TOPICS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4290, 25 February 1901, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY

MORE ABOUT K ATOM A. “ One Who Knows.'’ writing mi dor date Wellington, February :23rd, says ; —The letter written on ibis subject by tho late owner, Mr T. Purvis Russell, to the Premier, has received the attention it well deserves, hut in many quarters has not been quite understood, so a little explanation may bo of use. Tho offer of £OO,OOO as ransom is regarded by many as a bogus one, made merely for effect. To this, the reply is that it is absolutely genuine, in proof of which I may say that there is a gentleman now iu Wellington prepared to guarantee the payment, under any bond required, a.s soon as the conditions asked are carried out. Tho singular thing about this offer is that it fully confirms the statement made: by olio c# tho witnesses (Mr C. Pharazyn), at the first sitting of the Compensation Court, to the effect that it was worth more to the owner (ban the full sum claimed, viz., £‘2.30,000. The owner lia.i received, in the amount awarded, proceeds of sales of stock, etc., about £190,000. He now offers £60,000, making £250,000 in all, as . tho value to him. With regard to tho concluding portion of Mr Russell’s letter, a. most amusing thing has occurred. Nearly all the papers, and most of the people one meets, ha.ro utterly failed to see the veiled satire. The attitude taken up by Mr Russell amounts’ to saying, “I do not complain of your laws, and am prepared to pay ransom, but ‘what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, 1 so let others do the same and ransom their properties as I am willing to do. ’ i t is too absurd to think that lie ‘could intend this to be taken seriously; it wa-s merely a way rjf showing how wrong tho principle on which his property has been taken is. A proposal has lately been seriously made to add to our notes of interrogation, exclamation, etc., a note to indicate sarcasm, so that anyone seeing this nolo 'would understand, with Artomus Ward, that, “this is writ sarkastic.” Truly such a note is urgently required in New Zealand.

THE .SERVANT-GIRL QUESTION. In Christchurch, as in Wellington, tho scarcity of domestic servants is causing serious concern to householders. A registry agent toll's the '“Lyttelton Times” that the real reason of tho crisis is that girls arc not well enough treated by their employers. “Many servants go from this city, to Wellington, where they receive 14s a week for work that they would get only 10s a week for hero. The mistresses expect far too much from the girls, who arc treated disgracefully in some instances. If good girls had better treatment, the position would be different. It seems that remedies have already been discussed by ladies La, Christchurch, and not long ago the proprietress of a registry office was approached, with a view to sending her • Homo to select trained domestic helps from London, Glasgow' and Dublin, and have them sent out to the colony. The idea watl not to select a number of girls indiscriminately, but to take time and obtain' thoroughly qualified persons, who would have to undergo a proper examination and produce credentials. It Is also suggested that numbers of girls could be induced to come from Australia. Another proposal that lijad heel! made is that Chinese and Japanese boys should bo brought to the colony in large numbers, but this plan seems to have been quickly discarded. Yet another proposal is that numbers of _ colonial lads should be trained as domestic helps, but this also seems to have mot with little support. Seme people have a hazy idea that the State should step in, but precisely where! they cannot say. NEW ZEALAND OPINION OF FEDERATION. Tho “Lyttelton Times’’ remarks that if the Federation Commission fares as wolf elsewhere as it has done in Christchurch, its report will not lack tho weight of authority, as the witnesses W'ere all of a representative character, and well qualified to speak on the broad general issue as well as on special issues. “Wo cannot help,” adds our contemporary, “being struck fay the overwhelming preponderance of opinion against tho proposal that New Zealand should join the Commonwealth. Of the eleven merchants who evidence, seven were emphatically opposed to federation and four were advocates of the union; of the manufacturers seven were against and four in favour of the union; whilst of the witnesses whoso positions on public bodies gave them a claim, to be considered representative of the community, not one advocateu the alliance with our neighbours. The president of the Industrial Association, the chairman of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, a tried and experienced citizen and statesman hks Sir John Hall and the presidents of industrial bodies all expressed the opinion that New Zealand had nothing to gain by the great political change, and the president o. the Trades and Labour Conncil gare evidence, to the same effect, which we

I.l'vr.- (nil \v cndor-ed by the workers oi ;jJJ parts oi Dio colony, she farmcoimui.nily was apparently content, lo loavu its case iu the hands of two witnesses:, one an advocate anti the otner an opponent, of federation. Of 0 o t,ljii-ty-li V 0 witnesses examiner! in Ili rfstchurch, t'.vont y-llvo adduced reasons why wo should not throw in our l"' ; with the Cenmionwciilth; nine f:i'on rod the change ; and one refused lo c a pros l ; an opinion.”