based on fears that a reduction in the output would greatly increase the cost of coal to consumers. This conclusion may be inferred from the report of tho important committee appointed to I enquire into the matter in 1906. The committee, which included statisticians, scientists^ and practical men, was asked to determine the probable economic effect of a limit of eight hours to tho working day of British coal miners. They found, as a fact, that the average working day from bank to bank ranged from 8 hours 36 minutes for hewers to 9 hours 28 minutes for other workers. The hours vary greatly in different districts. The average theoretical full week's work amounts to 49 hours 53 minutes; but the committee found thai the hours actually worked aro thirteen per csnt. less than the theoretical full time. On the whole, therefore, the eight hours rule is practically met, but only because exceptionally short hours in some districts balance hours grossly excessive in other districts. The committee concluded that "an immediate advance of prices, wages, and demand for labour would appeal to be the inevitable consequence of a legal limitation of hours which involved an immediate reduction of output" ; and tho colliery proprietors have emphasised this conclusion. Nevertheless, In 1907 the Governmerfc introduced its contemplated measure, making many reservations which have been still further extended this year. Power, for example, was taken to extend the hours to nine a day on not more than sixty days a year ; and the whole measure, if it becomes law, may be suspended to meet an emergency. Reform could not be more cau- , tious. Nevertheless, there has been a great public scare; and even the miners themselves have shown a division of opinion. Theoretically, of course, they favour a reduction of working hours ; ! but it is probable that this in many cases j will mean a reduction of earnings, which I naturally they do not favour. On the whole, our own State colliery employees at Seddonville ssem to have comparatively a lot to be thankful for. Seven men have been fined £3 each, with the option of a "Two-up" week's imprisonment, and for playing " two-up " Many Down, on the wharf, but it is very doubtful whether the magistrate's salutary severity will seriously discourage tho other pupils of the "school." For a cquple of years " two-up " has been an almost daily pastime in the waiting room, on the footpath by the Sailors' Rest, of just around the corner on the wharf. People who seek a little excitement in card or land deals or at the legalised totalisator cannot, of course, hold up their hands in horror at the spectacle of waterside workers gambling on the turn of a head or a tail, but even the folk who have their little gambling strictly in accordance with, convention, may seriously wish to see " two-up " suppressed, for the simple reason that the "school" is usually run for the benefit of the master hands, which are seldom blackened or hardened by honest toil. Whenever a "school" begins to flourish a "professor" soon arrives. The money steadily goes in 'the direction of the spielers and other "wasters" who live upon the hard worker. The slim folk followed the rail heads of the Main Trunk. They flitted from camp to camp, and always their bags grew heavier. It is believed now that "two-up" professionals have trekked to the Midland Railway works, and get a percentage of the cash which I less cunning men earn by bending their ' backs and swinging their arms eight or more long hours a day. It is known that similar parasites, purporting to be men seeking manual labour, have systematically lounged about the wharf looking for "mugs," and the "mugs" have been plentiful enough. Mr. D. M'Laren, M.P., secretary of the Waterside Workers' Union, believes that if officials of the union were granted authority by the Harbour Board to control the waitingroom an improvement would come. The union should surely be given a chance to discourage the loafers who prey upon the men who are willing to accept a call to honest work when it comes. A witness at a sitting of the Arbitration Court in Christ- " Living " church has submitted Comparisons. that the cost of living for an average worker there is no lower than it is for Wellington. He based his estimate on figures published by the Labour Department. He argued that though the average rent for a four-roomed house was 12s in •*Ohristchurch against ]b3 m Wellington, the other necessaries of life were dearer in Christchurch than in Wellington. The department gave a list of commodities which would cost £5 16s 6id in Wellington, but £6 4s 5d in Christchurch. We are sceptical about, these contrasts. In the first place, we have good reason to believe that the rent difference is rather under-estimat-ed, and that the commodity difference may be over-drawn. Cannot a man i-lcthe himself and boot himself more cheaply in Christchurch than in Wellington? The tunnel and the double : 1 handling add a trifle to certain import-

ed necessaries, but this disadvantage is almost equalled by the- higher rents and, possibly, rates, in Wellington. Then, in Christchurch. the average dwelling-place has ground enough to enable a man to grow vegetables and a few fruit-trees. Also he has opportunities to buy local fruits from people, who may not be shopkeepers, at rates considerably lower than those in Wellington, and thus may ersure a cheap supply of jam for the winter, when butler mnj be dear. These things are but trifles when mentioned separately, but when lumped they seem to make an appreciable difference in favour of the Christchurch man.