CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIV, Issue 10704, 13 July 1895, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

The League tor the Promotion and Development o£ Gold-mining recently formed at Hokitika has just issued

GOLDMINING.

its second “ leaflet,” which explains at some length the objects of the organisation. The promoters repudiate the suggestion that they wish to flood the district with the “unemployed,” who, "in. the guise of prospectors, and assisted from the public purse, would entail a heavy expenditure on the country.” Their purpose is to collect reliable information respecting proved auriferous ground which cannot bo worked profitably by small parties of miners, owing to want-of capital to provide adequate appliances. They divide such ground into three classes—-(1) Ground which offers a profitable field for the employment of capital by means of public companies; (2) ground within the scope of associations of miners assisted by Government subsidies; and (3) ground which is of euoh extent as to warrant the State in providing the means of working. It will be interesting to see how far the Leaguo will manage to secure the confidence of the “public companies” which may be expected to turn attention to the ground included in the first of these divisions. So far it has not vouchsafed much informatiou with regard to its constitution, and we may be permitted to remind its chairman and' secretary that investors at a distance from the scene of operations are not likely to commit their interests to unknown advisers. The same remark applies, of course, to the proposal for working the second class of ground. • Local experience would be of the greatest value to cooperative parties of miners, but the Government will require to bo satisfied that these parties have a reasonable prospect of success before it subsidises their efforts. The third class of ground offers very wide possibilities. The League believes that it would provide a field for the permanent employment of a large, body of men, who would earn sufficient to pay the State a substantial rate of interest on the money invested. In support of this it quotes the case of the Kamara water-race, which after costing the Government nearly .£41,000, has paid interest during the past six years at the rate of 12'18 per cent. “It affords,” we are told, “employment to 150 miners, with at least eighty more engaged in supplying them in different ways. It enables these miners to produce gold of "an average value of .-834,994 a year, audit returns to the State in interest three times what the State has to pay for the money.” This is indeed a bright picture of the profitable application of capital and labour, and if the League can promote a few more such achievements it will amply justify its existence.

WINTER WORK FUND.

It has been made unpleasantly clear daring the past few days that this fund is not jet large enough to

bear the strain that is likely to be placed upon it before the end o£ the winter. This week the Mayor, who has been entrusted with the expenditure of the money within the city, has given work to a largelyincreased number of men, but yesterday ho was unable to make room for an additional batch, of the unemployed. These poor fellows were sent away—evidently hungry and dejected—•with a promise that their cases would he considered next week I This means that there are at least a score of men in Christchurch at the present moment who are denied the opportunity to secure the bare pittance provided by the subscribers to the fund. There are, we fear, scores of others who are only just managing to keep body and soul together with their scanty earnings. The Mayor and his fellow-workers are doing their very best with the money at their disposal, but they cannot dp nearly all that they wish until they have some assurance that the support of the public will be continued. There are' a great number of people, well able to do so, who have not yet responded to the committee’s appeal. We cannot believe that they are indifferent to the sufferings of their poorer neighbours; but they are certainly neglecting a plain duty that has bean kept prominently before them by the public Frees. But while the “ well-to-do ” portion of the community has not come forward in, this matter as liberally as it should have done, wP may remind those who are not “ well-to-do” that the relief of the unfortunate is a privilege that belongs to all classes, and that if the hundreds of people who can afford to give only shillings and sixpences will contribute their " mites ” without any further delay the Mayor will soon be relieved of the painful necessity of telling hungry men to wait for bread.

AN authors’ CLUB.

The annual , dinner of the English Society of Authors was held recently at the Holborn Restaurant, Lon-

don, when representatives of all departments of literature were present, from illustrious scientists like Sir Henry Thompson and Sir Eichard Garnett, down to writers of more popular and less learned works like Mies Mnrryatt and Miss Shaw. Mr H. M. Stanley was there, representing the literature of discovery and adventure; Mr Edmund Gosse appeared on behalf of the school of famous critics; while Madame Sarah Grand, Mr Walter Besaut and Mr Hall Caine were conspicuous among the writers of fiction. The club, as Mr Anthony Hope Hawkins stated in responding to the toast of “ Literature,” was originally founded to protect distressed authors and abolish Grnbb Street, Its promoters hoped that it would grow in power and influence till it became nob only a court of appeal for distressed authors, but also the highest court of honour for its own members. The Chairman (Mr Moberly Bell), in proposing the toast of “The Incorporated Society of Authors,” in the course of a clever and amusing speech maintained the right of the Press to stand iu the front rank of literature- He said that while “ the most popular individual in that company counted his or her readers by thousands, the Press counted its readers by hundreds of thousands; and while the moat energetic individual in that company only published ten or twelve volumes in a year, the Press published more than that amount of matter in a day. The Press wrote tragedy in its police news, comedy in its parliamentary reports, and fiction in its advertisements. The Society of Journalists was a most virtuous body, which assertion he made on the indisputable authority of one of the society’s own committees.” Sir Francis Joune, Q.C., in proposing “ Literature,” referred to the connection, between journalism aad the.

law and stated, amidst applause, his admiration of the action of journals who refused to publish evidence which they considered in the interests of the general public ought not to be published. The gathering, on which the presence of ladies had, doubtless, a sobering and refining influence, broke up, we are told, at an unusually early hour.

children's COMPETITIONS.

It has been proposed, in connection with the forthcoming Industrial Exhibition, to hold an entertain-

ment in which the performers shall be pupils attending the primary schools, and in which “ squads ” from the different schools shall compete in various caliathenic exercises. While we fully sympathise with the idea of children ' competing in the exhibition, we question, the wisdom of arranging for items that , would necessitate special training of the pupils by their teachers. The Teachers* Institute has strongly protested against the practice of training children for school concerts, and the Board of Education has expressed its disapproval of sueh training being given during school hours. Under these circumstances it certainly would seem inconsistent for the various schools to undertake to give a# entertainment in connection with the Industrial Exhibition, when they find, it unadvisable to give such entertainments in aid of their own prize funds. It is to be hoped that tb,6 promoters of the exhibition will see the reasonableness of so'fufeftpginig that, while children may take part as exhibitors or performer?, the proper work of the schools shall nos bo interfered with.

a novelist’s IMPRESSIONS.

In a work entitled “Some Views and Opinions,” the lady who writes under the

moot de glume of " Qaida ” “ has lately given to the world, in. a mere direct form than- is possible under'the guise of fiction, a number of impressions in regard to several of the vexed questions that are attracting attention at the present "' day. To the majority of novel readers the nature of these views will be tolerabiy familiar, but there are others who do not la-, elude Onida in their category of approved authors who will be considerably surprise dT when they read what is here eet down. The prevailing * sin of modern society. ;» according to Ouida, ■ is its "lack of originality, its want of grace, its vulgarity shown in the heavy breakfasts. the long, tedious dinners, the banal conversation which takes up no many of its waking hours. The day is lost to the modern mac and woman it is spent in a mob.” The writer makes a brief excursion into the dpmfdn of Italian art and literature, with which, from her long residence in the country and study of its people, she may be trusted to have sprue acquaintance,": and comes back to English subjects to deal with " the New Woman ” problem. Ouida has nothing very new to say on this well-worn topic, bat her expressions of opinion are, as usual, emphatic and to the - point. “One of tba greatest menaces to humankind is the New Woman with her fierce vanity, her undigested knowledge, her overweening estimate of her own value and her fatal want of all sense of the ridiculous.” Having thus disposed of the “new” representative of her sex, Ouida considers the question of female suffrage. She thicks, on the whole, it would be a dangerous experiment to try In England, owing to the “rashness” with which female legislation would be carried on, and predicts that ** the grasshopper bounds of Mr Gladstone would be ontdone by the-kangaroo-leaps of the female legislator . when she,moved at all.” On the question of " vulgarity ” she s.aya, " I confesa, I would leave to society a very large liberty in( the matter of its morality or immorality, if it would only justify its existence by any originality, any grace, any true light and loveliness.” The book: goes on to condemn the State as an "Immoral Factor,” and contains laments over* the "intemperate authority and punil- , lanimous power,” which is "jagging the strength of nations.” If for nothing else, the book will be found interesting as con-, taining some very candid expressions of ■ opinion from a brilliant if not very pro- - found author.