The Oamaru Mail. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1910.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10562, 17 September 1910, Page 3

The Oamaru Mail. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1910.

The most remarkable and welcome announcement made New Zealand to through the cable the Front. for manv years has

just COIUO through ill the sliiipc of a quotation from the Daily News. The Daily News is the Liberal organ: the organ of llmt section i)l' the. Liberal party which pi ides itself on its prudent in I and pracliea ' views. When the principle el conipulsory arbitration was first made famous by the example of N<'w Zealand thai party smilingly approved the theory but condescendingly condemned the practice as an excerpt from ihe most impractical part of the millennium. So big a country with a population so diverse in their interests and their circumstances—the thing was but a

dream. When the author of our compulsory arbitration Act: settled down ill London to his official duties as representative- of the Dominion the Kighly Club gave him a dinner at which he explained the system established. Me was listened to with sympathy by all present. -Mr Asqtiith wa; gracious, the Archbishop of York was more Ko. There was behind these a chorus of praise. But the speech of Lord Killowcn severely disposing ol the principle from the practical point of view reduced all the applause to the level of a "claque.'' There are "claques" and "claques" : the "claque" that is paid to applaud and the "claque" which applauds out of hospitality and good, fellowship. This one belonged to the latter category, and its applause was just- as hollow as if it had been of the former. Since then Australia has adopted the compulsory system, but Britain has remained among the unbelievers. America has also boon proof against all persuasion, and some of the methods of persuasion employed by thoughtful Americans who have from time to linn visted the Dominion have been of the very best. The. face of the. world outside of Australasia is set hard against the principle of compulsory arbitration. Out. of the hurly burly of things industrial which just- now are emphatically queer, there has come a sign of vast and beneficent change. The Daily News, the champion of the party which could not give more than theoretical sympathy "to (he compulsory principle, has spoken with no uncertain sound. "Wo have arrived at a stage in national agreements when employers, employed, and trade unionists are' still suspicious of compulsory arbitration. But pressure of circumstances ; will tend to override these suspicions." It. is amusing to see the guide, philosopher and friend of the workers and ihe Liberals throwing the responsibility for the suspicions of its own creating on to the shoulders of all and sundry who thought the same way and are still so thinking. But the- statement is clear and solid for all that. It is an admission in a vor.- high place that the principle of compulsory arbitration is not out of reach wherever there are large multitudes and vast, varieties of interests. The idea which we have realised here is evidently gaining ground im the Old World. It- is that the success of compulsory arbitration does not depend on the ability of tinSlate to coerce vast, gatherings ol discontented workers, or the combinations of Capital, secret surreptitious suspicious and free even unto saeredness. The success depends on getting the parties to listen to' reason before tlie.v get heated to bad blood, and to discuss with knowledge and mutual confidence, so that the settlement may have nothing against it when arrived at. but the irreducible minimum of human obstinacy. There is always such a minimum, and always will he so long :'s human, nature is what it is. But to deal with the irreducible minimum ol obstinacv is a simple affair indeed, 111- ! volving the coercion of a very few, with the approval of the reasonable majority. Time was when the strike was the onlv weapon of Labor, anil it was used freely and is still used Iree'y. In the beginning its use was justifiable bv reason of the disabilities of unorganised labor. But since the freedom el' organised labor has become the law ol the land the raisoii d'etre of the sink* is gone. -Man is a reasoning being. not" a lighting wild . animal. .Man argues with sense of justice to conclusions which demand compromises. The wild beasts rend and tear, acknowledging no law but force. Man possessing the gift of speech gives words of convincing silver to ideas of relined gold. The brutes have only the gift of roaring, and the only sense thai can ever be made out of it when difler-| ences of opinion arise in the brute communities is "Vac Vict is." Man has followed in Ins industrial conflicts tie law of the wild beast, long alter lbviolence of the beast was his only chance of salvation. It is high time he took to the ways of reasoning man The ordinary average man who reasons knows the rights and the wrongs m things, and is prepared to act. accorcinglv alwa\s. if prevented troni coming under the' influence of passion, which moreover is especially susceptible 10 inflammation' from the wind ol injustice and rough treatment. He knows that, justice is justice and practical food work'is practical good work, whether in a hut or a palace, in a tactory of three as in a barrack yard ol ten thousand men armed. It is the object of'compulsory arbitration to establish that commonplace as a founda-tion-for the settlement of industrial disputes. Our experience here is that this object has been fairly well attained. 'According to the organ of t lie saner Kadicals, the fact is about to be recognised and accepted as an example for the guidance of industrial conflicts in Britain. "Pressure of circumstances" is the lever by which this consummation so devoutly to be wished for is, according to the above avttho'rity, to be brought about before long.

Tlic position is all the more pleasing ;is it is tin- outcome of many attempts, some of them of historic importance, to arrange difficulties by voluntary submission to arbitration. Part of the pressure will conic from the experience of these consultations which has convinced men that all these difficulties are the result of perfectly .honest views which require nothing so much as the jo truth for their reconciliation one with S; another. A new era is at hand in '-. which the world will acknowledge to \_ this Dominion its obligation to the '■ leader in the va:i of progress long con- ','_ tciinicd. at hist acknowledged with jj gratitude. f Anplicants for medals for .service | in the New Zealand war are requested ', to furnish proofs of their claims to the .. Stipendiary Magistrate. Forms of ap- , plication arc obtainable at the I'osL ] Office. The Chief Postmaster informs u.s Unit switch-board attendants at the Oamaru telephone exchange are now supplied with the Western Electric Company's head receivers and breastplate transmitters to facilitate switching operation. It is desired that subscribers remember that upon responding to a "ring-up" it is not necessary to ring back before taking the telephone re- ■ ccivcr from the hook. Under the new arrangement at the exchange the ring back before responding sounds directly into the ear of tin- operator, and is altogether unnecessary besides causing some personal discomfort. A man arrested by Constables M'(lrego r and Prion on a maintenance charue. and a voiiflifnl industrial school absconder arrested bv Constable Hrie'i were brought before Mr T. Hutchison, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court this morning. The man was remanded to appear at Wangaimi ; and the boy, who bad escaped from a farm at Kimbolton, where he had been placed by the Wernroa Training farm authorities, was ordered to return to W'craroa. While matters relating to the supply of gas were being discussed at. the Borough Council hist night, Councillor Frith raised a legal point. The law. -n regard to the supply of gas is that any company (this includes municipal corporations) shall supply gas to any consumer on his requesting if if he is within Kit) yards of a main. If a consumer is within 11)0 yards of the main (or service pipe X) put down to supply a consumer complying with the conditions of distance is he entitled to a similar privilege!-' If so, where does this chain slop!" 1 Does it stop in tho borough, or can it be extended emllesslv outside the borough, as from tin' 'main along the .North" Road to the High School ? It was decided that Councillor frith and the Town Clerk should stale the particulars of these poiiils and obtain an opinion thereon from the Municipal Association's solictor (Mr T. !•'. Martin). Small boys or other persons wilh childish propensities, and a. strange idea of humor, have caused some annoyance to Post Office officials lately by scribbling on letter-boxes, endeavoring to delete the figures which denote ih lime the box is cleared, or iusertiic; their most illustrious names on the clean places, as persons of (heir kind delight' to. The post oliicials —fortunately for themselves- cannot see tho humor or e< en the sense of such actions: therefore, they have referred I he matter to the police, who will endeavor tu find the joke, or the joker. Tic Postal Department have lately improved posting facilities ill and - around the borough, by providing seven new boxes of an approved pattern, which are supplied wilh enamelled plates giving all necessary information. The Chief Postmaster advises that two of the boxes have h< fitted oil the North Road beyond Newboroiigh. at lh.' intersections of Cricket (iroltud and College Roads, one near Ihe Noil hern Hotel in Wanshocl; street, and a. fourth on the footpath (adjacent to .Mr Coalman's residence) ill Cheln:er street. Additional boxes will be place. | ai tin' lop of Kdon street (near Mr .Jamiesoii's), and at the intersection of Reed and Deo streets. Tim resiii -nts on the hill will also ho similarly provided for at the comer of Test and Wharfo .streets. The various receptacles will be cleared regularly twice daily at the hours stated, and wilh the six boxes previously provided should considerably increase the general public convenience. It is understood that the extended letter-carriers' delivery beyond Newboroiigh meets with liiuch acceptance from the residents. This also applied to the additional afternoon loan deliverv arranged for bv the Chief Postmaster. The latter servos a block extending around Toes. Wansbeck, and Tvne streets Up to Kibble street. The p incipal exports from the Port of (iamaru for the fortnight ended September 1 "> were as follow: Frozen lamb, 17(i7 carcases <.">37ow(), valued at ■Clou-'- fro/.on mutton. 7(>i carcases ~47<)owt), valued at C.VU); 1-\(>DR rabbit: -.kins (lo7SII,s), valued at £110; .'!S'I7 sheepskins with wool r_>o,3-lHbs), valued at CS7K ; wool. 18,77'Jlbs, valued at .'J7ft?. Total. .L.'Wl I. The proposed celebration of Dominion Day was tho subject, of a telegram from Sir J. (i. Ward read by the Mayor at last night's meeting of {he Council: "It is proposed to celebrate the anniversary of Dominion Day on Monday, •_'(ith instant, by having a parade of tilt- Territorials in the varnus towns and districts in the evening, the troops to march from a given point through the principal streets. I should bo glad if you could, see your way to confer with the officer commanding the troops in your district in regard to the contemplated turnout of the Territorials. All Ooventmeiif buildings are to display their bunting during the day, and ill citizens would do likewise, where possible, it would enhance the, interest of tlie occasion. 1 have; requested the officer commanding the Territorials in your town to sec you on the matter." It was decided to co-operate with tho officer commanding the Territorials as requested. Messrs .1. and A. Weir announce, that Agilalor will be at the service of breeders iii the Waiiuafe, Waikaktihi, Red.'illf, and Morven districts. King's Commander will travel in the Papakuio, Waiarcka, and Kakauui districts; while their latest purchase —Etui Stewart —a three-year-old from the Southland district, will be stationed in the Papakaio and Awamoko districts. Have your children grow up happy in the possession of a buoyant, rugged health. Stearns' Wine of Cod Liver Extract ensures it —tissue nourishing—muscle, building and system invigorating. 28 Watch the. New T Model Fords go by.-—F. It. Dcnnison, Agent.