TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 73, 27 March 1909, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Is it really peace and goodwill iri the industrial sphere A Labour Lull, here, or is the lull merely a manifestation of industrial "earthquake weather" ? We prefer to think that it is a calm that has followed a storm rather than a calm preceding a storm. The only business in strikes lately was the strange rumour wafted down from Waiiganui. The coal-miners were alleged to be surreptitiously arming for a blow at somebo&y or something, but careful enquiries have failed to find any sub- i stantiation for the allegation. "All the air a solemn stillness holds," so much so that the new Minister for Labour, the Hon. A. W. Hogg, is impressed and gladdened by the unusual calm. The apparent cessation of labour unrest has left the Minister leisure for other work — little homilies on bridge engineering, paper currency, and other matters. Air. Hogg attributes the peacefulneKS to the Conciliation Councils and the vesting of powers in stipendiary magistrates to deal promptly with cases of alleged breaches of awards and so on, thus obviating the friction and irritation inseparable from long delays. There are indeed pleasing signs of the development of that conciliatory spirit which the original Act was designed to foster. Representatives of the Labour party have specially pointed to Dunedin and Christchurch for recent examples in which, by a cheerful attitude of give-and-take, the employers and workers satisfactorily settled their differences. Not long ago Labour was blamed for too much love of "Take but do not give." Perhaps the blame was excessive, but many employers certainly complained bitterly that Labour was prone to believe that there were not two sides to a question. However, if this recent revival of the mutually reasonable spirit endures, the tempers and the pockets of all — the captains and the privates — in the industrial army will be better for it. "It is nothing but a makeshift, with an ulterior design," said Auckland's Mr. Bart Kent, presiv Anguish. dent of Auckland's Chamber of Commerce, discussing the arrangements recently made for a regular mail servrce from London to Wellington, via San Francis-co and Papeete. Mr. Kent professes to utter regret, not only for the sake of Auckland, but "the Dominion as a whole." But we cannot see a reasonable excuse for Mr. Kent's tears. He. chides the Government for not making a strenuous effort to restore tho old connection between San Francisco and Auckland, but it is not difficult to remember that Auckland was about the only staunch' supporter of that service in its latter days. Wellington province and the South Island agree that tho steamers in the new (nail sot-vice, via Papeete, will not pot Atft sea an fire, and they knojv it ig ft-

"makeshift," but a makeshift is better than nothing. We have no doubt that a much faster connection will come by-and-by, with Auckland or Wellington as the terminal port. Wellington has yet do be convinced that it would be to New Zealand's best interests to make Auckland the base for the distribution -of the inland mails, but Wellington has really no provincial feeling in the matter. If the die is cast in Auckland's' favour hereafter, we are sure that Wellington will not begin to sulk and remain moody. The people here are accused of grab-all propensities, but actually tbey are the most difficult pubhe m New Zealand to be stirred up for their own advantage. Shakespeare is to have a memorial, and , after some collision beA Splendid tween two rival committrift. tees, they amalgamated, the "monument" idea being happily dropped. The greatest •figure in English literature is not to be commemorated by "the labour of an age in piled stones," though "such weak witness " of his name had met with in.fluential advocacy. A useless monu■ment satisfies neither the modern aesthetic faculty nor the modern conscience, ■and the more pretentious form it takes the greater the offence. There is as strong a desire as ever to establish some ■lasting memorial to the great and good of _ an earlier day, but it takes a worthier form. Pomp and show are out of place, and something is looked for that •shall be of permanent use in relieving human suffering or uplifting men intellectually, esthetjcally, or spiritually. It was therefore natural that the project of a theatre which should keep Shakespeare perennially before the public, besides producing dramatic works by other authors of the highest rank, and in every way maintain the best traditions of the stage, should meet with the widest approval. And as is the good old custom, private munificence was relied upon to find the necessary means, and not in vain, for the appeal met with generous response. But with all previous experience of private generosity, it is with a thrill of surprise that one reads the cable message received yesterday, that an anonymous donor has given seventy thousand pounds sterling towards the National Shakespeare Theatre — a gift that should awaken renewed effort to carry out the project. Public bodies hold their resources in trust, and are rightly debarred from liberality of this kind, which, after all, would cost tho members nothing, if permitted. But private munificence is free to use its own discretion, and sometimes does, as in this case, with splendid results. Could there be a finer tribute of appreciation of the work of a long-departed poet than this spontaneous gift? For. be it noted, there is no selfseeking. It is not the case Oi^a plutocrat who would fam win future renown by linking his name with that of a star of the first magnitude, for the generous donor has deliberately effaced himself. .We can only wonder and admire. A solemn warning has been given by Mr. H. Eyre Kenny, Perjury S.M., to all people or the who think that kissMicrobe, ing a bacilli-laden Bible is a necessary risk to take in making a declaration about speaking the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. "The man," "said the magistrate^ "who affirms, instead of swearing on the Bible, is a very sensible man. Kissing the book is a very dangerous practice." That doctrine is as old as it is healthy and true, and it is good ,to see it getting such frank support from a stipendiary magistrate. Has anybody in New Zealand ever seen the Chief Health Officer kissing the much-lipped and much thumbed page of a Bible? He knows too well how many myriads of micr6bes may be playing hide and seek on a square inch of a soiled page. He is an affirmer and a consistent and persistent advocate of affirmation. For health reasons the Bible-kissing clinching of an undertaking to tell the truth should have been ruled out of coiu't long ago, but perhaps the reason for ita retention is authorities' fancy that some types of person believe that if they do not << kiss the Book" they do not perjure themselves by uttering lies. The official notion seems to be that the foundations of British rectitude may crumble- away if the cement of the Bible kiss is nu longer used. Some people may still imagine that if they manage to kiss a thumb instead of the printed page the recording angel will be less busy with the pencil against them, but really the old-time awe that long, long ago came upon men who set their lips to the Bible has passed away, and has been succeeded by another — the common prosaic awe of the militant microbe. The court kiss has run its course ; it is as much out of date as the stuffy wig. A country's Legislature tries as much as possible to prevent a citizen from endangering the health of himself and his friends by contact with persons afflicted with infectious diseases, but the authorities here almost encourage people to take dangerous risks with insanitary copies of the Bible.