PASSING EVENTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4646, 26 April 1902, Page 1 (Supplement)

PASSING EVENTS.

(From tho "New Zealand Mail.”) History is philosophy teaching by examples. —Thucydides. Tlio Farmers’ Union is interesting itself in tho relation of tho Government to tho Wollington-Manawatu Railway Company. At tho annual meeting of tho Palmerston branch a resolution was passed instructing tho committee elect to organise opposition to tho proposals made by the Government, whereby tho Manawatu Railway Company will bo forced to tranship stock and goods at Longburn. The opposition to tho proposal of tho Government is taken on public grounds. Why, it is asked, should the settlors ho put to tho inconvenience threatened? They have settled along tho route of tho lino and in the Palmerston district calculated in tho price they gave for their lands tho advantages the Company's lino afforded by reaching quickly a market for their produce. If tho Government and tho Company cannot come to terms about tho buying and soiling of tho line, that is no reason why tho whole traffic and trade of tho district should bo disorganised. Tho people who use tho Company’s lino have, of course, no real interest in the dispute between tho Company and tho Government concerning the value of tho property; but they are individually concerned in the facilities tho railway offers them as a means of communication with Wellington by a shorter route than is otherwise available. It cannot, however, bo denied that tho Company has obtained considerable advantage from tho present arrangement, thereby the rolling stock of the Government has been sent over its line. In the matter of railing stock to Johnsonville from the northern Wellington and Taranaki districts this has proved very satisfactory to farmers, and stock-raisers are entitled to complain against any proposal which will necessitate all stock entrained at Palmerston and on the Government lino towards New Plymouth being conveyed over tho Bimutaka. It is asserted that the stock will be detrimentally affected, and tho farmers will thereby suffer both monetary loss and inconvenience. As the linos are now being worked the public convenience is admirably served. It must not, however, be forgotten that tho Government is not compelled to send stock over the Manawatu line, and with its own traffic it is at perfect liberty to act.- As tho present arrangement was entered into with a view to obviating the risks of bringing heavy stock trains over the Rimutaka incline, it docs not appear that the dangers which that route involves have been removed. They are, however, to be minimised by the substitution of heavier engines for those formerly in use; and if that is so the Government is quite entitled to cope with its own business. It is regrettable that the Government and the Company have not been able to come to terms about the sale and purchase of the railway. Tho lino should belong to the country. Its existence as a private lino is an anomaly. In acquiring the property tho country "is entitled to deal with the shareholders fairly and equitably, and since the negotiations for the purchase of the railway along tho lines of last session’s Act have been broken off, the settlement of tho difficulty might he arrived at by arbitration in terms of the Act of 1881. Meantime nothing ought to bo done to jeopardise the usefulness of the Company’s lino to farmers, stock-raisers and the general public.

A correspondent has again directed attention to the advantages ,that are likely to accrue to the growers of produce—butter, meat, wool—were the ports of this country and the manufacturing centres of England brought into direct communication. The proposal to increase the shipping dues of London by some fifty per cent, has suggested the opening up of trade with Manchester. The canal has so far proved disastrously unprofitable, but there is reason to believe that the enterprising manufacturers of that great - industrial centre will find a way out of their debt and difficulty. To obtain communication with the ovor-sea possessions of the Empire is their aim. Those interested in the development of Manchester as a port, point out that it has now in its immediate vicinity a population of close upon seven millions of people, and that since the opening up of the canal it has become the most convenient and the cheapest port for reaching all the manufacturing towns of Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and the west riding of Yorkshire. All this is of interest, no doubt, to New Zealand, but by the ties of finance and custom our merchants are wedded to .London and even those lines of steamers trading out of other English ports are invariably loaded homewards for London. It is easy to say that the network of canals and railways would facilitate the distribution of our produce in the manufacturing districts of which Manchester is the centre; but while London controls New Zealand produce it is difficult to see how tho trade could advantageously bo diverted. Still if it can bo shown that it would be cheaper to ship to Manchester where a higher price, it is alleged, would bo obtained for our butter and mutton, then it only requires a little enterprise on the part of buyers and shippers and direct communication between Wellington and Manchester may be established. If our produce could bo saved something of the heavy portage dues and the cost of railage to the inland towns in the way of distribution, then there is hope for tho Manchester trade; but the fitful attempts to develop what is called “the colonial trade” of Manchester have been unsatisfactory. One sailing vessel of three thousand tons burden could have carried all the grain, wool and meat that has been shipped from the ports of Greater Britain to Manchester during the past three years, and those engaged in tho work of turning Manchester into a distributing centre for oversea products have a difficult task before them. It is true considerable quantities of frozen meat from the Argentine find their way to Manchester, but to- compete successfully against this trade would moan that Now Zealand would have to send small and thin carcases to Manchester and her frozen meat trade would bo disorganised jf that were undertaken. The possibilities of Manchester as a port are great, hut the attractiveness and power of London are not to bo obliterated in a generation.

Our cablegrams from Australia this week inform us that tho political and financial state of tho Commonwealth is far from satisfactory. Tho Federal tariff has happily been passed, but it will not yield as much as was anticipated, and tho declining condition of exports will tend to reduce imports, thereby still further militating against the financial position of tho' Federal Government. Tho tariff not being operative in Western Australia for five years, that stato will not bo affected in tho meantime, although tho increased cost of commodities will to some extent disturb her industrial workers. In South Australia and Tasmania deficiencies in tho public revenues will bo certain to contract business; but in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland tho disturbance is to ho severe and will ho followed by drastic results. Already in tho northern state public servants are being dismissed and a general scheme of retrenchment in tho civil service has begun. Tho government is evidently going to grapple with the problem. It is now contemplating tho closing of the non-paying railways, hut the discharging of bands will only aggravate the present stato of affairs and precipitate the direful financial catastrophe announced. Never in tho history of Queensland have the public finances been in a worse condition. Reductions must not only be made in 'the public service, but taxation must bo increased, and then a deficiency of over three-quarters of a million will have to bo faced at the end of the current financial year. All this, together with the threatened ruination of the sugar growers by the gradual abolition of Kanaka labour is sufficient to indicate that a season of bad times is about to prevail in one of the most progressive of the Australian states. But New South Wales is also afflicted, and Victoria is in an infinitely worse plight. Tho agitation against the public extravagance which has prevailed there for the past three or four years has begun. A Parliamentary Reform Conference has just resolved that Ministers' and members’ salaries must be reduced, and the chairman of the Conference has been informed by Mr Peacock, the Victorian Premier, that not only would the resolution be attended to but a reform of the constitution to suit the new conditions under federation would be instituted. This policy is absolutely necessary if the state is to escape bankruptcy. Agriculture has been declining for years and even dairying, which was doing so much to restore confidence in Victoria, is now classed as one of.the retrograding industries. Tho earning power of tho people has contracted, employment is diminishing, and all this is reacting upon the prosperity of all classes of industry. The outlook of the Commonwealth is gloomy, and a few years of depression are inevitable.

When will the struggle in South Africa terminate? While negotiations for peaco proceed there is to be no cessation of hostilities. ,In one way this is to be regretted, but the Boers have so frequently mistaken British magnanimity for weakness that it is necessary to dispel—even at this hour—their selfdeception. Still if accounts from Pretoria are not erroneous, it would seem as if the British Government were prepared to offer some inducement to a complete surrender. The offer of representation upon an executive body of administrators of the Transvaal and Orange Free Colony must certainly* he approved. Then the restocking of the farms and the rebuilding of houses destroyed in the course of the war is also necessary if Great Britain would ensure a satisfactory settlement of the conquered and annexed territory. The authorities are, however, evidently aware that the future 'of the Transvaal and Orange Free Colony will depend upon the loyalty, industry and enterprise of their new inhabitants. Facilities will bo offered to the right class of settlers,. and there is a disposition to hold out exceptional inducements to those who have had some experience in colonising work. The now legal regulations are such as will encourage barristers and solicitors in Canada, Australia and New Zealand to migrate to the Transvaal where the law will be Dutch,' but the language English. Modifications will doubtless be made, and English law will be grafted upon the Dutch stock as the English-speaking population increases in numbers and influence. Teachers from Greater Britain are also in demand, and there is manifestly no lack of applicants for the available posts. This is a prudent policy. If the Boor children are effectually taught the English language and acquire English manners and customs they will be less amenable to the influence of rebellious spirits. Thus tn time the inherent animosity will be, if not utterly outrooted, completely subdued. Large areas of land will he available for settlement and an effort is being made to induce colonists from elsewhere to settle on the veldt so that the amalgamation of Dutch and British might be rapidly promoted. Farms in the newly-acquired territories are large, notably from five to ten thousand acres, and a considerable amount of capital will bo required to work them to advantage. ' While the Executive might be expected to. offer assistance to desirable settlers, it is probable that the idea contained in New Zealand’s scheme of settling repurchased areas will be adopted, and intending settlors will havo to satisfy tho authorities that they possess a certain amount of capital to start with. New settlers for the Transvaal must have energy, resourcefulness and “grit,” and if,, tho war is to result in other than benefit to speculative corporations, industrious farmers will have to he encouraged.to settle on the available fertile lands. Meantime, however, hostilities qro being continued and until “the three months’ fight,” which has been lengthened out to over thirty, is at an end the settlement schemes will bo greatly hampered and deferred.