ON THE WATCH TOWER.

Evening Star, Issue 14634, 2 August 1911, Page 9

ON THE WATCH TOWER.

[By Ariel.] A few weeks ago 1 was saying in this column that, among English names, Tom •was peculiarly suggestive of manliness and the strong qualities that Englishmen love, lit me add another example—Tom Taylor. He was a man. Take him for all in all, I shall not lot*; upon his like again. But T will not add to the mass of tributes that cover his grave ; not that T grudge them, or that I do not sympathise with them. I am with them heart and soul.- but this is not an obituary column. Excepting only Mr Seddon, no death of a New Zealander has ever stirred this country so suae!*, or elicited such outbursts of sorrow. Se was an uncrowned King of Hearts. His greatest office was that which he held at his decease—the mayoralty of a city. So he owed none of his. fame to place, power, and patronage. He had no billets to give away. He was loved for himself alone. ******* Chronic indigestion probably accounted for many of his hottest retorts and for the vitriolic in his attacks. In Erewbon people were sent to prison for being ill, and to the hospital for theft. Elsewhere there is a strange overlapping of the moral and the physical. Men are pilloried and gibbeted for detects of character when there is nothing wrong but the stomach. }• is said that Taylor's genius lay in criticism, not in construction. Perhaps it would be fair to add that- he never had a chance to display constructive genius in public affairs. No sooner did he become Mayor than he launched a big scheme for street improvement. Whether it was a wise one or uot I do not know, but it was a bold push into practical affairs, and had he been in health he would probably have carried it through. I believe he was also a leading advocate of harnessing water power, of tramways, and of gravitational water supply for his city. If he had had a chance as an administrator lie would probably have carried these things out quite as cleverly as the Dunedin City Fathers have carried out the Waipori and Leo Stream projects. But it was decreed that he was t<> have no chance as an administrator. By a curious turn of fate he died on the"day mi which the poll on his rchenie was to" be taken, and the day ou which Parliament opened. *******

For years pa.st the Governor's Speech has set n:e a.-king: "What is tho use of it a'!''" I:: its origin, the Speech from tho Throne was. a highly important part of parliamentary proceedings. It was a very proper declaration t» tho nation and to Parliament of the policy of the Government and of what was to be the chief business. All that has been changed. The Speech 33 now as dead a piece of symbolism its any that occurs in Church or Coronation ritual. It is not the progress of democracy, but the failure oi it, that brings this about. When Parliaments were really subject to the people, they Jiad to tell the people what they meant. Now that we have fallen into the hands of an oligarchy, and are governed by a .secret conclave that springs its chief measures on us as surprises, the Speech is a shadow. When will some Cromwell arise and say "Take that bauble away"? An Australian Speaker has discarded the wig >f his office because there was nothing in it. Why should not the Speech go for '.lie same reason? An Australian. Minister .ias deleted from official correspondence "1 have the honor to be your obedient servant, etc.," because the words were words only, or, indeed, worse than empty ivords—a lie. Your democratic Minister is nobody's servant, but most people's master. But 1 am wandering: the point is Why should not the Speech that has lostits meaning -go too? • **«*#* But. Cromwell or no Cromwell, histoiy is ever on the march. The institution of the past age is the " bauble" of this, and the institution of thi.-v age will be the bauble of the next. Parliaments are becoming baubles, and the Caucus and the Cabinet and the Trades Hall are becoming institutions. The New South Wales Cabinet re-a-iuned. It had stoutly resisted the granting of certain guarantees to new settlers on ; the land. Th-; Cabinet was humiliated. aud foieed to retire. Then tho Caucus—mark you, the Caucus—in view of an appeal to the country granted these guarantees! History lepeats itself. Tn old Japan the Shogun governed, hut did not reigu while the Mikado reigned but did not govern. From small beginnings the Shogun had gathered all practical power into his hands, leaving an ever-increasing' .-rparateuess, dignity, and worship to tho Mikado. T n old France the mayor, or major of the palace, gradually relieved the King of a!! his duties nnd powers, leaving him a mere puppet. In due time Mayor Capet said •-Tcdve the bauble away." and Capeli> reigned in his stead till the Revolution iu turn said "Take this bauble away," and Citizen Capet went to the guillotine. So the Cabinet hie bmbleised Parliament, and now the Ccucus is going to baubleise th? Cabinet. It governs, but does not reign. After a generation or two. though, when the nation has ceased to shy at the new figure, the Caucus will claim the pomp and the pelf as well as the power, and \vi!liss,u3 its decree against Cabinets that reign but do not govern. "Take these baubles awjv.'' * c * n cs # # The Hon.. Rcddy is, I believe, a blunt, honest man, but he has neither the gift of avoiding rudeness .ior of getting excused and krgiveu for it. Tire Acting Mayor of Wellington was verily guilty of publishing the private and confidential draft of the tramways regulations, and of bringing a storm of premature criticism on an obstinate man. which was very lwid jiolicy. Tho culprit deserved rebuke, and if Roddy could have civen it m a swift rapier thrust all would" have, been well: but he must needs tome en like Giant tthmderbore, with his clumsv bludgeon, and bespatter the place with blood and hair. This put* him entirely in the wrong, and while we are looking for isoroe excuse for forgiving him he goes to a banquet. There some fellow who is touting for a billet sings out: "You stick to your tramways regulations.'' "I mean to.'" said the Minister, with such a smile as he did not give to the representatives of the eight chief towns of the Dominion. It makes mo feel as if I could get on without forgiving him; but there, I'll wait and see. for perhaps his hark is worse than his bite. It is a well-known privilege of the governing class to break the law. What is the good of e ett ' n S iato offico vou have to keep the rules you make for the herd ? The Sydney City Council made a by-law against spitting in the street. A niau had to take a tram and go into a suburb when he wanted to spit. But two councillors stood upon the footway expectorating like hydraulic ram*. They were hoist on their own petard, which was a scandal. Last week iu Brisbano Mr Cottell, M.P., ami a very strong :mti-gambler, was found in a gamblinghouee and fined Is. This was most unreasonable. He was inspecting a piece of furniture; beeidee, ought he not to study his pet aversion ? • * ■* c f» r- * At the recent Masterton Competitions a reciter was told by the judge that he would do much better if he had his teeth attended to. The competitior was a dentist i The dentists seek to promote Government inspection of teeth, don't they? Well, Jill this serves to introduce the Dun-e-din city councillor who is reported as riding on the front platform of a. car, busily talking to the driver. As I said before, what is the use of getting into the council if you have to keep youT own rules? There is, on tho other hand, a ve-rv pleasurable prominence ami dignity in 'breaking the law openly. It makes the herd «ty "Who the deuce is that?" and get tho awe-striking reply ; " S-s-h! That's Councillor Bumpas." * # * *v - * # *

In ibo analysis of human character 3* a. curious problem where the egotistical, self-afeertivo element er.<k and the altruiartic begins. No maa who lovce hie fellow man, bni cannoi assert himself, ever accomplished anything. In a eeli-miis-triisti'ul man the- gcniiw of Bacon and liiciieiku might h* axßcxiatcd with tha

soul of a Howe or a, and never be heard of.. In public affaire we. muet have courage and egotism to catch the necessary vote* to give one a chance to do anything in the world. This necessary push may be associated with the scheming mind, which serve* the public only to promote the interests of number one. On the other hand, but rarely, egotism may be housemates with the spirit of the martyr that does not think of number one at all. This type is apt to be obstinate and bigoted. There are a large proportion of the martyr* of history who do not deserve much sympathy. They were pig-headed, and butted their little stock of brains out against stone walls. Men like Lloyd George and T. E. Taylor are not wholly indifferent to-personal success, but hold it second to toe cause they espouse. Thie thin streak of self" in them is a saving salt. If the streak were a little thicker they would be bo*6es; if a little thinner they would be impracticable martyrs. * * * * * ■ * » These reflections arise from the preceding note on the airs of public men. How do we classify them in relation to the egotistical and the altruistic sides of their nature? WheTe are we to place Mr William Belcher, for example. Is he the impracticable martyr that his tend*sed resignation would indicate, or is he the allgrasping boss on the ant Ca?sar aut mdlus principle? As chairman of the Harbor Board his functions are defined by usage, if in no other way. The duties and powers of the engineer must certainly be defined , bv his agreement, and it ought to be very obvious "where the chairman's functions cease and those of the engineer begin. The chairman of a shipping company does not override a captain in the navigation of a ship, or in the discipline of tho ship's company. The chairman of the Education Board does not direct the inspector as to how he is to Teport on the efficiency of teachers. The chairman of the Hospital Board would not order the medical superintendent to suspend a nurse or to discharge a patient. The chairman of a manufacturing company has a business manager and a working manager under him, but ho allows them to be supreme in their departments. W. S. Gilbert has a legend of a ship's company that took to cannibalism. By a process of absorption the whole company came to be embodied in the last survivor, who sar.*; : Oh, I'm the cook, and the captain bold, And the mate of the Nancy brig. And the bo'sun tight, and the midshipmite. And the crew of the captain's gig. I trust that no such process of absorption and unification is to go on in harbor affairs. It is not well to have all your egas in one basket. *******

We are going to promote the prosperity of Dunedin, 1 gather. My advice was not asked, as it ought to have been, before we embarked on this enterprise. Had I been privately consulted, ray advice would have been ' Punch's' advice to those about to marry—"Don't." If the hinterland of Otago is developed, Dunedin will take rare 5 of itself. If, however, the natural productions of the province are not increased all the "promoting" of prosperity will be like growing cabbages on sand drifts. I don't believe in prosperity that has to be promoted, but I like that which comes to those who are co-operating with Nature. "Promoting" generally takes the form of resisting Nature. We have been promoting grape growing in New Zealand for the last 35 years. The splendid result is that one New Zealander in ten gets a bunch on his death bed. You cannot promote prosperity in Dunedin by building' a factory to make goods for the North Island. The proper place to make these goods is in the North Island, and sooner or later they will be made there and leave your promoted factory stranded. What you require to do is to get a population in Ota go on the land, who will require the factory in Dunedin. The Governor's Speech went out of its way to mention one practical thing, and that was Otago irrigation. But T'm afraid that's a sism that nothing will be done at it. "