Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

(FROM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.') Sydney, Oct. 10. THE “ WORKING MAN ” IN SYDNEY. The u working man " is boss of the situation in Sydney. Though he often has to go hungry, pulpit and press and political orations vie with one another in the fervour of their assurances that he is monarch of all he surveys. Many a sermon and leading article, and all stump speech leaves the thread of its original argument to administer a little “ jam ’ to the omnipotent Demos, who, it is tacitly assumed, must be kept in order like a epoiled child, by flattery and indulgence. The flattery is generally eo transparent that even a blind man could aee through it. The indulgence la often of a kind that a self-respecting mtn, much more a self-respecting class, would reject with scorn, but it is to be presumed that it answers its purpose, for the empire of the “working man " remains undisturbed, and the homage paid him is more servile than ever. lam led into this train of thought by the eight-hour demonstration. It is usually held on the first Monday in October, but king Demos, who, to do him justice, pays as little attention to his own rules as to those of other people, decided this year to hold it on the second Monday. The Government dutifully and obediently proclaimed the second day a holiday instead ot the first, and preparations were made accordingly. But one item had not been taken into the account, and that was, the weather. The first Monday had been beautifully fine. Last Monday, the day of the celebration, it rained “ cats and dogs.” But the Committee, knowing they had a complaisant Government to fall back upon, were equal to the occasion. They postponed the celebration, and asked the Premier to have yet another holiday pro claimed on Monday next. Here was a quandary. A statesman, dependent for his popularity on the votes of the horny-handed, was asked for a favor, which only signified the disorganising of all commercial arrangements and the stoppage ot nearly all work in order that the eight-hour men might “ procesh ” in peace, and bless their benefactor at the next general election unless in the meantime he did something to offend them. But Sir Henry grew fractious. Evan the spoiled child must

be brought up sharp sometimes, more often in fact than the child who is not spoiled : so he refused the holiday, and the eight hour procession will be held next Monday. The rest of the community may come and look on if they like, but no Government “screw” will be applied to make them do *O. lam farther credibly informed that the Premier added insult to injury by chaffing the deputation which preferred the modest request, telling them that he himself had no holiday on eighthour day and that hi* usual hours of work per diem were nearer eighteen than eight. In which heretical sentiments he is, I fear, supported by the whole of the journalistic guild, which reports, both his doings and theirs. We watt with bated breath the next ukase from the eight-hour men. Will it be “ off with hi* head ” or the transference of the labor vote at the next general election ? PARKES AND HIS SEAT.

While on this topic I may say that Sir Henry'* chances of re-election in his own electorate of North Shore are considered by the cognoscenti to be very slender. Hi* opponents aver that he secured his seat by promising all sort* of thing* among others a bridge across the harbor. But the bridge is no nearer completion than ever it was, and now the Premier declares that he will push through his Local Government BUI which is intended to render it difficult, if not impossible, for any district to receive expensive benefit* from the public purse. The sooner our present system comes to an end the better. It inevitably tends to a form of indirect bribery in the shape of public works. A politician may secure election by making promises, which, when he gets his seat, he cannot honestly fulfil. Then his oonatituents feel excusably disgusted, and at the next election he has to p ok up his portmanteau and betake himself to fresh fields and pastures new. In this way, if. he is prominent enough, he may make the round of half th® electorate* in the oountry. “booms” and “boom sharks.” Occasionally a great wave of credulity passes over the country, sweeping away with it even those who should be specially on their guard. The silver “ boom ” was a case in point. Millions were subscribed by the public in the vain hope that in defiance of all probability hundred* of million* were speedily to be mad* from silver. As a mutter of fact not one of the undertaking* which were floated has returned a farthing of profit a'>d very few of them are likely to do so. They have swallowed up tbeir millions as effectively as Pharoah's lean ine swallowed the fat ones, without the slightest profit. Yet cautious journalists were carried away with the rest. They began to talk about “ the silver age ” in a manner that materially swelled the excitement and no doubt encouraged many foolish people to speculate to their ruin. The “boom” has now passed away and silverminiug is hardly mentioned in editorial column*. I m*y state in passing that there is undoubtedly an abundance of silver ore in the colony, and much of it will prove to be payable. There is therefore every reason to hope that some return may be obtained from tfee capital and energy expended in mining. But that is a very different thing to expecting a return from bubble capitals of hundreds of thousands or from the money which has been poured into the gaping maw of the mining shark. AN INOCULATION CRAZE. The silver craze has passed. But it seems we must delude ourselves in come way, and the present craze is for inoculation. Certain obscure conditions cause anthrax or Cumberland disease in our flocks and herds. We are now told that by a magic scratch which inoculates them with the disease in a mild form, wp mqy relieve our minds from all necessity tfl enquire intq tfeos® conditions, may in fact defy tflenj W)th injpunjtir. Tip* astounding position is oonsidered tq be established by the result of certain experiments which have been made by M. Pasteur's representatives at Junes. These experiments showed that sheep which had had one attack of anthrax produced by inoculation, were proof against a second. This principle, in thp case of smallpox, m eaB ' eB > and Be * era l other djseasd?, wa§ thoroughly well known before M. Pasteur’s emperioism wab heard of. And the same unreasonable expectations have been deduced from it. A centqrv ago inoculation for smallpox was as fashionable as inoculation is for anthrax to-day. It was thought that it wa» going to exterminate the disease in the same delightfully short and easy method. But the results were *o disastrous that it was found necessary to prohibit inoculatioh by law—a result which waa not achieved until'every third or fourth person had been pitted with the disease: In the same way it was hoped that inoculation was going to’ exterminate pleuro from the herds of Great Britain. But inoculation for pleuro has now been reluctantly abandoned, Judged from general principles, what would be thought of the sanity of the man who sought to prevent fire by spreading fire ? Yet, comparing disease to fire, that is just what the inoculationists propose to do. There are, I believe, some forty million sheep in New Mouth Wales. 1 To make each of those forty million sheep a centre s qf anthrax dilate is the aim of the more zealous propagandists. Can any sane man believe that such a course would be productive of other than tbegreatest disaster, or that such disaster would be well deserved ?

Another point which must not be lost sight of i» that iu every inoculation all the inooulafele taint* of the. animals from wfljch one virus is taken, are also communicated. Tuberculosis, cancer, and a host of Other diseases could thus be spread broadcast over the oountry until it wontd be next to impossible to find an animal that had escaped contagion. This chimera of destroying disease by ■prearjing disease is as dangorous as it is absurd. Ydt teworing the plain teaching of common-ease and the equally plain instruction of history, our metropolitan leaders of public opinion are pounding on the gaaziers of the colony to take this suicidal step. Every healthy sensibility revolts from the idea of infecting healthy bodies by the iutro motion of disease virus. But it seems there is a very general desire to suppress the sensibilities which are healthy in order to indulge those which are morbid end irra* tlonkb

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GSCCG18881025.2.11

Bibliographic details

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 213, 25 October 1888, Page 2

Word Count
1,477

OUR SYDNEY LETTER. Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 213, 25 October 1888, Page 2

OUR SYDNEY LETTER. Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 213, 25 October 1888, Page 2

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert