CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIII, Issue 10593, 28 February 1895, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

Tha pleasantness of “ divine philosophy/'-! upon which poets have i expatiated, does not' appear con* i

PHILOSOPHICAL !

spicuously in recent proceedings of the Wellington Philosophical Institute. At very undignified debate took place at’the 1 annual meeting of the Wellington’philosophers, the provoking cause being a paper read by Sir Walter Buller, on * that queer, product of New Zealand . known as “the vegetable caterpillar." At a previous meeting, Mr W. M. Maskell had maintained that this creature was animal at one end and vegetable at the other. Sir Walter held in his paper that it was entirely vegetable. A specimen forwarded by him to the Government Analyst to test the question, had resulted in Mr Skey reporting that there was -no trace of animal substance -in the,so-called “skin" of the caterpillar. Notwithstanding the idea that the caterpillar would he found only under the kauri or rata, he had found it all over the southern part of the North Island, where the kauri had never been, and in places where there was no rata. This declaration that the “caterpillar" was really a vegetable threw discredit on a “ careful microscopic examination" made by Mr Maskell, and that gentleman warmly resented Sir Walter's action. He-declared Sir Walter’s conduct to be “so peculiar as to place him outside the bounds of scientific discussion;” he declined to serve on the Council of the Institute with his critic, and threatened to report him to the fioyal Society of England, of which Sir Walter is a member. The reply of Sir Walter Buller to this attack was, on the whole, temperate, but he was led to indulge in strong epithets. The speech of Mr Maskell he characterised as “ puerile and childish ”; he said that gentleman had lost his' temper, and had made assertions l ' "'which were entirely falsa, and which he should have been-ashsmed to utter.” The Chairman (Major-General Sohaw) tried to stop the “ unfortunate ” discussion, but it kept on, despite his appeal—quite a number of non-philoaophical contributions emanating from the assembled philosophers. It was ultimately resolved to allow Sir Walter to make a written replyto Mr Maskell, and that reply'has appeared in full in the Wellington newspapers. Having got rid of the troublesome caterpillar, or Oordiceps Roberisii, as it is called.by scientists,.the members of the Philosophical Institute soothed their ruffled feelings by engaging in awed inspection of a new shell from the Bay of Islands, ..five new species of “daddy longlegs," and other natural wonders.

women’s WORK IN CHINA.

If the employment of women is a marked, feature of the end of the present, century in English epeak-

i ing lands, it ds, none the less so in a highly organised, way in China. In the East there are, of course, a great number of women workers, but. among all these the brightest, smartest, and gayest, are, according to a lady traveller, the silk workers* Among, many large and important factories in

the Sing Chang Filature for a personal visit,, and her account of theworkers and of their mode of fife affords some interestJ .ing,reading. Nine hundred? women asuf girls were employed in the building t »aact in the excellent; organisation she found much 1 to admire.;- lasfceadofiforemon.aha found' fore-women-of European*ertmctaoni each of whom was invested with the; same position and power as a man, .and answerable >to ‘ the man who was •at the head of the whole establishment. The workers themselves- were neatly "dressed in pretty shades of Chinese blue, with, their perfectly smooth hair decorated! with brilliantly - coloured flowers and, glittering pins. On their tiny fees they wore gaily-decorated shoes, which they exhibited with great pride. But what struck the visitor most forcibly waai the bright look on the faces of the women. 1 as they toiled in their large, clean end well-ventilated' workrooms. It must be borne in mind, ?ho waver, that ailk-weaving is not always carried on under euohfavourable circumstances as these; in smaller and! plainer workshops the conditions may be ft and no doubt often are, far less pleasantWork commenced in this filature at 5.3 C s.m. and continued until 5 p.m. Outofthie period ten minutes are taken during the morning for breakfast, which is brought with each worker, and an hour for luncheon. Little girls over ten are per-’ mitted to work, but a great many have been found to misrepresent their age, for they prefer working and earning 2£d a day to staying at home. The women earn 44 a day, with a small addition on Saturday, for those whose work has been satisfactory-’ It is said tbat the factories in which forewomen are employed are far more popular than those overlooked by men.

THE MINIMUM WAGE.

If Australia is, generally speaking, “ a generation behind New Zealand in labour matters,” there is one point'

upon which it has made more definite progress than we have, and that is in the adoption by the Governments of a minimum rate of wages in connection with all contracts for the execution of works for the State. The Premier of New, Zealand a few days ago said there were! difficulties in the way of fixing the rata oE wages to be paid by Government coa-| tractors; but the difficulties have-not’been! found insuperable in New South Wales,! where the following scale has been established by the Minis terof Public Works s

The reason ;for'fixing the wageless in soma cases for country work is that living in the country is cheaper than in Sydney or! Newcastle, but it is not expected that' boilermakers, fitters, shipwrights ana copper and brass-workers would obtain more than temporary-employment inland, 1 and hence no distinction has keen-made in those trades. The Government of Victoria is also introducing this- system, and it is understood-will -fistho rates of wages accordingfto the-scale in the first of the foregoing columns, with the exception that the wagesifor tradesmen not specified ■will be 6s 6d or 6s 8d per day instetd of 6s. This policy does not fit in with the theories of the older economists, with their ’iron laws of wages, supply and demand, -and so forth; bat its wisdom and baae-, ificenco cannot be-doubted. It will operate to reduce the evils of competition with! the corollaries of "slummed” work and reduced wages, and it will place the State in the position of an exemplar, to private employers of labour, instaac|of a competitor with them for the purchase of the worker’s sole commodity at a starvation price. The rates of pay fixed in New South Wales are approved by the Trades Unions, and may be taken as fairly representing the standard of wages now earned in that colony. To fix the Govern-* ment scale lower than the current rate? would be to make “the minimum wage ■curse instead of a blessing to the workiag i classes. .

Trade. Sydney and Newcastle Districts, Country,',; Districts^ * Per Day* Per Day* - 'Carpenters ... ... s. d. • b. d. 8 0 < 7 0 . Masons ... ... ... 10 O'; 8 0 - Bricklayers ... 9 0 8 0 Plasterers a. o , s Boilermakers and fitters 9' 0 , 9i;so , Blacksmiths... ... ... 8 6 7 0 Painters 7 6 6 6 Fitters 9 0 9 0 Plumbers ... 8 6 7 6 Shipwrights... 9 6 9 >6 Copper and brass-workers. 9 0 9.0 Moulders ... 7 0 ■ Engine-drivers Workmen not included 7 6 6 6above 6 0 5-0