TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8794, 9 February 1909, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Ignorance is a crime when ignorance happens to be the result Employers of carelessness in getand ting acquainted _ with Awards. easily ascertainable facts. It may be very forcefully argued that the Arbitration Act, with its multitudinous amendments, is a very galling and clumsy piece of legislation so far as the employer is concerned. But this fact is not always an excuse for the want of knowledge displayed by some of those who come within its scope. Yesterday's Court proceedings again bore abundant witness of the ostrich-like habits of parties to awards. Like that elegant fowl, they bury their heads in blissful ignorance, and then when they received a call from the Inspector of Awards, they assiime the pained expression of a martyr. Now that the Stipendiary Magistrate has jurisdiction in dealing with breaches of awards, cases will undoubtedly be brought more promptly before the Court than when it was necessary to wait till the Arbitration Court happened to stroll along this way, and we would remind those who are parties to awards that it is much more in keeping with their dignity to know something of the law governing their industry than to appear in Court with a foolish expression on the countenance when the Bench is administering a gentle rebuke.

The latest advices concerning the hemp industry are not A Dying re-assuring. "Millers Industry, are very despondent at

the present outlook," says Mr Fulton, the Chief Fibre Expert, "and a good, many will close down if a further fall in price occurs. Advices from Manila indicate that the enormous output for 190S will be equalled, if not exceeded, by this year's production, and, in the face of such competition, the New Zealand hemp industry must remain almost lifeless. The only hope lies in reducing the cost of production, or in devising improved methods of milling." Figures add seriousness to the position. The hemp graded for the month of January was 6323 bales only, as compared with 12,086 bales for the corresponding period of 1908, a decrease of 5763 bales. For the twelve months ending 31st January, 1909, the gradings amounted to 83,606 bales, a decrease for the twelve months of 55,414 bales. Such facts as these should impress on those engaged in the business the necessity for arriving at some workable arrangement by which the cost of production would be lessened. The alternative is the complete extinction of the fibre industrv.

Arthur James Balfour, statesman, philosopher, sheep-farmer! Arthur There was a certain inJames congruity in the charge Balfour. read to an accused person in the sheep-stealing cases now before the Court—"that he did steal 200 sheep, the property of Arthur James Balfour." We in New Zealand are in danger of forgetting that our country has amongst its landlords that amiable English aristocrat who is at present engaged in ruling Great Britain per medium . of the House of Lords, and whose chief delight at present seems to be to ordains willing Peers to pounce upon and destroy any measure that the People's House thinks fit to pass by an overwhelming majority. The incongruity of the position as far as New Zealand is concerned seems to lie in the fact that in spite of Our much-advertised democratic land policy a gentleman who has never seen our country and who probably only knows it through the medium of his manager and his acquaintance with sundry . New Zealand politicians has for twenty years or more been drawing a generous income from the backs of ten thousand odd sheep which are reared on the rich pastures of the Wairarapa. Absentee landloriem is surely unnecessary in New Zealand, even as it is a drag upon the prosperity of Ireland.

Archie McNiell, the escapee from the Wellington prison, is Archie still at large, and is at McNiell. present probably somewhere in the vicinity of Palmerston North. We do not want to send any of our lady readers into hysterics by conjuring up affrighting visions, or to create a scarcity in email arms through a run on the local gunsmiths by nervour members of the sterner sex, but it might be pointed out that a day or two ago , the imperturbable Archie was discovered calmly smoking in a lady's boudoir in the Empire city; a few brief moments afterwards he was smiling blandly at some nervous persons near Levin; then, like- will-o'-th'-wisp, he was reported at Foxton; and now once again Wanganui reports his undesirable presence in the city of vanquished boatmen. It is, therefore, extremely probable that this much-sought-after young man is within a hundred miles of Palmerston. It niight be pointed out that he is quite harmless; his sins being of a mild nature, mostly in the way of absent-mindedly signing somebody else's name to a cheque, or merging his own entity into another person's for the time being, so that those possessed of fearsome weapons would do well to enquire before exhibiting them to the first unshaven person they see—which seems to be the way the nervous Empire city mostly recognises Archie McNiell.