THINGS IN GENERAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14326, 23 March 1910, Page 9

THINGS IN GENERAL.

FEARFUL EFFECT. OF APATHY. How curious an anomaly it is that men $p women, deprived of the franchise, Sudd-fight lo the death to obtain itpand iat when they havo it, they do not value i§!'Every election of major or minor Importance reveals the fact that a very I" and women, deprived of the entitled to would fight to the death 1o obtain it; and \bat when they have it, they do not value E?" Every election of major or minor fnportance reveals the fact that a very large proportion of persons entitled to vote s never bother to exercise their right. jjje recent Hospital Board election in Auckland and suburbs was an eloquent testimony to the apathy of the'adult population. Out of several thousands posses- . .. Jnf 'the franchise, only a few hundreds fecord"d .their votes. Apart from the -.waver issue involved, such indifference on Millie, part of " 10 electors makes election llSlfeays hideously tedious for returning officers and their assistants. On the day of illpbe Hospital Beard poll, several of these jfficials were unutterably miserable. When » voter did put in an appearance, he was demonstratively and eagerly welcomed. The" returning , officer an/1 his juniors, the scrutineers, arid the "bobby" on guard would surround him, and ply him with questions as to how his mother, and his ' lister, and his aunt were faring. Feverishly they would button-hole him, and press him for the latest news from the dear old busy outer world. Every effort was put forth to make his visit to the. "booth • go ■■agreeable that he should be loth to leave .it'. .But, alas, the voter could not remain throughout the day, and when he had gone the unhappy custodians of the ballot-boxes, , that continued so empty, relapsed into sullen and despairing silence. jhey tell me the loneliness and solitude fpflpreir?'/awful. Now, I don't think it is ISfe'nght to expect our fellow creatures to nndergo such dismal experiences. In fu- £ ture, wnen an election takes place, it should be recognised that a certain number of human beings are in for a dolefully dull time. Only those who can't very ||||tSreii r help ', it will vote, and consequent] I^Kfiie occupation of those in the booths will ' be . spasmodic, infrequent. This being so, each returning officer and deputy be provided with a billiard table, lifd packs cards, variety of parlour w packs of cards, a variety of parlour amies, a bundle of the latest magazines, i and draught boards, and every other Ivice possible wherewith he and his comons may while away the- dreary hours, trnoon tea should also be dispensed by friends, and, in the frivolity of light osiip; v the unfortunate polling-booth offialls;might face the ' task of waiting with i eaiianimity. As it is, I am asared; that their fate is worse than, soliconfinement. People who don't vote fcio'uld take this to heart. ' HUMOURS OF " THE RAILWAY. Ilf|the; New Zealand railways were prily owned, I wonder whether such detfully ■ calm indifference to public conence as is now. shown would be toler- . The ■ system is easily the best exmple of Gilbert humour, in respect of method of \ management, that I know f.-'* Practically every traveller by V the ifiway: can tell of some ridiculous feairej: some discomfort experienced, some iw in the service. A recent example of ow, passengers are treated happened on Patrick's Day, last week. Large num-ets'-i-- of j people went up the line from 'ncMand to the Ngaruawahia- regatta* It ,V have been known to -5 Ihe - : authorities l the traffic would be " heavy, so they aghtfully provided for it. ': Several rucfis^iwhich could have been profitably iloyed in the conveyance of freight coal, and which frequently " carry catwere fitted up as passenger care.-, In hese crowds- of excursionists made the ■ney, nothing extra being charged for ne? generous' doses of smoke swallowed in heParnell tunnel, no additional fee beasked for the unusually luxurious acmodalion provided. -';.'*■' Several ladies, ble to find seats in y the second-class iages on the train, invaded a first-class each. v On the guard* demanding their «iodußitliey refused to go unless he found hem accommodation in a second-class cariage,v nor would they pay the difference are demanded. And this is the mucht vaunted railway system of the Dominion! This is the system that the Minister for Railways says he is determined to make a payable one, these being his methods of doing it! What a farce it all is. With iotally inadequate rolling stock, farmers, (coal-mine owners, and shippers of wool »nd produce, are starved for the; means of conveyance up or down the line, or to port, passengers are hustled into cattle trucks whenever they want to travel in . large numbers, fares are raised,, useful "Jains' are abolished, suburban services are nm at; inconvenient hours,, stations are provided for Auckland and other centres that would be a disgrace to back blocks %ns, and yet the Hon. " Mr. Millar 'Wfenely says that the -- railways must be ■ made to pay. I wish he meant it: lisp 4 ' ' • DISAPPOINTED LAND-SEEKERS. .As a,'rule, I consider the habit of gnashj ißg one's teeth to be a pernicious one. BeMSsfiI'which1 'which- the process is apt to put one's molars on edge. At the same time the in- . puliation to gnash, , and also to tear such • San- as I may, or may not,.possess (that is toy own secret), is great, when I read that ip^ra,-New' Zealandeis are seeking land in .Queensland. The Government knows, in the Dominion knows, that I everybody in the of acres of land in this there are millions of acres of land in this |fa| Me -country lying agape for settlement.*et the Government persists in keeping 'S'^?ilh u S e areas perpetually locked.-,up. When, they do open areas, they refrain «?SRr roa . al them, until public outcry forces their hands.' In Canada settlers are welcomed '.'open arms, land is sold to them readily and cheaply, inducements are - held out to them to take; it up and cultij^^T^i it, markets are found for their produce. Canada progresses. Soon it will among the nations. New Zealand, which - and should, progress with equal ; • equal rapidity, stands practically *wll, her rich soil " tapued" as some sacred thing, to be looked at with reverence and §S^E» but not, on any account, to be touched > or tilled. Our land is too precious a possesion, apparently, to lightly distribute ■ ! the men who are; aching to turn I l|Mi-lt9,f profitable use. And so we allow our j r I <Wn countrymen to sicken of waiting, to : pine, under disappointment, ultimately to L satisfy - their land-hunger somewhere else. I ; : ."at it sensible? I lIPCtHE HALL IN MEAN-STREET. - - I* yhereis work of a special kind for the i : ''"'w? avor of Auckland, and the Mayors | woo follow him, to do. In order to arrive | £ an- understanding as to what this thing H '•"''' tL ■that heeds to bo done it is only necessary |..,' Wv mm, and those who shall succeed him, I ~ gaze upon the magnificent Town Hall I taVi? erecting, and from that spectacle to 1 ' fchis,-and, their, eves upon the environI :. went thereof. Could anything be more inI ?gruous?- When the new edifice is comI nfuT "*''* rear up its head in the midst I ■;-!;.;« utmost dingy surroundings. With the 1 :; W' • 601 'g e tJrev Statue* to keep it comI ]^" /, ' the. Palatial Town Hall will stand in | '.atmosphere laden with the perfume of | iried iish and chips, enclosed by a string i : „ |niarket;-ciii*ts, approached by streets of lv''sV^ on houses, fronted bv lines of common | The City Council has under conH «nem«)n a proposal to improve the city

by buying up what are called slum areas, and erecting a, better class of dwellings. Future Mayors >vould do well to see that, included in any scheme that may be evolved is one to improve the environment of the Town Hall. This could be effectually done by acquiring the shop property in that part of Queen-street adjacent to the new building, by turning Grey-street and Upper Queen-street, Cook-street, and Wake-field-street, into first-class residential, or even business, thoroughfares. A large expenditure of money would be entailed, but the game would be well worth the candle. What is the use of building a Town Hull on a lavish scale in "Mean-street," and allowing it to suffer by hideous contrast with the adjoining area? Property-owners should be aroused to a sense of their duty in this matter, and where they refuse to be so aroused, the civic authorities ought to step in. Now is the time to consider what should be done; else it may be too late.

THE CAUSE OF HUMANITY.

The ladies who took up the street collection in Auckland on Ambulance Saturday had a rare opportunity for the study of human nature. Some of the incidents reported give food for philosophy. Take, for instance, the case of the man who, being unable to contribute a coin, offered a Id -stamp, and contrast him with the humorous person who placed a.safety pin in one of the boxes. Herein you have the difference between a man willing, but unable, to assist a good cause, and a joker who palpably fails to take life seriously. The motives of people who put matchboxes, railway tickets, and other useless odds and ends into the boxes would be hard to fathom, nor is it pleasant to contemplate the tactless insults some of the lady collectors had to suffer. They were boorishly anathematised by ■ one individual as " worse than the Kelly* gang," and by another as "beggars." Doubtless these gentlemanly scoffers were in earnest. Doubtless, also, they would scorn to be carried upon a St. John Ambulance Society stretcher, or to receive first aid from one of the members, should fate so order it that they should ever come to grievous hurt. In contradistinction to these thoughtless and reluctant ones were the carters of the city, who gave freely, and, in doing so, acknowledged what the "society has done for men of their calling. Seeing, to what a variety of people these ladies have to appeal on Ambulance Saturday, there is something rather noble in the "way they undertake the task year after year. The least that other folks could do would be to show them the respect due to • helpers in the cause of suffering humanity, because, selfishly speaking, no one may be sure that he himself may not be the* next victim of an accident, the next " case" for the society that has to beg in order to live. The General. ,