Grey River Argus and Blackball News FRIDAY,' MAY 29, 1914.

Grey River Argus, 29 May 1914, Page 4

Grey River Argus and Blackball News

FRIDAY,' MAY 29, 1914.

Delivered o?ary i&ormsiK m tfreymoutb, Knmara, HoKiiika, Uobßon, WalJ»eai, -lavior Villa, Bruunerton, Sfcillwater. MsaHeru, BluoKball! Nelson Cteek, Atoaura, lkamutua, VVaiut.a, Keeftou, Cronodun, Bunauga, liuuoihe. Cuuaen, ti»»ei s, Kotori, J?atara, iLaiHuisu,, Arußita KoSufcu, atouna, Buru, ie Kiuia, itotumanu' roarus, I ■ boxinie, Jaokßons anu Otn a;

The Opposition are determined to spar© no efforts to regain tHe >4 Grey seat and with that end we have had visits from no less than four members of the "Flying Squadron." "Caparisons," Mrs Malaprop says, "are odorous," but we must say that the "star" member of the Squadron was reserved for the last. Mr L. M. Isitt, who spoke in the Town Hall on Wed nesday night, was in a class by himself as compared with the member for Nelson, who^ at the best is a mere political mountebank, whose stock in trade is vituperation which he pours out by the yard for the delectation of the unthoughtful, and the disgust of the thinking- portion of the community. There was nothing of this style'of talk in Mr Isitt's address, and although he attacked the Government he did so in such a way that there was no malice or spleen in his utterances. At times he was genuinely humorpus, and he made a good attempt to bolster up , a bad causeWith his remarks with regard to the sectarian bitterness introduced into the recent bye-election here we are fully in accord, and we trust that his rebuke,to the people of the Grey electorate will be taken fully to heart. So far as 'this paper is concerned, we will do out utmost to Keep the reli-

gious- element out. of the ■ struggle, jand we quite believe that our contem porary will do the same; The question at issue is. ■■not a man's religion but his political opinions, and 1 religion is on a . totally different plane from politics! We arc also pleased to know that Mr Isitt admits that the "Flying Squadron" would be far better employed enunciating a policy than going - about the country trying I to discredit the Massey Government. Mr Isitt, like aIT the Opposition and their supporters, is fond of referring to the Massey Government as the Conservative Government and' as the old Tories with a new name. The thing is ridiculous, and Mr Isitt knows perfectly-well that there is no similarity between the Reform Party and those that are known in England as the Conservatives. In fact, Mr Isitt tacitly admits this when he says that the Massey Party never *t tacked the 'Liberal Policy, but only their administration which, we know, was reckless in the extreme. The "Fly ing Squadron" as. a whole admit unconsciously that the word Conservative as applied to the Reform Party is a misnomer, for they charge the Reform Party with stealing their policy and using % as their own. How in the name of reason could a strictly Conservative Government steal a Liberal Policy,"and use it as their own? Wte' "will be hearing next that King-Carson-stole Mr Asquith's Home Rule Bill'" and the Unionists using it as their own. The Reform Party de cidedly accused/ the Liberal Government of borrowing recklessly and spending recklessly. The National Debt went up by leaps and bounds during that regime, and as for spend mg reckless, Mr Isitt has. only to visit the rapidly decaying town of Ho kitika and' ask himself why such mag nificent public buildings w<ue erected there Mr Isitt has visited other parts of the Dominion, and as he' is a. gentleman who keeps his eyes about him, he must have seen other evidences of the Liberals' prodigality When Mr J. Allen dubbed them the "scatter-cash" Ministry he was hitting the hail fairly on the head. Mr Isitt is greatly concerned because, as he alleges, the greater part ot the big landowners in New Zealand sup port Mr Massey. If such is the case they do' so for sonre other leason than Mr Massey's attitude on the land question. The big "squatters" had nothing to fear from the Liberal Administration, for it was during that regime that "the big land monopolies were allowed to flourish. The sup port accorded the Massey Government by the landowners m common with the rest of the law abiding pan of the community is because they know that Mr Massey will maintain law and order at any costs, and allow those who wish to work to do so without any fear of intimidation. Mr Isitt must- find it a considerable wrettch to his principles to know that he is supporting a party that has at its back the Brewing interests in New Zealand. We ■-• do not think that he was altogether happy in his refereneces to the strike. He gave some sound advice when he said that there were no short cv's to Labour ideals, and Ihose who thought that they could ameliorate their condition by adopting the ' methods of revolutionary Socialism and Syndicalism were ically doing irreparable damage to their cause. The ballot box was open to all, and, it was by its means that Labour must enter into its own. Mr Isitt, however, spoiled the effect of this good advice by trying to make the audience believe that the recent, strike was engineered by some of the employers in OJfder to enable the Massey Government to "deal a crushing blow 'o Labour. He did not say so in so many words, but the implication was there that Mr Massey and the Government were in the plot that had for its object the crushing of- the worker The people of .Greymouth have had too much experience...of the Red Feds to be caught with such chaff. The Grjeymou'th Wa-tersiders kbow the real facts of the position, and their support of the present Government is ample refutation of the charges of Mr Isitt. His closing appeal to the electors of Grey to support the Liberals on account of their glorious traditions of the past fell very flat, when the people know that the Ward Government when in power were con tent to rest on the laurels gained by the founders of Liberalism -in New Zealand —Ballamce, Grey and Seddon. and that year by year they fell away in the confidence, of the people uni! they went down and out. All who study the political situation know per fectly well that the only chance for the Liberals to get back into office will be by allying themselves with the Social Democrats, and what- soit of measures will they be able to put-on the Statute Book with the Red Feds holding the balance of power. Under suclr conditions New Zealand will soon cease to be God's Own CountryWe think, however, tha"- the' people of New Zealand have learned their lesson too well for such a terrible tragedy to come to pass.

We are constantly reading of raids on Chinese gambling dens in various r>arts of the Dominion, but we seldom if ever hear of European gamblers being brought to task*. This gives rise to the Question as v to whether discrimination is ma<V' between yellow find white in regard to {rambling. It is well known that' gambling goes on in f'society houses" wheTe the devotees .indulge -viii -their favourite games of chance quite imrauiU from any raid by the police. The distinction drawn by custom does not appear ,to be between white and yellow but between rich and t>oor. The poor man cannot afford the necessary facilities forgambling in safety. x*lf he wants to* play "two-up"* he has to go into the bush, or, if he uses a room it cam be easily/raided. The 1 poor Chinese also have "to use room? that are easily ao cessibie. If wealthy Chinese formed a club they could gamble with in>

punity. The police cannot- attack "so- ■ ciety" .gambling much as they would, like; to. do so, for how can.: they; get the reciuisite information? iTo be effective action would have to oe taken in ia comprehensive way. and thai) would involve a huge amount of work, and, in the end;- very little result. The fact is that the Government does not possess 'effective powers in this direction. It cannot employ an army of police; it cannot put spies on every •private house and if it could, the eviL of such wholesale interference with the privacy and freedom of citizens would be far worse than the Tesults of gambling.. All that the police can do is to hit at the head most accessible, which -happens to be the Chinaman,or the player of two-up-

The highly dignified Senate of the United. States is not above a little frivolous talk now and then- It can condescend to listen to matters of much less weight than Mexican wars and Panama tolls. Recently it was entertained by Senator Tillman's experiences with his rheumatism. Perhaps his brother Senators are also rheumatic, , and thus understood tKe gravity of the question. Middle-aged folks are apt to have troubles of that sort, and" no doubt a fair percentage of the Senators had qualified' to put into use Senator Tillmlan's -method which is as follows: —"Before rising in the morning remove the pillows from under the head and lie flat on tine back. Draw deep breaths and begin by raising the legs and kicking- one foot outs.fifteen times, then inhale; repeat the operation with the' btfier foot, then Tepeat the performance with both feet. Inhale to the. limit after each; movement." This, said the Senator, is "kicking--the rheumatism out of bed." Dominion legislators should note, and copy the Senator's philanthropic example- And why limit'the discussion to diseases? Why not introduce cooking, clothes or anything else? If the pages of Hansard were liberally sprinkled with "sure cures" - concerning "baldness," "corns'* and "Tired feeling" and the other iss that flesh is heir to, and if the reader could Toly on other useful tips and hints about the matters of every-day life, the public might read that at present much n&glected publication. Even the fair sex might read it in" greater numbers under the impression that Parliament is a really • useful institution.: ' - ' ■»

A Social will be held this Friday evening, in, the Oddfellows' Hall. Admission : Ladies is, gentlemen is 6d. Proceeds in aid of Trinity Churcih funds. The Committee are requested to be at the Hall at 2 o'clock to make final arrangements. — Advt. An organ recital by Mr. Eric R. Moss will be. given in St. John's Church on Monday, June Ist, assisted by St> John's Choir/ Mrs. York (organ ist at Holy Trinity Church). Mr .R. Harrison (vocalist) "Mr. C- Moss ('cello) and Mr, G. Holder (violin). The programme is now being issued, and includes some of the very best musical selections. Ovjfing to the unavoidable absence of Mr. j. -G. L. Hewitt. Magistrate. ' Mr. Wyvern Wilson, Magistrate of Westporti arrived in Reefton at 2 p.m. yesterday. Word has just come to town from the Energetic Mine to r send up the Ambulance and a doctor. We are informed that a "bottle . f el down the pass 'and struck a man on the head. The extent of the injury is not yet ascertained' — Reefton correspondent. ,Soine curiosity is being expressed at Bluff) concerning the whereabouts of the General Giant salvage brigantine. whicli left 'Frisco over three months ago for the Auckland Islands. She was to call at the Society Islands and Bluff-: en' route to - the Aucjdands, but nothing so far has been heard at Bluff concerning the vessel since her departure 'frorn-'iftie American port. A recent cablegram stated that the price of land: in Melbourne's main thoroughfares approaches £800 a foot. That inflated value (has not yet been reached' in Wellington, but a "transaction recently' completed by Messrs Longmbre and Co. 'showed that land in Manners- street is now worth £200 a foot. *' Messrs Longmore, representing the Grace: Trustees, have sold to Mr ;• Robert" Hannah a piece ct lano in Mannas' stj-eec, on which is erected a wooden occupied by Gourney Bros. Miss Cooper (florist), and Mr .Walling, (tobacconistl. At .the Tear of the section thele is a bnck ( building occupied by Messrs Rason and Rosseir;- as a ' factory. The frontage Bf the section is 50 feet and the depth 'isv^a- feet!.- The^urchase motfey to be paid is stated to be in the vicinity qi. £13^000. ot temper is not sufficieht justification for a wife to leave her husband, or ior a husband to leave his wile," said His Honour. Mrr Justice Cooper in the course of his summing-up in a' divorce action at the Auckland Supreme Court. His Honour said that counsel for respondent, in the case had contended that if both' husband and wife had tempers tfiere was justification for one. leaving- the other. "I say emphatical lv thapthere isvnot," said His Honour "there must be other justification. The legal" right, for one spouse, to leave another because of incompatibility of thinner, does not exist in New.- Ze? land',- and it is" not sufficient nrround' for one. leavin? the other. W^n tw peopler-Vre unhappily matched, the^ should^ have a desire to firet on wt». each <Jther as' well a<; possible. would justify one in If^vjng the other must b| something- more,. than incompatibility of temper." .His Honour said a man often, unfortunately, M* his^wife because he had grown tiTe<? of supnorting her. A woman, as a rule; did .not . leave her husband anc 1 children, unless there was anpther mar. in tJhe ; r ba,ck.QTbund. Tf there w<is tip such man. it was only a reasonable presumnHon th^t the condition « wder which, she, lived whh' her husband had become intolerable' to her. The habit of pitching the voice' in tones sufficiently low to be in keeping with; thie dignity of judicial proceed ings is) beconiinig increasingly prao tsed »; the Auckland Supreme Court. His Honor, Mr. Justice Cooper adopts a qui^t. iiibdufed' tone. Counsel, f ollowinj? suit, turn squarely to the jury, and address the good men and true in -an " almost sepulchral murmur, which leaves no room for dramatic effects. ' And by the time' the quaking witness gets into the box the cvi dence is given in a sor£ of confidential whisper which is lost in the echoing vault of the (hall, long before it reaches the ears of the ctaning public. Indeed; the sotto voce, habit is becom ing s6 marked that tfie Coun might be dubbed a hall of whispers; and,* if instead of the present "unwasihed. in significant windows, which indifferent ly do 4uty as admitters" of light, and are grotesquely out of harmony with the oth.er sombre trappings, there were "storied., windows -richly dight," the ■hall would impart an almost devotional atmosphere. Which, of course, may be in some respects fittine enough for a. Court of Law. but tends to, destroy the of publicity in^ judicial proceedings ,in that the public can only catch a word here and there- There is, apparently, still something- to^be said f oir.: tflie archaic and " ; sonorous phraseology of the older Courts, which is so often condemned as a laboured and obsolete relic of the past, for that at least, is audible. We have some wonderful values in ladies all wool Sport coats, both; in the knitted and fleecy woven make. We are heavily stocked in the above, have about 70 in all colours, some with straps across the back, some short, fashionable shapes, other long_ shaped. These jerseys are in all colours, tan, nayyi brown, saxe, cerisse, white, black, reseda, scarlet, etc., prices running from 10s 6d to 45s* These are well worth your attention. —WALKER, Boundary Street.— Advt New Zealand is not far behind ' America in producing Teady-to-wear cloth ing^fpr: men. You will be surprised to find bowperfectilv vou_can be fitted from the. range of ready-to-wear suits held by C. Smith's, Ltd. They, are just the thing for .Winter wear. Special line of men's (tailored) suits reduc ed to 3^s, 6d a suit. We are. showing this week in our windows" a special range of ladies trim' mcd hats, all one price. 7s 6d. They are marvellous value of good quality. and worth double the T>rice. We have every confidence in placing these hats on the market, beinjr sterling' vaIue.— WALKER, Boundary Street.— Advt. ...