NOTE AND COMMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3738, 12 May 1899, Page 4

NOTE AND COMMENT.

The ebhtiimedTabsence of the Perthshire r.— is.-oausing. a-feeliug of alarm the to pervade shipping Circles i ovEßnra '"and"the"general publicf It steamer. .-,-is beginnihg to, be. felt ..that Isome -mere. decisive.. steps should baveibeeu "taken several days ago, i with-Sr view' to ’ascertaining her ‘ whero"aßogts;'" "• f lf "the" vessel" has'brqkeu down, hhd'mjweatheriaig it. out iu the open,, it ,is surely •desirable i that • a - . steamer or -steamers shoilld be KonfoUt to’find her, stand by’ her’ ’hi render her assistkneo. , On T;be other hand, if the Perthshire, has .piled up on.any rspot along the hundreds ■of miles of rook-bound Western -coast bf ■ tHfe -South Ifeland' which" are actually out of "the'jken b'f' human'heiiigs,—and possibilities this,,kipdj though, repugnant. , have.to be-facod*—what a matter for re•morseit" would bo that "no steamer had "been Sent'round bit a yisif of inspection "of'a relief! .The-Marine De..partinent seems, io, bo . under the -impression that'if r “w6let Kef alone; then ■ she’ll-coine hofflc^' trailing ber screw'be* "bind hpr,” but-the time is past and gone ' whenjiej? absence, .can be: treated .other -than, soberly and -seriously;'and -there 'can B 3 mrtjliestTon that urgent measure? should" fit r once ,bo "taken..for .the relief of 'The Perthshire, - her passengers and nre.wv A great many- lives are ■ at- stake, as -well as a very valuable' vessel, and if the owners are as callous of the former, as. they, appear to be—judging from the fact that they have refrained from an-swering-the'cable. which - was sent them on - MoHday la-st;—then' something should be done by the Government -on behalf of the ■ public for both. If seems "almost a_ pity that : some prominent politician or other magnate is not -aboard • the missing steamer, "an this " would have ensured, a sharp .' loot-out ss to her whereabouts being, instituted many days ago. As it is, the necessity for immediate action "cannot be too urgently pressed upon the responsible authorities, .... , .

The' apprpacli' of winter invariably inten.sides the. unemployed diffiaper- ■ culty'in New' South AVales. ennial, "The problem is one that has problem! disturbed the minds of the , ■ . . ’ politicians - of the Mother Colohy been fitful attemptS’to remedy the evil. But these spasmodic efforts, however satisfactory at the time, have no abiding

effect; and the necessity for a permanent of the problem recurs with gi*9#ter urgency than before. From intelligence that reached us yesterday it is apparent that the Reid Ministry it to make another attempt to solve thr difficulty, and has accordingly appointed a Commission to inquire into the mattci with a view to presenting to the Government what might bo regarded as a per manont solution. This action, has nc doubt in part been prompted by the formulation of a scheme by a committee o' Sydney citizens, which was presented t< the Government not long ago. This scheme is a comprehensive one, and ought to receive consideration by tin newly-appointed Commission. No solu tion of the unemployed difficulty can b( considered as satisfactory unless it has r land-settlement basis. The placing of people upon the land is the most natural as it is the truest method of dealing witf many social and economic problems ; and hence wo find this basis has been' accepted by the reformers in the Mother Colony.

The citizens of "this Sydney forward movement first proposed ha* and its a trust should be formed. solution. and that the Government should hand over lands suit able for the operations of the tr.ist; The committee has recommended the ac quisition of 200 acres of church lands inclose proximity to Sydney, and propose' that not less than 2000 .acres should Lr acquired in a good agricultural distr- ;c to bo cut up in small areas suitable tc those members of the unemployed who may desire to become farmers. The smaller area is proposed to be utilised in a similar way ; but the sections wohld he of such area as would enable the holders to do casual work in the neighbourhood whqn labouring men wore in demand. It is not suggested that this scheme is likely to cure the evils that follow idleness, drunkenness and immorality. While the rules of the proposed labour colony are not-to be unduly oppressive or inquisitorial, they are to include dismissal for disobedience, or idleness. While the cost of charitable aid will be reduced by giving capable workers an opportunity of earning their living, the unfit and worthless will have to bo maintained as at present. No person is to be taken on to the settlement who cannot work, and the resources or the establishment are to bo open to every applicant who is able and willing to work. There, working for their living, the unemployed will gather in courage and in hope. The settlement will live within itself, bartering its surplus products for those articles' it cannot produce. Tho Government is to be asked to allow the members of it; scientific staff to instruct the workers on the trust farm in agriculture, beofarniing, poultry raising, dairying and other industries. With all this every inducement is to be given to those who incline to farming pursuits to take up land and make homes for themselves ; and efforts will be made to find'suitable employment in the ordinary industrial channels for those temporarily employed on the trust lands. There is much in this proposal to commend it, and when the Parliamentary Commission now set up comes to make its deliverance,, it will probably take cognisance of tho scheme propounded by the citizens of Sydney. ' The fact that the Government contem- ( plates making an attempt tc i.NSurn- minimise the inconvenience oient caused through . overcrowd- 1 public - ing at the law Courts bybuildings, placing certain premises on * Lambtou quay at the disposal of Magistrates, merely emphasised tho necessity for dealing in a comprehensive manner with the whole question of Court accommodation. The present arrangements are, of course, intolerable. The new departure will improve matter' to the extent of providing a little more space, but unless tho Government proceeds at once with the work of adding considerably to the Law Court buildings, the rearrangement will intensify tho general inconvenience now' existing. The decision to remove portion of the Agricultural Department to tho temporal)' promises is ii' doubt dictated by a desire on the part of the Government to meet the requirements of the service, but a little foresight would have made such a disadvantageous arrangement unnecessary. The public has before it the fact on one hand that 1 the Parliamentary Buildings—which are used for only four months in the year, as a rule—are being enlarged on, a scale of some splendour, and on the other hand that the authorities are driven to all sorts of shifts and expedients to house tho various branches of tho public service. Tho difficulties to bo surmounted by the Government must bo recognised, tind ic. is satisfactory to see that an attempt is being made to improve present deficiencies. No delay can bo tolerated, however, and Parliament, which has-made such generous provision for its own comfort, should scr that tho Civil Service and the public have fit buildings for railway, judicial and other business, of a kind superior to the very defective premises now in iiso or about to bo utilised. While people have been preaching homilies upon the' apathy of the the democracy, and lamenting municipal tho failure of citizens to noLL take advantage of tho euMtTDDLE. larged municipal franchise it would seem that these fulmumtions should rather have beer directed against official muddling. The. letter of “A Disgusted Democrat,” which wo publish in another part of this issue, comes as strong confirmation of our contention of a few days ago that there is need for A vast improvement 'in the method'of making tip the voters’ rolls. Our correspondent’s case is probably not an isolated one; indeed, many of the fifteen hundred who have not been placed upon the Wellington burgess roll, though qualified, may have had an experience similar to his. There is something pathetic, and at the same time calculated to arouse the sternest indignation, in the spectacle of a resident of the city,-anxious to place himself in a position to exercise the right .of citizenship,, going te much trouble to have his name enrolled, only 1 to find himself baffled and defeated by official incapacity, or by the absurd re-:

strictions and conditions imposed by statute and regulation. To put matters on a proper basis the law. should be altered so that the'duty of compiling the hiirgess roll should be 'throwix up6n the municipal authorities.* Until this is done, the so-called municipal, franchise reform will prove to 'bo; a, veritable' Dead See apple—fair to the sight,-.but rottonnosand ashes within. - •

Dr Hamer, medical officer to the London : ■’ County Council,' r recently ' ; how , handed in a. report to that

, the , body on “ tne preparation .. . London;, and- 1 sale of certain articles ' poor, of food,”.;'which contains hivE. ' sbfhe .intefesting facts. He ~. , made,-special'jinquiries into the ice-cream trade;; in order to set at rest certain sUspiciorlfs to'TJxe' qdality of the article pu^'yeyed and he found,that- the,poorest.ice-cream, men were scrupulous as, to The* cleanliness of their utensils and the ;piirsty of thh ingredients they tised.' Samples of icecream obtained; for analysis from West End, clubs, and restaurants revealed,' like thb samples from tho ltalians, an' appail'ing -array ’qf iniefobijs.; truth is apparently that the.'natural microbes of the milk are; somehow-'-encouraged by the conditions’.of ice-cream: to’multiply merrily, and if you. leave it a few.Jjours.yon will swallow them at the .rate of seven millions per’cubic centimetre—and that without any risk-to your health. The most pathetic portion-of the- doctor’s report deals with tile food of tho poor. Ho says ; “In one shop we found a largo piece of -horseflesh was ion ’sale together with butcher’s meat and r offal, and on inquiry we were informed that it was intended to be sold as “cats meat.” The shopkeeper explained, - however, that some of His customers bought 'five-penny-worth (two pounds)' at ,"a f lamp,. and that he was sure they could no.F afford to pend that sum upon -cats; : Moreover he added, “they complain that it is under-*, done.” This butcher further informed us; that; he used to have a .-customer who came regularly'orieo,*a-‘week,. evidently for the purpose; of buying his; Sunday dinner, and that this mail,'afterpurchasing a pound .br two of'horseflesh at the offal shop, proceeded across the road for greens and potatoes, so that it was, quite clear that horseflesh was'intended for human food.” When Londoners are reduced to the necessity of eating the flesh of worn-out horses, it is not to be wondered at that there is a growing demand for the cheap, wholesome and luscious mutton sent from New Zealand.