.CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11952, 29 April 1902, Page 3

.CORRESPONDENCE.

FARMERS* UNION V. TRADES AND :; LABOUR COUNCIL. . ~- ;..,, .;/'.tO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I was very much impressed when reading the account of the sitting of the Trades and Labour Council at the masterly manner in which the delegates dealt with the most abstruse subjects that have puzzled our greatest politicians for many years past. It only shows what a set of blockheads our friends at Wellington must be when half-a-dozen men could dispose of the most momentous questions of the day in a few hours. Upon making inquiries, I found, to my surprise, that these- delegates represented only a very small proportion of the inhabitants of New Zealand, but they really must be a most" kindly-hearted set of men, as they took the trouble to propose legislation for the whole community. Although I have no doubt most of the people are very grateful for the unselfishness of the Trade's and Labour Council, yet other sections of the community would like to have just a little say in the matters affecting their own particular interests, notably the farmers. 1 am doubtful whether those delegates know very much about practical farming. If they did they would paa.se before trying to put the whole burden of taxation on the land. I note. also,, they propose to nationalise the boot and milling business, etc. Why not include the drapery, grocery, ironmongery, butchery, fruit, press, etc. 1 ami then if the land is nationalised it will be only fair to nationalise the farming business. The Government would then employ men to work the land, and if the farmer was paid for the hours he works at the same rate as the tradesman, lie would lie well content: Aii • advocates of land nationalisation seem To forget that the natural consequence of such a step must be that the Government would have eventually to become the farmer.

This meeting of trades and labour delegates should be a salutary lesson to tiie farmers; it should teach "them that' they must depend upon themselves if they mean to hold their own; it ' therefore behoves every farmer to bestir himself, join the union, and get into working order without delay. The organisation should bo complete before the ne.vt election, and candidates for Parliament should be chosen by the branches of the Farmers' Union in every electorate (independent of party), who would bind themselves to carry out the vi?ws of the union. I consider the colony particularly lucky in having men at the head of the Government who have hitherto refused to carry out most of the extravagant demands of the party who really put them in power. I very much doubt if any other man placed in Mr. Seddon's position would have shown the same backbone that he has done on various occasions when he has been brought into conflict with his labour supporters. But it is evident that the welfare, of the colony cannot bo left to the tender mercies of the Labour party, as they have shown themselves to be utterly selfish, with no thought for their fellow colonists, so that the sooner men whose policy is "fair play to all classes" arc sent to Wellington to counteract the undue influence of the Labour parly, the belie.- it will bo for the country at large, and tint can only be done by the united action of the farmers throughout the colony.—l am, etc., W. He/thcotk .Taceman. Whakapirau, April 18,' 1902.

MOUNT EDEN ROAD BOARD ELECTION. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —We notice in this morning's Herald a. letter signed Goo. M. Johnston upon the above subject, alleging certain actions' of the Board in the past, and impugning tho returning officer's conduct of the local elections. We do not deem it necessary to enter into any discussion of tho details of this letter, as the statements therein are not only misleading, hut absolutely contrary to fact.Wo are, etc., K. Udv (Chairman). C. J. Tonka. Okas. Hudson. Ronald R. Ross. Oliver Nicholson (Members). THE EXPORT DUTY ON TIMBER. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —As a " Commonwealther" I admire the way that your New Zealand Parliament has worked the tariff to their satisfaction. There is no doubt but that the imposition of tho export duty on the white pine and kauri pine log's was the means of bringing the notice of the Commonwealth Parliament to the advisability of allowing your timbers in free, and your point was gained very easily. Now that good relationships have sprung up for this reciprocal tariff it is but right that your Parliament should now repeal the export duty imposed, otherwise it will show a. very mean and selfish spirit if the same is not done at once, because delay in this matter may be dangerous.— I am, etc., . J. S. Jones. George-street, Sydney, April 19, 1902. HELP FOR DISCHARGED PRISONERS. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, Will you allow me to put before your readers the claims of the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society? We have now been working for two years, and, considering how little support tho society has received, it has done a largo amount of good. Situations have been found for male and female ex-prisoners. Some have been sent into (he country or to other colonies a considerable number have received temporary assistance, such as board and lodging, until they could get work for themselves; many have received gifts of blankets, clothing, boots, etc., to enable them to make a fresh start in life. The circumstances and antecedents of most of these cases wore inquired into before they 'left prison, and here the warders are often of great, service. It is impossible in the columns of a, newspaper to give details of the work done; you must take the word of those who are the executive officers, who see the results, and who keep a record of what has been done. The committee meets regularly, and' they are studying the measures adopted by other colonies for helping these people. Wo have made arrangements whereby Presbyterians are sent to Mr. D. Macpherson and Roman ; Catholics to Father Gillan, but. this leaves i more than 50 per cent, to be dealt with by ! myself. You may bo surprised to hear that a small army of nearly 1000 men and women were discharged from Mount Ed on Prison last year. Our wants are: (1) Annual subscriptions; (2) employers who will give men a start, or will interest themselves in their behaif; (3) second-hand clothing and boots. A number of friendless and destitute prisoners are dischargees on Saturday afternoon at four o'clock, who may receive a gratuity of 4s, but who rarely, if ever, do receive this sum. What are these men to do between Saturday and Monday? Perhaps your readers can supply the answer. 1 hoar on good authority it is the intention of the Government to extend clemency to prisoners at the time of the Coronation. This will mean that a certain number ot prisoners (long sentences probably) will be released. I (rust the philanthropic public will crown this act of mercy by enabling us to help the discharged prisoners at/the most critical time of their lives.— 1 am, etc., Ed. ('. Kuril), Park Road. Hon. Sec.

PARNELL BOROUGH.— LOAN OF £15,000. TO THE EDITOR. Kindly allow me space to have a word 011 the above proposal. The ratepayers on Wednesday next have to decide at the poll whether the above proposal shall be carried or rejected. Now, in thinking over this important matter, and the recently-borrowed loan of £10,000, which was supposed, as per statement, of the lute .Mayor, to do this and that, leave a balance for other matters, I most respectfully ask my fellow rate-. , payers, husbands and wives, not to fail on the day of tho poll, wet or dry, to come to the poll and record their votes by striking out the top line, viz., I vote for'the proposal. It is very .disappointing to manv of us that our late worthy Mayor (Mr. Hugh Campbell) thought fit to .retire/at a time when this pro. posal is on, with its £50 expenses, and a large overdraft at, the Council's bank. There appears to be an all-round epidemic of local borrowing, and this when skilled and unskilled labour is in full employment, the winter approaching, material .higher in price, through the groat demand going on. 11 the loan can he shown to be an absolute necessity, the works will be undertaken at a far lower figure than at the present time by waiting. Then, again, 1 have reason to believe that the Council are anything but a happy family on this question. I am, etc., John 11. MxiixiNg. Arc)more, April 20. THE DIRT DESTRUCTOR, TO THK EDITOR. Sir,—lt seems to me the height of folly to neglect the destruction of rubbish by 'fire for one single day longer than possible. We all know, or should know, that, under the natural law of evolution, forms of life are what conditions make them. In a city like this, where nearly everybody is more or lets affected with what We call " colds," but which is really a form of life planted within us, every spittle landed on our streets, when dried, becomes a mass of life- to plant itself, into some other person. There is no doubt that these forms of life consume each other, and, according to nature's laws, a dirt animal will thrive best in dirty surroundings. According to the dirt, so will the dirty forms of life develop or evolve from the weak to tho strong, until what would not be

strong; enough to cause a slight illness to ■'man l in; its early stages -would, under favourable- and«extremely; dirty conditions, be certain death to the strongest man with whom such strongly 1 developed forms of life came in contact. '"

If we could see the. millions'of invisible forms of life that we have created, or allowed to evolve by our dirty habit of storing up in heaps our rubbish, we should be in dread cf opening our mouths or breathing tho polluted air which our dirty habits compel us to breathe. Talk about cultivation and breeding from the wild pig to tho modern Berkshire; why, we have been breeding forms of life and cultivating death-dealing germs, beyond the conception of any councillor, or they would lie afraid to walk our streets. Fire is the- only purifier known to man, and if we systematically adopted a policy of destroying by fire we should in a very short time clear the air of all death-dealing germs, so that a few of us could live without risk of being murdered by invisible germs and negligence of city councillors.l am, etc., A. Sv.:fori).

EDUCATION. 70 THE EDrtOlt. Sir, The discussion on education that has lately appeared in your columns is very interesting and very instructive, as it shows us clearly the present status of the teacher. 1 have no doubt it will be far more interesting to the student many years hence who may be trying to realise our present social condition. The chairman of the Board of Education, who is also a member of the Grammar .School Board and of the University College Board, can speak with authority, and he informs us that the work of the factory hand is more tedious and trying than the work of teaching. This can only mean that then- is less tense of responsibility on the par; of the teacher- in a school or in a college than on that of the factory hand. Other members concurred in the disbelief of any mental strain. •■;• Of course mental strain is essential to good workmen; a good chimney-sweep, if he takes a pride in his work, experiences some mental strain, and the sense of responsibility ought to rise in proportion to the importance of the success of the work. In fact, there can be little work done with children without a very high sense of responsibility, which we are informed the present teachers have not. Then a committeeman assures us that in his experience the teachers aro wanting in honour and honesty. Then, again, it is shown that the magistrate shows no sympathy with the teacher, but on the other band visits hint when he can with the full rigour of the law. The future student will have no difficulty in summing up the qualifications of the present teacher as one wanting in responsibility, in honesty and honour. "Sow, the question, is. Why is it that teaching, which is regarded as an honourable profession in other"' countries, should have become in New Zealand, in the opinion of the riders over it, a vile occupation ? Can it be that the system of education is at fault ? 1 remember the general satisfaction that was felt when the school committees were inaugurated in 1871. The people of each district were expected to elect the most suitable men to form a committee, thai would urge on and encourage education in that district. At first the men were chosen who had the cause of education at heart, but very soon other motives besides education urged men to get on the committees, and, strangest of all, men of little or no education aspired not only to be on tho committee but even to the honours of the chair. In many cases, to put, the case mildly, chairman are not appointed on account of their education. It is no wonder then that this antipathy of the committee towards tho teachers arose. "How can it be supposed," they ask, " that there is work going on when the workman has his coat on and his brow dry? Such men ought never to talk of work, and should be thankful for any pay, however small !" Again, through want of sympathy between the committee and the teacher arose the false notion, of master and servant. In fact, both committees and teachers are servants of the public, with this difference, that the teacher, as a rule, knows what he has to do and how it, is to be done; while the committee, as a rule, neither knows what is to bo done nor how it is done. In other colonies where a good deal is left to private enterprise in the carrying on of primary and secondary schools, there is not this antipathy to teachers, and, as a result, where a wise supervision is exercised, the technical schools that the Governments support are well supplied with properlypared students. This is the best tes'.; of the success, or otherwise of a system of education. If we do not desire to britig the teachers entirely into disrepute we should not suppress or even discourage private enterprise, but while making the Government schools models of efficiency encourage, rather than hamper with vexatious regulations, a healthy rivalry between the. State schools and the private schools. am, etc., B.N.S.

TOWN TEACHERS AND THE PREMIER. TO THE EDITOR. . Sir, —As neither Mr. Hurray nor Mr. Stewart lias responded to my request, may I ask Mr. John King, who received the subscriptions to tho testimonial to the Premier of tho poor old age pensioners, if lie will also receive mine and those of the other grateful town teachers?

Mr. King v.ill excuse me for troubling him, I feel sure, because 1 am obliged to do so owing to the ungratefr.l, if not culpable, refusal of the said two teachers to do what seems to me a pleasant Utile duty. Why, I tl: ought they would have-jumped at the mention of a thing so very becoming. However, they have not even deigned to takfj any notice of my two letters. That Mr. R. D. Stewart, although ranking in class D, was one of the Royal Commission on salaries, I suppose everyone knows, thanks to Mr. Murray's eulogistic epistle, published some few days ago; and that lie did not quite overlook the pecuniary interests of his brother town teachers should also be known, a fact redounding greatly to his skill and towering ability, although :iot adverted to by Mi'. Murray, and so left ror mo now to perforin, a task 1 do with pleasure, and in the few words following: —

For the carrying into effect of the new Salaries Act, £4-0,000 a year had to be added to the sum voted for education, £4000 of which was allocated to the 13 Boards for office expenditure, and £36,000 for granting increase to teachers" salaries. Now, of that additional £35,000, for granting increases throughout the whole colony, 1 find that the Wellosley-stroet school teachers receive £1124 4s 3d a, year. Under the old .Act they received for salaries annually £1565 3s 4d; ami under the new Salaries Act £2690 Bs, which is. thanks to Mr. Seddon and the new Act, almost double (lie former. All the other town schools fare equally well, and as there are 14 of thorn, it i* very easy to calculate hew deeply they have scooped in to the additional £36.000. Hence another, in addition to my former reasons, for urging town teachers to contribute to the testimonial to the Premier, who sc very bountifully increased their salaries.

The "Country Teacher" who credited me with ignorance, and then very kindly, on that, account, unasked, rendered mo forgiveness, : for not. knowing the meaning of "outlandish," has placed me in a fog. In his first letter he explained that " outlandish" schools meant such as could not win a junior scholarship, while in his last he gave it as meaning, what?—"uncouth." Anybody having just half an eye in his head can see the inconsistency of the two meanings; and I, unfortunately, have got a pair of eyes, sharp, bright, and not in the least degree "outlandish." Consequently, lam in the greater fog. a mental fog, of course. To save* the reader's trouble, I give £15,736 (shillings and pence being overlooked) as the product of £1124 multiplied by 14, the share of the added £36,000 for the whole colony, which falls to the town teachers alone of Auckland. Let. us, them and me, I moan, then at once bestir ourselves, and have a splendid sum subscribed—out of our £15.736 of annual increase, we can easily give £2000 —for presentation to '.he Right Hon. R. «F. Seddon on his return.

A testimonial • on his return would be. I submit, quite as appropriate as one on his departure.— am, etc., A Town- Teacher, TRADE AND LABOUR DISPUTES. TO THK EDITOR. Sir, —According to the Weeki.t News report of trade and labour delegates, an alarm hr.s been sounded which it behoves every owner of land, town or country, every leaseholder under the Crown, and every other person outside of the council to wake up, and especially is this the case with the Fanners' Union. Tin re should be no more putting off to see what they will do. but join in at once and help before it is too late, or we shall have an increase in the land tax to compel us to give the laud to the Crown, destroy freehold, and nationalise land. The unfortunate .Crown leaseholder is to have his land re-valued every fine years, presumably to luave his rent increased. Everything we wear and use is to have more protection, until the'poor unfortunate settler is ground down to one meal a day, if they can do it. Settlers must not think, 'as some try to make them believe, that only towns will be affected by the increase in the land tax. Country settlers will feel it most, and should not put off stopping) it until the shoe pinches. Use i every means in your power to stop the worse than highway robbery of Crown leaseholders. A highwayman only took money, but thes«i people want to rob the. Crown, leaseholder of bone ajid muscle, and put him on prison

■ fare, while" they ravel "■, in •; luxury and > highly wages. It is- another case ' of, "' man's inhumanity to man, which j makes countless thousands mourn." • Fortunately, am not a Crown i leaseholder, but; I would .urge every, one of them to take up this ! warning note, and only, vote for men at next election who will not agree to trample on anyone. : Left! our nest SI.H.R. legislate for the capitalist, the 'employer, -and the employee, J without fear,; favour, 1 or affection—men who will not. •be led 'awey by fads ,; . of ;*land- nationalisationi and State • landlordism, /or;twister; up ) placehunters 1 by putting Government in opposition to commercial men,-. who know and understand their business, . and who will not sink the . country deeper ,in; debt by' opening coal mines, and in another year perhaps becoming greengrocers .and marine stoie-doalers, as the Government "appear inclined to do. I hope settlers will study the report referred to rot* themselves, and note the'effort to reduce He number, of country, members, because the trade and labour unions have no power ov°r country, elections ' consequently the v. wain, the quota'reduced. "•; -Study it all through, and'you will see that a'Ctesar'u. column of settlers is fast aporoaching. which, it will take us all to staud against shoulder to shoulder and baud to hand to work out aright the problem of our existence,' and to direct for good, and not for evil, the Government of this country. Let us insist on free trade and generally to put tilings on a mom equal footing, encourage, private capita! versus loans for squandering, and generally make a change for the better management of public funds, which should be dealt with on economical principles.—l am, etc.. Union,. Kaitaia, April 19, 1902.

THE THIN END OF THE WEDGE. >''-•'.''■■■ ' "-TO TUB EBITOE. * :*;■ Sir,—-Use information contained in the paragraph that the City Licensing Committee had granted an extension of license to half-past ten o'clock looks very much like breaking their election pledges, as well as * betrayal of their trust; That the Schoolmasteii' Association, of all , bodies in the district, should be the one to make, tho' application tills one with amazement. ;It will' have :i splendid.educational effect upon the senior scholars of their schools. Had scum clerical association made : a.; similar request it; would not have been more surprising.v Could you inform us whether all the members were summoned to that meeting, and who were present awl how they voted" This. I think, the public are entitled to ! know.—l *"•» etc., . ; , Uxct.i : John.

. * ■'•.■••LABOUR AND CAPITAL. TO THE KDITOK. ' '. ■S'f."- Although not by any means a waste* or (lie difficult and perplexing aacintw of political economy, it would be .difficult to.find anyone living at the present" dine who does not take at. least some interest in thii burning questions which engage public."ntlcnlion.* Pro.: bably the most burning question fa Now Zealand at (he present time is the relation which should exist between labour and capital. Labour or the wage-earner demands ; high rates of pay for comparatively short hours of labour. By this I.mean that the number, of hours worked in New Zealaud is fewer' than the hours.worked by men of the same' class in England or America,- and our labour organisations in this country, demanding by means of the various combinations and the existing labour laws more favourable conditions, are enabled to receive more than a fair share of the wealth produced by bur farming community. , . 1. noted by the New Zealand Hebai-u some time ago that an attempt was mode to increase the rate of pay on the Northern Steamship Company's steamers, because, forsooth, the balance-sheet of the company showed by careful management they had hail a successful year, and because or this the workmen were entitled to an increase of pay. Ihe agitators made the demand, although" the men themselves made no complaint, the agitators claiming that as the revenue of the company % bad increased the workmen* should have a share of the company's increased earnings. This, in my opinion, was wrong m principle, for by combination: ami " agitation the men had already pot the full value of their services ; therefore, instead of increasing the pay of their ; employees, the company should reduce the freights, as the producer and the consumer were both nstyina too much Wages, being a marketable commodity like potatoes, has been sold to"'the best advantage, and the highest price has / been demanded and paid for the services 1 rendered. But the matter is different with' producers and consumers alike, ■■ If the producer .cannot, get his perishable goods ■to market at almost any cost be is liable to-be ruined, and thus from necessity he is obiged:lo pay the high freight demanded, or lose all; and the consumer!:must,pay -fire high price demanded by the vendor or middle* man, who also must; make fair profit for'the services he renders the public,' lie ■■ being,"-!in' j my opinion, an absolute necessity in 7 distributing the goods sent by the producer. So that when wages are paid, freights, com- ' missions,-etc., by the producer, there is a very small portion left as remuneration for linn upon which to live and provide for old ago. Let me state a case. Mr. Andrew Carnegie, the Scotch-American mnlri- t SS«SwSS?« -" "Emulated some ~W,000.000 during a comparatively short life. Ho evidently, has splendid business capacity he must have been speculative, and ■during the course i ° * his business career ho must of necessity have had many losses. During lh.it V time the labour organisations struck many times for more wages and other conditions which they considered was their light—that is, the workers employed by Mr Andrew Carnegie sold their labour for the highest price obtainable and brought all the pressure of their organisations on their em* plover, and (bus receiving all that was due to them. Yet. m spite of these difficulties,. Mr. Carnegie increased in wealth to such an extent that at present his greatest trouble appears to be how to expend the millions has accumulated. Some reasonors hold that. lie Ought to share his accumulated wealth with.the workmen who helped him to gain it. Not so, in my opinion. The workmen demanded and received in wages what they considered their rights, hence they have been paid 'at ,M, and Mr. Carnegie is doing the i-gilt, thing in distributing his millions amongst the public, who reallv paid Air Cariicgm more' than a fair value for-th« goods he manufactured, thus enabling him <« < Jennie one -of the wealthiest men of™ ' J s l - . •-.'.■.:;;„ •., I--. -■ My contention is that the labour onvamV, .' mns of New Zealand are ring B So ' than their for share of the wp "' tJ > produced by the farmers and others of their class, thus tnat it is almost impossible, if not impossible for us to compete in the, world's market with countries like Denmark and the Amenta and other such countr A where la bom m V cheap and the facility for transit *» fa more favourable than those in New Zealand. • Why do ire send our wool to England paving freights both ways and payi„J for 6y& spmnmg. weaving, and even getting the ;' tonal made up into articles of clothing and" Ntin payina import d„ty upon such roods Plu ni lab, the ' Colony • lu thus employ °" sur plus labour? Well, just because the work demand more than their fair share and u,f his difficulty has bee, recognised ad" ju» cd we cannot hope for that prosper y inL";V n,t ! ''/' ?»/» if ** would onK vl cognise the just chums of our neighbours to Inm :fe M of "•*'««• of RrfSKJi: ■■ ' "' _:.. rvATiTAIII.

. "Fairpby:- ■i 3 impossible for us to l^nlottr S - filtiD ß forth the claim of one teacher who .< : » candidate for a politic,? as aeaintt anoihor: or pointing out ffioni candidate » pulling the wires «IJSjSSS of In? friends." ' "n-aiif