Talk of the Week.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 243, 15 July 1876, Page 13

Talk of the Week.

The Goldfields Committee of the House of Representatives, to whom was referred the subject of rents and fees charged for the occupation of lands used for gold and silver mining purposes, have reported as follows : —" That in the opinion of this committee, while the members are agreed that in some cases serious inequalities exist with regard to mining leases, yet that it would be inexpedient for the Assembly to interfere ; but that sufficient powers should be given to local bodies to frame regulations elastic enough to encourage prospecting while in permanent leases duly protecting the revenue."

Another harrowing tale comes from the islands of the Pacific. Our cablegrams give this moraine: an account of the fate of one of the labor trafficking crews, who have done so much to disgrace the British flag; and though the record of the shocking murder and cannibalism makes one shudder, it cannot but be felt that sharp retribution such as this will do more than laws, however severe, to check the accursed trade, which is growing and growing into larger proportions. The men who engage in the tx'affic can be much better spared from the world than Pattesons and Goodenoughs.

Some time since the Monthly Heview, a magazine carried on with the avowed object, of promoting educational interests in the province, and edited by a Wellington teacher, contained a most vile attack upon Mr. Lee, the Inspector of Schools. The article was quite beneath notice, and as such productions are best checked by being treated with silent contempt, it was not referred to in the Times ; however, it is pleasing to note that the teachers generally have not allowed the matter to pass over without repudiating sympathy with the article. An address has recently been drawn up, and signed by all teachers in Wellington (except the reputed editor of the Review) and some out of the city, and presented to Mr. Bee. It expresses much regret that such an article should have appeared, and assures the Inspector that the teachers generally have very great respect for his abilities, and unbounded confidence in his integrity.

The number of Harbor Board Bills to come before Parliament this session has led the Government to suggest that the general principles which should guide harbor management everywhere alike should be debated and settled on the second reading of one of these Bills, and thus obviate the necessity of going over the same ground more than once. The members in charge of the several Bills have signified their willingness to adopt this suggestion, so that the Bill standing first on the Order Paper will be carefully looked into as a rule for those that follow. Of course the details of these Bills will be discussed in commitcee, and varied to suit their respective localities. The following notices of Harbor Bills have been already given :—For Wanganui, by Sir Julius Vogel; for Wellington, by Mr. Hunter ; for Patea, by Major Atkinson ; for the Thames, by Mr. Rowe ; for Oamaru, by Mr. Shrimski. One is now preparing for Byttelton, and another for Timaru.

The Lyttelton Times is pretty well known as the Dismal Jemmy of the New Zealand Press —it is perpetually in a state of despondency, and when there is a chance for a wail the Times makes the most of it; so that its remarks yesterday in reference to the labor market may be taken cum grano salis. The fact is, it is but reasonable to expect an overplus of labor in Canterbury unless means are taken to relieve the market during the winter months. Being an agricultural province, agricultural labor concentrates there during the spring, summer, and autumn months, for shearing, harvesting, and planting. During the dead of winter many hands are discharged; and, as a consequence, the more prolific the harvest the greater will be the number of unemployed during winter. This is one of the drawbacks of agriculture. In Wellington we can take Canterbury's present surplus labor, but she will be calling out for assistance in a month or two.

The House did wisely on Wednesday in adopting Mr. Reynolds' motion in respect of placing upon each paper and return laid upon the table the cost of preparation. The number of bulky and expensive returns which are called for each session, would surprise any one who took the trouble to examine into the matter. If the returns were of practical value—if they served to bring to the light facts which would guide the Parliament in dealing with questions of policy, or facts which proved that the colony was progressing or retrograding in any particular direction—or if, in truth, any useful purpose were served, no objection could be taken to the returns whatever they cost; but when a host of clerks are set to work to compile, and the printers are thrown behind in their ordinary work for the mere gratification of the whim of a member who has not the slightest intention of making a practical use of the information afforded him at so much trouble, it is time a check was interposed. That such a course is followed by some members there can be no doubt. The remarks of Mr. Reynolds are borne out by the experience of any member who has sat even for a session. The only semblance of an argument against the object of the motion was used by Mr. Wakefield, when he said the clerks prepared the returns in leisure time; but perhaps he is not aware that, the additional labor necessitates the clerks in several* of the departments working every night in the week, which, seeing that the system of paying overtime has very properly been abolished, is most unjust to the officers. As to the check amounting to intimidation, such an objection

was sublimely absurd. If the information sought for by a member is worth having, it is worth paying for, and no member need be ashamed of causing a valuable return to be tabled ; but the reverse equally holds good. The plan works well in Victoria and South Australia, and its introduction here should have a good result. Has any lion, member courage to move that a record shall be taken of the time that is wasted by those who will spread over half-an-hour speeches which might be uttered in five minutes if a little thought were given to the subject under debate.

The Registrar-General's report on the vital statistics of the boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hokitika for June are published. The proportion of deaths to the 1000 was as follows :—At Auckland, 1"59 ; Thames, 'B3 ; Wellington, 2-28 ; Nelson, *sl ; Christchurch, 2-03 ; Dunedin, 1'67 ; Hokitika, "28. The births were 15 more than in May. The deaths were 2 more in number than the deaths in May. Of the deaths males contributed 60 ; females, 53 : 37 of the deaths were of children under 5 years of age, being 3274 per cent, of the whole number : 20 of these were of children under 1 year of age. There were 7 deaths of persons of 65 years and over ; 5 of these persons were males and 2 females : of these, 1 male, aged 69, died at Auckland ; 1 male of 65 at Nelson ; and 3 of 66, 76, and 79, respectively, at Dunedin; 1 female, aged 73, died at Wellington ; and 1 of 75 at Dunedin. The deaths in June were 113, against 111 in May. Diarrhcea, which caused 1 death in May, was fatal in 5 cases last month. From typhoid fever there were 4 deaths, as in May. Scarlatina caused 9 deaths ; 2 at the Thames, 2 at Wellington, and 5 at Dunedin, against a total of 7 for May. The deaths from diseases of the respiratory system show a total of 16, against Bin May. There were at Auckland 3 cases, at the Thames 2, at Wellington 6, at Hokitika 1, and at Dunedin 4. Of violent deaths, one case was that of a man years of age, who was accidentally killed by injury to his brain, caused by a fall down stairs ; the other was a death from a wound in the intestines, from a fall on a stump of a tree. In June, 1875, there were 152 in the boroughs, or 39 more than occurred in June, 1876. Comparison of causes shows that there were in June, 1875, 6 cases of measles, against none in 1876 ; and 17 of typhoid fever, against 4 last month ; but, on the other hand, scarlatina caused 9 deaths in June last, against none in 1875. There were 28 deaths from diseases of the respiratory system in June, 1875, against only 16 ra the corresponding month this year. The excess of deaths for June, 1875, over those in June, 1876, being largely attributable to that cause.