The Globe. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1274, 18 April 1878, Page 2

The Globe. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1878.

The payment of overtime to tho men employed on tho southern section of the railways appears to have been of brief duration. A paragraph which appears elsewhere informs us that they have been notified of its cessation and a return to tho old system, Tho Oamaru men, however, declined to do this, and preferred leaving their employment. Our contemporary does not inform us whether tAo men received imymeut for tho overtime or yet, It may be that they wore in the same position as the Christchurch employes, who have £pr a long time been living in hope. Thhs is how the Govorumoiit cl

George Grey keeps ilio promises made by it. Probably it was thought that the fact of the men having enjoyed for one week the ‘‘anticipation” of being paid for their overtime was a sufficient redemption of the promise made by Mr. Larnach. It seems ridiculous that such a farce should bo enacted as this. To lead men on to believe that their overtime would bo paid foi’, all the while knowing that it was never intended to bo paid, is scarcely worthy of the Government, for they are the parties I’osponsiblo for this state of things. The only way of dealing with the subject is for the men employed on the Christchurch section to bring the whole matter formally again before the Government, and if no redress is obtained, then before the Assembly. An injustice has been done, and done, apparently, deliberately, and if the men carry out the course we have indicated they would have, wo fool sure, the sympathy of the public generally, and perhaps what is a most unjust state of things will be altered. That it has been allowed to and that the men should have been deceived does not speak well for the good faith of the Government which promised so largely to the working class.

The City Council are bestirring themselves in the matter of more efficiently lighting the city. Tenders have been called for the supply of twenty-six new lamp posts, and no doubt before the winter sots in they will be in position. Now that the matter is coming before the Council, wo should like to suggest to them the advisabloness of constructing the now lamps with the efficient reflecting apparatus which has boon fixed on some now in use. It has been found greatly to increase the illuminating power of the lamps without any extra expenditure of gas, and that is a very important consideration. Any one who has taken the trouble to compare the light given by the ' two kinds of lamps will agree with us that wherever possible the Council should introduce the improvement referred to. So far as the addition to the lighting of the city goes it is satisfactory, but wo hope that the Council will consider the fact that the city is rapidly increasing, and that it will bo necessary, ore long, to contemplate still further and more extensive additions. For the present, the twenty-six new lamps will servo as an instalment of what will bo necessary by-aud-by, and now that the dark winter evenings are approaching they will bo found of infinite service in the localities, which may be selected for their erection. We have made no suggestions on this head, as no doubt the Lighting Committee of the Council have carefully considered the requirements of the now uulighted parts of the city, and have apportioned them accordingly. There is just one more point to which wo desire to direct attention, and that is the present system of extinguishing the public lamps at 1 a.m. Now we do not desire to urge at once, and without consideration, that the time of extinction shall be extended to sunrise. But we do say that this is worthy the serious consideration of the Council whether it is within their means to accomplish this, or, if not to sunrise, to say 4or 5 a.m. Under ..present nights is practically at the mercy of evil disposed persons. It is true that the police are vigilant and active, but their usefulness is impaired, to a very great extent, by the absence of the very thing which would aid them in detecting crime, viz., light. To an expert burglar the work of robbing three parts of our places of business would be a matter of the greatest ease, and with but small chance of detection. The whole of the public lights being extinguished, one great preventive of crime is removed, and a premium, as it were, offered for robbery. Other cities, of not much larger growth than Christchurch —Dunedin and Auckland for instance—have Long recognised the fact that light is one of the most potent allies the police force can have, and lamps in these cities are kept burning from sunset to sunrise. At the time this contract was entered iipto first with this stipulation, not only was Christchurch smaller, but it must be remembered that it was then compulsory on holders of publicans’ licenses to keep a light burning outside their premises all night. These, to some extent, made up for the paucity and early extinction of the street lamps. But this has now been done away with, and it is quite time the question was considered by the Council, with a view to an alteration in the direction of extending the hours during which the lamps shall remain lighted. This need not be, at the farthest, more than three or four hours. By that time any danger of burglary would bo at an end, as a large section of the iuhabitabts would bo stirring. The cost of these few hours’ light would not bo very largo, whilst the protection afforded would bo worth a great deal. As we have said, we do not advocate rushing into this matter without duo thought, but wo think that the question, whether the time has not arrived when it is necessary to extend the time of extinction of the public lamps, is one well worthy of the serious consideration of tho City Council.