CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CI, Issue 11888, 11 May 1899, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

American state legislators are sometimes 'more than' paternal in their care of the people who have electecl them. The "members of mora

PROHIBITION OF GIGAEETTES.

than one of these bodies seem, with heroic contempt for the teachings of history, to have a faith almost childlike in the efficacy of samptuary laws. Now and again they make enactments which, to say the least of them, are a trifle singular. One of these, according to a telegram in a Londoii paper* received by the last mail, has just been passed by the Legislature of the State of Arkansas, which, believing cigarettes to ba deleterious to health, has enacted a law prohibiting under any circumstances the selling or giving away of cigarettes to any person. penalty for the violation of this law is not less than. £IOO or more than £IOOO. It w-ould be interesting to learn the reasons' which prompted the Arkansas Solons to perpetrate this legislative freak. Possibly they were staggered at the prevalence of that admitted nuisance, the juvenile cigarette, and, carrying their zeal to what they deemed its logical conclusion, argued that what is bad for a boy is bad for a man. Though there are, probably, not many peoplg who are prepared to go to the same lengths as the Arkansas legislators, there are few who wilj not agree that the practice of cigarette smoking is very harmful to tins young, and that, notwitlistanding this, its prevails to an alarming extent. Several nations, Germany among them*, have felt compelled to prohibit smoking by youths un» der sixteen years of age. In New York State legislation punishes boys found using tobacco in public. The United States Congress has enacted penalties on those who ,( shall sell, give or furnish" tobacco in any form t<? minors under sixteen. in Manchester the doctors, in answer to the appeal of the Anti-Tobacco League, expressed their conviction that .similar repressive legislation is necessary in England; and the British medical Press is taking the matter up with energy. In Australia a member of the New South Wales s?arliamen<H-Dr Andrew Rosd —introduced a Bill to diminish the practice of cigarette smoking by boys, but his proposition did not receive the attention which it deserved. The doctors are unanimous in the belief that the practice, with its consequent overwork of the circulatory and nerve structures, leads to digestive troubles and a decrease in constitutional soundness. Of course it is the duty of parents to-check the evil, but unfortunately many parents are either neglectful of their duty, or unahlo to enforce obedience to their wishes. It is deplorable that this should be the case, but there is no doubt that it is so, and, there--fore, there is good reason for legislative action to check th e evil.

AN ATTBSIPT AT BELIGIOUS UNION.

A broad-minded,' if somewhat Utopian, effort to obtain union, ip relligious matters is being made by the

" Australian Church," founded in Melbourne in 1885. Its objects and aims, amplified from the basis adopted at the formation of the organisation, were lately proclaimed at a meeting of the congregation by Pr Strong. They are—l. The united worship of God. 2. The preaching and teaching of the Gospel of Divine love and humanity proclaimed by Jesus of N&zarojth, interpreted in the light of growing knowledge and human needs. 3. The application pf thi? Gospel t« individual and social life. 4. The evolution of a universal spiritual brotherhood. Dr Strong explained that it was designed to form a broad, comprehen-

rwy mild proposals of the President of the Board of Trade for a conciliation board to deal with industrial disputes. These propositions were so moderate that it is patent that the refusal of the employers to have anything to do with them arose solely from a determination to*have,everything their own way. The reason given by the Employers' Parliamentary Council—that they could not at the present time see their way to the possible formation of a full and satisfactory representation of employers and employed on a board of conciliation such as is suggested—is absurdly inadequate. They could not plead fear of that bogey, " ohtslde interference," for Mr' Ritchie distinctly stated—" Two of the leading features of the plan in my mind are :—l. No outside interference, either by a Government Department or otherwisie. "2. No compulsion. The basis of any arrangement must be mutual agreement between the.parties concerned,'" He proceeded—"l would therefore desire to see established in every trade that which already exists in several, viz., a conciliation board, to which in the first instance every dispute should be referred. Failing agreement at this tribunal, the dispute should then go before a central conciliationTaoard, composed of employers and employed, representing all trades. Until a final pronouncement-is made by this central board, there should be no strike, and no lock-out." There is reason to fear that the Employers' Union was influenced in its rejection of the plan by the fact'that it had been proposed'in response to a request from tha workers. A deputation from the Parliamentary Committee of the Trade Union Congress waited upon/Mr Ritchie in December last, when he intimated that it was a disgrace to our civilisation that some remedy was not provided to prevent the constant friction and loss sustained throngb/ strikes. The Parliamentary Committee subsequently passed the following resolution: —"The Parhaimentary Committee of the Trades Union Congresshereby expresses its thanks on ber. half of the trade unionists of the country to tha President of the Board of Trade for tas important pronouncement on the industrial position of Great Britain, and respectfully requests him to inaugurate a conference between employers and workmen to consider the best means of decreasing trade conflicts." Mr Ritchie comnrunicated this , resolution to the Employers' Parliamentary Council, which sent the reply above-men-tioned, and has thus incurred the responsibility of a praiseworthy attempt to prevent the horrors of mdustrial»war.