OUR SYDNEY LETTER

Evening Star, Issue 15076, 7 January 1913, Page 7

OUR SYDNEY LETTER

[From Our Own Correspondent.)) THE BY-ELECTION. The campaign at the Blarney hy-elec-lion waxes fast, and furious. All sides will ho relieved when the tension comes to and end. But after the result of the first ballot is announced it will almost certainly all have to he fought over again ou the second ballot. [The result of the, first ballot was : —Withington 1,799, Beeby 1,157, Johnson 1,120. A second ballot is necessary.—Ed. E.S.] Both Labor men and Liberals arc attacking Mr Beeby, the. first because he has flouted the fetish of enforced “solidarity”—a fetish which straight-going electors have long since put under the ban—and the Liberals because of the Labor principles which the exMinistcr still cherishes. Advocates of the formation of an Independent parly arc receiving reinforcement from the indiscretions of some of the leading men on the Libera! side, whose partisanship only just falls short, of the crowning enormity of the “ironclad pledge.” If the course of political events only makes it dear that the first duty of a representative of the people is to the State, and that class or party must take second place, a most valuable step in advance will have been made. But that means that each must he accorded complete liberty of thought and action, consonant with the promises which ho made when seeking election. Mr Beeby’s resignation, though terribly tardy, was at least honorable iu itself, and although it does not render Ids politics more acceptable, this consideration should protect him from venomous personal attack. It is amusing to hear the politicians exposing one another. We have Mr Griffith, for instance, ridiculing the idea of Mr

Beeby’s sudden conversion, and pointing out that for years past, the ex-Minister has been doing his best to “ perfect ” the organisation which he is now denouncing. Mr Griffith also maintains that a third party is a danger to efficient party politics. But right here he is countered by Mr Grogan, a gentleman who occupies a position and attitude towards the Liberals very similar to that which Mr Beeby occupies towards “organised” Labor, cruelly pointing out that for 15 long years Mr Griffith was himself an active member of a third party. Whatever may be said in defence of party government, it is pretty clear that it necessarily tends to destroy the respect, of the governed for those who govern them, and the disastrous effects of this destruction are becoming more and more apparent every day. It does not appear that anything short of proportional representation can strike at the root of the evil, and proportional representation itself can be circumvented by clover party managers. AUTOMATIC.

One of the most cheering items of local intelligence is that the Postmaster-General has accepted lenders for tho installation of the automatic telephone system at Balmain, Newtown, and the Glebe, three of the most populous of the Sydney suburbs. Under present conditions, the telephone, in the busy parts of the clay, is almost, useless. One rings up the exchange, and lias to wait indefinitely. One man, with a lot of spare lime on hand, as a matter of curiosity, determined to find out how long he might be kept in suspense. He kept tho receiver to his ear for a quarter of an hour, and then gave it ‘‘ best. - ’ Under the automatic system if the line nr number is engaged the fact is automatically made known, and tho loss of time is reduced to a minimum. WHERE THIEVES BREAK THROUGH.

The adage “as safe as the bank -- has received a severe shock. On Saturday last the Bank of Now South Wales opened a new branch at Surry Hills, in a new building specially erected for the business. The toller, Air Gardiner, slept on tho promises. The coin and notes were duly deposited in the strong room, which was secured by a Chubb's lock. It required two keys to open if. One of these waa tn the possession of Mr Gardiner, and the other in that of M.r Miller, the manager of the branch. On Sunday evening Mr Gardiner missed his portmanteau. Finding, on inquiry, that it must have been taken out ot his room, he became suspicious, and went down to the strong room. Everything seemed right. But he found that the lock yielded to his key, which it ought not to have done. Opening the room, he found that the money, amount - ing to about £2.300. had disappeared. It would havo been too heavy for one man to carry, and too bulky to have, been contained in tho missing portmanteau, although some, packets of coppers were left behind. The detectives were very short 1;. on the spot, and they arrived at the conclusion that, while the premises wore in course of building, some marauders must have contrived to obtain impressions of the keys and to have duplicates made. It was concluded, moreover, that they must have made their escape through the backyard of the premises. This backyard faces the Bourkc street police, barracks, where, then,) is a big squad of newly recruited constables, in training for active duty. What a chance they missed Now the police tell ns that they arc fully aware that a number of particularly expert criminals have lately arrived from England and America. They have not lost much time in getting in some of their fine work. Cases of this kind are. particularly embarrassing for the officials in charge, and they will spare no pains to bring the burglars to justice. Meanwhile, it is dear that the safety, even of a bank, can only be, ensured by the strictest and most unremitting vigilance. FIXING PRICES.

Labor is “out” for fixing prices. The prices which the Colonial Sugar Refining Company are to pay the growers for cane are to be fixed by regulation. The .Sugar Commission have ascertained that, no matter ’what may happen elsewhere, the present price in Australia of A 1 sugar is £2l IQs a ton, and from that, as a starting point, all other prices and charges are to he calculated. It is protested that this is virtually enslavement, but, protests don’t count under present conditions. _ “ c have regulated the price of labor,” retort the advocates of the proposals. “ Why can we not also regulate the price of the commodities turned out by ‘labor’’;” The fixing of prices is not to stop with sugar. The Insurance Bill, which was brought forward by the Government at the close of the session, proposes to endue the Government with the power of determining what are “ fair and reasonable ” premiums In charge for insurance. It is predicted that alfkinds of unforeseen objectionable consequences will follow the attempt, if it ever should be made. Bui. if ” Labor” wins the next Federal election, the fact will be held to he a warrant for making the politicians supreme over many other transactions and interests. They arc so wise (in their own estimation) that they think themselves competent to manage the business of everyone else. THE LABOR MOVEMENT.

It the notices of motion tabled for the next meeting of the Australian Workers’ Union can be regarded as giving any indication of the probable trend of events, the country workers are as completely disillusioned concerning the Labor Ministry as are a number of the electors who returned them to power. One bra nch (ehcaws) demands that the State Labor party shall bo compelled to support the Referendum, or else, that the AAV.IT. shall withdraw all financial support from it. This is signicant, for the. A.W.U. are by far (.ho wealthiest of the country unions, and have, made themselves responsible for the maintenance of the ‘Worker.’ the accredited Labor weekly. One lodge condemn the M'Gowen Government for the “constantviolation” of the Labor platform. Another propose to ask the meeting to put on record their “disgust” with the party for slaughtering the Shearers and Farm Laborers’ Accommodation Act. There is a long list of similar motions. The central branch demand that the " State Labor party be called upon to remove Mr Beeby from Ministerial office. Some people tell us that it was the prospect of this resolution being carried and acted upon that prompted the resignation of the Minister of Labor, and thus brought about the contest which is now convulsing the Blaney electorate. Perhaps the feature which bodes most trouble is the proposed amalgamation of the A.W.U., now consisting of “ persons engaged in pastoral work.” with labor employed in agricultural, fruitgrowing, sugar-growing, rabbit-trapping,

and all kinds of general labor. Once such an organisation is perfected, and proceeds to enforce its claims, tho question whether those claims are feasible will at once be raised. In tho city it is not only possible but common for employers to enter into combination with the unions against the general public, and to “pass on” to the latter the increased cost brought about by higher wages and shorter hours. But in the great primary producing industries of the country this is impossible. Nature j gives tho grazier or the cultivator what | lie earns, neither more, nor less. If a wages hoard decides that he. shall have more, there is no fund from which he can obtain it. The struggle which must come sooner nr later, will come sooner if the proposed amalgamation is carried into effect. SHIPPING TROUBLES. The shipping trouble, grows more, and more, intense. Following tho quashing of Mr Justice Higgins's award by the High Court, an award which coastal shipowners declare to bo. unworkable, the firm of Sir Allen Taylor, which is largely interested in the timber trade, is said to have notified their officers that it will bo necessary to arrive at a fresh agreement. Previously to the making of the award, the secretary of the Merchant Service Guild states that some of the officers worked 100 hours per week—is such a thing possible f —and the pay was something like 4-id per hour. The award made the number of hours 48, at Is 3d per hour, with overtime at 2s 6d per hour. The jump is certainly very great, so great that any administrator of practical experience would hesitate to attempt it- in one act. At any rate, the owners of many of the. coasting craft would he very glad to earn as much money for themselves as they arc expected to pay their skippers and mates. All this tends to throw the limber trade more and more into the, hands of the New Zealand shippers, so that “ it’s an ill wind that blows no one good." December 30.