TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 15, 18 July 1910, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

An industrial drama, of more than pass- _ _ ing interest, is being Conciliation staged by the Canterout of CouTt. bury Shearers' and Woolshed Employees' Association. Tie unionists rallied to the cry. "We want twenty shillings," and some time back the telegrams indicated that though the men were walling to let the case go to tho Arbitration Court they would not rest content with any award that did not provide twenty shillings a hundred. This attitude did not pleabo Mr. Justice Sim, President of the Arbitration Court. At the hearing of the dispute he naturally wished to make the unionists understand that they were not to have the liberty to bring in a verdict before the evidence had been called', but his language was unfortunate. "You will have to enter into this conference in a somewhat more chastened spirit than you have displayed hitherto," he remarked, and this comment, with others, provoked the union's secretary, Mr. LaTacy, to eend a remarkable letter (published on Saturday) to the Minister of Labour. If the judge made an error in mistaking the temperament of the men whose case was to be weighed, Mr. LaTacy made a much greater mistake "in asking Parliament to override the prejudgm^nt of .the Arbitration Court." The first "prejudgment" — "We want twenty shillings" — came from the union weeks ago. "I believe," stated Mr. Laracy, in his half-threatening letter, "Parliament is already convinced of the justness of our Tate of 205." Parliament, however, is not the proper body to judge the merits of industrial claims. Parliament is a body representing tho people of New Zealand — not specially the sheep-farmers or shearers. When this shearing dispute cropped up in the House of Representatives last week enough nonsense was talked to thoroughly warrant the comment of !Mr. W. C. Buchanan, that Parliament was not the proper tribunal to decide between the parties. Mr. Laracy has not given any good reason why Parliament or the Minister should interfere in the dispute. Several years ago the famous All-Blacks, on their way home Heal Triers. from Britain, called in at the Western Stales of America and sowed some seeds of the llugby game. The soil there has proved congenial, and promises to be fruitful, too. Other husbandmen have done some planting, and one of the first crops is a team of students from the Californian Universities, which, after I visiting Sydney, has come across to New Zealand to pick up some of the finer points of the game first hand from the Jocal experts. On Saturday the Californian Eaglet — he has not yet grown all his feathers — essayed a bout with the Kiwi, and the latter hardened old bird outswfeoped, outflew, and outpointed the visitor, who may have lost some of his tail feathers. But it can not bo donbted that he obtained compensation in the shape of useful hints, that should prove very useful in tho future. No one anticipated that the Califonlians would beat, or even extend, the strong provincial fifteen that was sent up against them at the Athletic Park. They were only off the boat practically a few hours after a four-days' trip.- Yet they made a very cfeditable showing, conBldftriug all j,hs <drcumfttsmce>. 'Cle^n-

built, supple-jointed young giants, most of them, they mixed it with their more I mature and shrewder opponents wholeheartedly. They lacked polish, naturally ; they were delightfully boyish and guileless in their systems, but they were real triers all the time. The crowd, truly sportsmanlike, gave the youngsters the glad hand and the encouraging cheer, and they deserved it nften. There is some very excellent manorial among the Calit'orninns, and it oi Jy requires attention and moulding, to develop into a high-class article. As we have pointed out before, the Rugby Union, would have been considering tho visitors more if a University team had been chosen to meet them. As it was, the local fifteen held the youngsters easily, never giving them a look-in. Still the experience, and others to follow, will sharpen up the Californians, and, when they return home, what they have learned here and in Australia should influence for good the game at Stanford, Berkeley, and other Universities. It should assist llugby to a sound footing. in South- Western America. ! A little is to be done in Wellington on Arbor Day (WednesPlant day), and much is to a Tree. be done in Palmerston North, where a.thrilling tree fervour has been well pro- | moted. Yet a little is better than less, and the birds in this restless place should be grateful for the prospect of a few more perches. Years ago somebody said that Welb"ngton had ground too harsh and wind too withering to allow young trees to establish themselves decently in life, and many of the people seem to have calmly believed in the allegation. This is no Eden, no Vallambrosa, but Wellington can furnish proper health and strength to the suitable species of trees. If oaks and ashes, and other English trees, are set on the most exposed slopes of Mount Victoria — as they have been — they will perish, or linger on in pitiful sickness; but the taupata, a deep-emerald evergreen, defying wind, clay, rock, salt spray, will flourish almost anywhere here. It will run up rapidly to respectable size, and it spreads a splendid red feast for the birds in the autumn. The city needs a plan of the spaces to be planted with carefully-chosen trees. The work in the past has been largely haphazard and spasmodic, and waste has inevitably occurred. With a proper plan, Wellington could have a steady Arbor Year, rather than any feverish Arbor Day, but it is well to have one good day in the year, to bring the virtues of the trees memorably before the children and their elders. No doubt local nurserymen could be easily induced to cooperate with the city authorities, and j supply trees at a very reasonable rate from funds supplied by public subscription. A list should be opened, and the planting should be done by trained hands, when the people have ordered a sufficient number of trees for any particular section of the public estate. Thus a shilling or two would enable every citizen to nobly respond to the call — "Plant a tree."