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New Zealand Mail, Issue 956, 27 June 1890, Page 13

By last mail Mr S. Carroll, secretary to the local Chamber of Commerce, received from Messrs James Morrison and Co., of London, an exceeding y suggestive letter on the subject of New Zealand hemp. The letter, under cover of a few explanatory lines by Mr Carroll, will be found in another column of this issue, and it is worthy of the careful attention of all who are interested in the success of the flax industry. Messrs Morrison and Co,, it appears, have been considerable im porters of New Zealand hemp, their transactions being conducted through a We lington firm. They say they recognised that hemp as an article of export was likely to prove of great value to this Colony, and that their importation of it would have been very largelyincreasedliad their exDerience been at all satisfactory. What that experience was they state with business-like brevity, and on that account with all the more force as pointing a moral. The firm’s cabled orders were for “good” quality to be sold in London as “ fair” quality only, the sales being “ to arrive ” in all cases. When the hemp did arrive in London, however, it was con-

sidered by the buyers and the firm’s brokers as not even up to the standard of “fair.” The customary resort to arbitration resulted in a decision against Messrs Morrison and do., who thereby sustained a total.loss on tlie different parcels of L2OO. Unable to obtain redress in any shape or form, Messrs Morrison and Co. accordingly ceased importing New Zealand hemp, and decided to warn their friends against doing so until the Home buyers were protected from a similar experience. Now, it is iu these last few lines that the moral is pointed, and the lesson conveyed is one which the local exporters of hemp should seriously take to heart. In it lies, as in a nutshell, the secret of the success or failure of the New Zealand hemp industry. The importer must be able to have the most perfect confidence in the ability of the exporter to execute orders with absolute fidelity as to conditions laid down ; in his turn the exporter must be in a position to determine that the flax-miller is turning out hemp of the quality he undertakes to export; and the flax-miller, in the interests of the industry he is assisting to promote,, must hold it his bounden duty to only supply tbe very best article. As Messrs Morrison and Co. point out, not until our hemp manufacture and hemp export are carried out on terms of mutual responsibility, such as these, will confidence be restored to the Home importers, and an even standard of qnality be adhered to, resulting in a trade of larger proportions, profitable to all concerned.

We cannot take Major Steward seriously. We admit at once that no man was ever fashioned by nature to look so serious, and that no man ever looked more serious than be does in his lighter moments. But when it comes to talking about and setting up the Swedish system, it is impossible to take him seriously. We cannot believe that the caucus he contrived to assemble took him seriously either. We were not at that caucus, so we know nothing. But we should not be surprised to learn that the members present spent the weary hours in dancing round the white flower of a blameless life, and wound up by passing amid shouts of laughter the resolution he submitted to them with tears in his eyes. “ Swedish system ! O yes, major, we shall pass the Swedish system for you. MorituH, we salute you and wish you joy.” Well, if a man is mad enough in the present combination of circumstances to start such impossible red-herrings across the scent of nothing in particular which everybody is running hard after, the only thing to do is to humour the poor fellow. The caucus may not have gone so far as to dance round him, but it certainly humoured tho Major very fully and well. It is comfortable to reflect that some sense is left among politicians.

We trust the Ti’ades arid Labour Council is at last sensible of the mistake it has fallen into with regard to the Tramway strike. With the best intention in the world, it simply rushed the business through at a pace too rapid for thought. In the fixing of early dates and the tone adopted there has been a good deal which, though merely zealous, was somewhat more peremptory than was necessary. This In many directions. But the climax was reached with the tramway. The delegates may not have made any arrangement with the proprietor, hut they must have known that he thought so. Their whole attitude, together with the terms and tenor of Dr Grace’s letters, showed them that, to say nothing of the actual carrying out on his part of the arrangement. In place of telling him that the}' were not authorised after, they should have told him so before. Then as to the proprietor’s oiler. The Council had as much right to think it wroug as the proprietor had to think it right. Bub they would have been more reasonable if they had passed it on to the men whose future it affected. In the event of the men refusing, the next course would have been a proposal to arbitrate. Thus two steps were left out, a. day was fixed, “Yes, or N-> ?” and presto ! out went everybody on strike. The consequence is that both men and proprietor are worse off. The moral for guidance in future complications is that the methods of the negotiators must be as good as their intentions.

Sir Robert Stout has a grievance against Lord Oamaru. That despotic Marquis seems to have set up a claim to the very atmosphere of his constituency. No man shall address his constituents without his leave quotha. Such arrogance is very charming in the man who began life in such Radical fashion. But however charming, it is hardly the kind of thing to make people believe he is not afraid of Sir Robert’s attacks. These were pretty severe all along the line, as may be seen by a glance at the speeches he has delivered,in the little well-buil white town. Not improbably it will be round at the election, if ever that time is allowed to approach, that Sir Robert has shaken the hold of my Lord Marquis on that community. If that he his object we can understand his tactics. But it will take a deal of success to justify his descent to the Marquisian aristocratic level.

The most remarkable treaty of the century was announced the other day, by which great nations divided be-

tween them the greater portion in the great Continent of Africa. By a stroke of the pen the borders of the German territory on the South-West Coast are stretched to the head waters of the'Zambesi ; the British Dominion which made a lodgment but the other day on the Cape of Good Hope is carried, to Lake Tanganyika ; the strip of country which the Germans have only begun to call their own opposite to Zanzibar makes a leap into the country between the great lakes, skirting Tanganyika on the west, touching the Nyanzas on the east, and running up past the undefined boundaries of the Congo Free State anywhere into the region lying south of the great Sahara ; and last but not least the sphere of British interests sweeps inland from the Indian Ocean to the Nile Lakes, overleaping Masai Land, overshadowing the fertile countries of Uganda and Unyoro, threatening the countries on the course ofthe Nile, whose distant mouth is in British hands. Eastwards it is carried to the entrance of the Red Sea. Surely, the most tremendous stroke ever scraped by diplomatic pen! Of course it is not conquest: only the liberty to annex by dexterous making of treaties, and the incessant push of commercial enterprise. The rights of the natives? These are merged in what a late traveller calls the heart disease of Africa. The heart disease is the Arab, who, with his slave trade, has destroyed all security and banished peace. The stroke of that diplomatic pen is, at all events, the signal for his downfall. It was heralded by that remarkable saying of the new Chancellor of Germany that the Bible and the bullet must civilise Africa. That in turn was pre- . ceded by the conference the Cardinal of Algiers assembled in London to discuss the slave trade, at which men said that combined national force must be brought to bear upon it. Here, at least, is force enough to begin the building of two empires in Africa —British and German. Will they be built on the narrow lines of the trader or the broad foundations of the statesman ? A new chapter of history is beginning, with possibilities of great benefit to the human race, and probably destined to increase the complications that beset the question so important to us in these countries of Imperial Federation. The chapter has therefore for us a double interest.

According to common report there is to be a large batch of additions to the Legislative Council. Four or five names have been mentioned as likely, and several oihersare whispered as possible, desirable, necessary, coupled with all the.adjectives, in short, known to those who understand the noble art of “ working the oracle.” Of course the law allows the appointment of any number the Government may please. If Ministers took it into their heads to soften the blow' the Lower House is about to receive by reduction of its numbers, there is nothing to prevent them from performing that act of humanity by conferring upon a score of jubilant gentlemen the title of honourable with its convenient pension, which they would all,' of course, despise. Tim only things that stand in the way are the Ministerial conscience, and a report presented to the Council by one of its special committees. Of the Ministerial conscience we shall say nothing, except that if it is not an effectual bar, the other will not stand for a single moment. It is just as well to recall what the . committee of the Council did, however. In November of 1887 it reported that the number of members of the Council ought to be not more than half the number of the members of the House, and advised that the best way of arriving at that proportion was by refraining from filling vacancies occurring in the ordinary course of things. An exception was made for the case of a Minister. The Council did not go beyond ordering the report to be printed. A “douce” canny body is the Council, which does not venture often out of ordinary grooves. Its committee, however, hit the right nail on the head —and hard. During the roar of re trenchmenb a sort of understanding was arrived at that no more appointments would be in de until the members of the Council fell to one-half the numbers of the Lower House. Last session two enterprisin > members of the House tried hard to get the Premier to promise that if any more appointments were made their very valuable districts—which were grossly neglected, as properly regulated districts possessing enterprising members invariably are—might be considered. But the Premier merely told these gentlemen that if any appointments were made he would keep their districts steadily in view. No one, however, dreamed" that the understanding would on any account be violated. There might have been a few ■people who would have liked their districts to be exceptionally favoured •, but the sturdy beggars in the political world, being exceptions to every rule of political decency, are -of the minority which need not he considered. The great majority *>f the constituencies is n.-t going to consider them. Now rumour has it that the Government is. There is no reason for any more Legislative Councillors. To the country at large it would be a monstrous injustice to add to the Council while the numbers of the Representative Chamber are re duced. Major Campbell’s case is exceptional. His great parliamentary experience is valuable to the country, and the re ward of his long service by translation to the Upper House would be according

precedent. There are then two valid reasons for their exception, which we believe would be accepted by all. But any other appointments would extinguish effectually any little popularity the Government may still retain. And rightly, for they would be unnecessary and contrary. and a stultification of economy.

Unless the American Bill passes, under which a large subsidy would be paid to the San Francisco Mail Service, that service is apparently doomed. The Premier on Friday received from Sir Henry Parkes a cable message to the effect that the New South Wales Government declined to join New Zealand in renewing the Californian Mail contract. New Zealand could not carry on the service alone, but if the American subsidy were obtainable would probably send all her letters by that line fortnightly at 2id rates and discontinue the Direct Service. If, however, the American subsidy be not forthcoming, the Government will probably propose to send all the mails by the two Direct Services fortnightly, also at the 2-|d rate, provided a satisfactory arrangement can be made with the two Shipping Companies.

“We don’t attach much importance to what the member for Wellington East says of us, because there are obvious reasons why he should not think so well of us as he once did.” That would have been a sufficient reference to the past if Mr Fergus in dealing with Mr Fisher had wanted to refer to the past at all. Mr Fisher certainly provoked him, by an intense bitterness of criticism, which should have been restrained by a better sense of the fitness of things. But no provocation quite justified the style of reference in which Mr Fergus indulged. If these gentlemen want to keep up a quarrel of which the country has had enough, let them take to writing one another sixty-folio memerandums. That would amuse them without boring the public.

Lord Carrington, with whose resignation of the New South Wales Governorship recent cables have been busy, will be missed in the Mother Colony. A breezy, genial, pleasant man, Lord Carrington has the knack of making himself agreeable. Without being “ all things to all men,” he becomes popular. He goes about amongst the people, he interests himself in everything that interests them. When he has to make a speech anywhere it is remarkable for tact, gaiety, _ good humour, and sympathy. That is the secret of success with both peer and peasant, and there is no other secret by which a colonial Governor can obtain success. If more of them were to take a leaf out of the Carrington book, there would be less criticism of the policy developed by the Colonial Offioe of confining Governorships to the Peerage.