AUCKLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12100, 20 July 1901, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

(From Our (Iwx CoKRKSPoxnF.XT.) July 15. The Auckland members went away lo the OeM-ral Assembly this lime with move tlefiiiitc ideas as to what wa.< wanted [nr the province, and the way to obtain it, than ti) any previous session. Mr Xnnier. the senior iccmlicr for the City, has "evidently n i intention of being chained to the chariot wheels nf Mr .1. H. Wiihoford, but means to take his own role, for when asked as to how the energies of the Auckland members should bo diverted during the sitting of Parliament, he replied that " while he had no authority to speak on behnlf of the Auckland member* generally, be had formed very definite ideas as to the direction in which his individual efforts should -go, and, with vogard to most of the questions, he believed lie should have the cordial cooperation of every member from the Auckland provincial district." The supreme questions in his mind as affecting Auckland are communication and land settlement, and iti.ilway communication must be paramount. Til his opinion, there should be 2000 men 311 the formation works of the North Island railway c?.rly in next year, instead of the 1000 at present employed. The construction of the lino from Stratford to Wlisuigamaino should be energetically prosecuted, and next, year a beginning should be 'made from Kawakawa in the direction of Wliangamnmo. It was of the utmost, importance that, the Olinrci Valley should be opened up Tor settlement as soon as possible. The North Auckland line should be pushed on, as it will open up areas of land for settlement, and necessarily enhance the prriperity of Auckland. A vigorous effort should be made to get a large vote for reads, especially iu iho Kawliia district, and to open no the land purchased by the Government from the Nntives of the Hohepolae. Mr Napier says that that programme will receive the complete unanimity of the Auckland members in its support. There are other matters on which lie will have to go "on his own." For examjile, the perfection of the defence? of the colony, and the development of the tourist traflic. He says that " until there are large and comfortable Fteamers plying between Australia and Auckland we cannot divert to this country the stream of tourists that now goes elsewhere, lie would be iu favour of the Government either purchasing or building two 8000 or 10,000 ton f.teamors to conncct Australia with New -Zealand. He could see no more legitimate reason against the owning by the public of large intercolonial steamers than Against the public owning railways. The trip ought to be done from Sydney to Auckland in throe days, ff the traffic would brnv stcamm of Hint size remuneratively, there is no doubt that the Union Steam Ship Company, from their splendid enterprise in the past, would have met the situation. It is' not likely that Auckland members, us a party, am likely to vote thousands a year for the pleasure and convenience of liritish and foreign tourists, when in !»mc of their electorates north of Auckland. their omistitutents arc as completely cut oil' in winter by mud from civilisation, as they would lie Jit the Arctic regions by snow and ice. Hut Mr Napier's energies do not stop there. He is going to take the Defence Office down in the old. and set it tip iu the new. He believer it is as inefficient as the British War Office was in the oarly xwges of the floor war. " Nothing has been organised; there is no transport; no proper organisation; insufficient equipment: no overcoats: and no commissariat arrangements." The recommendations of the Defence CommiMoe had hetin almost iimorpd, and even the capitation had not been readjusted n* directed by Parliament, The Dofonre Office required complete reorganisation. What was required was a young man of good commercial experience as a military organiser; it ii purely a matter of business. Mr Napier. I fancy, know? where that "young man" can be found; but what King Richard will think of this criticism of his Defence Department remains to be seen. As showing the hideous elmo.s that reigned in Auckland lately, when the Auckland volunteers loft for Christehurch, I am told that there were some corps arranged for their transport over the head of the brigade office, on the strength (if orders obtained elsewhere, and the first that the brigade office knew of their departure was seeing the matter in the newrpapor?! And the order "I.ct 'em all come!" simply upset all the attempt* to procure suitable transport for them. Toe usual conference with members of Parliament prior to going to Parliament was oi the usual character, and dealt pretty well with the above subjects, save the additional topics of the San Francisco service, the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. and the Workers' Compensation Act. It was pointed out that the Americans now living in Samoa, were getting their supplies from New Zealand by the .San Francisco mail service steamers every three weeks, mid that the American transport Abaremla when last- iu Auckland t spent £10.000 in repairing the vessel and in obtaining supplies. As to the mining legislation. Mr Francis Hull, sharebroker. said he had letter* from lii< London agents showing that the London people were obsolutely tired of putting money into the goldfields so long as the labour legislation of the eduntry was of Mich a nature that after they had invested their money they did not know what the legislation would be to-morrow. During the lust six monliic it had been almost impossible to sell shares on the Auckland Stock I'Achatige, because people refused to put their monev into industries guided by these uncertain laws. Ample evidence was forthcoming as to the effect of the Labour law* and the Workers' Compensation Act: and as regards the latter act. it was shown how first mortgagees would find themselves in the position of second mortgagees, and employers and landowners might be ruined. In this connection it is significant to notice thai Mr Frank La wry, M.H.Pi., found it neccssary at his late pre-ses-uonal speech to throw out a warning to the Labour party, though he owes his return to its support, and he did not yeruptc to express Jus opinion that 44 Labour was miming uuul. M If the union* wore asking too much, the country diVtriek where the seJ.t-lcrs had to wcrk from daylight to dark, would object. . and work against lite Labour parties in the were populous cc.ntrc.?. He made a uorc complete summersault in speaking of the licensing question, and the necessity for the tiafiie in the King Country being licensed, when he said: "»So far as he was personal"}* concerned, he would like to sen every drop of liquor abolished from the country." A gentleman informed me that be was so broken up by the novelty of the statement that he. fell down in the .street when he heard of it. The Auckland Cycle Roads League gave a smoke concert to members of J'nrli«moiit prior t-o leaving for Wellington, being apparently of opinion that the royal road to the affections of a member of Parliament was by way of his stomach. If the Cycle Boards Bill docs not pass after that, then there is no dependence upon human nature. There were a number of members of the Legislature present, and both those of the Upper and Lower Houses promised their support. A number of the members of the City Council were also guests. If the City Council would only keep its own paths o!ran, it

would do very wol!. .Mr .1. H. Witheford impressed the hope, in proposing the toast of "The Auckland .Cycle Roads League." that tho next great event that would bring thosn pre.>ent together would bo the opening; up of a cvo!e track from Auckland to Rotorua, and felt that if they could get the Premier interested in the matter of cycle paths they would soon get good roads opened up to thorn throughout the colony. Swing that the safety bicycle has yet to be built, which Mould stand the Premier, its' too much to ask that ho should feci iu-it-rostcd in cycle paths and take into consideration the opportunities would bo eiven to tourist« to see the Wonderland of New Zealand. ami the of that influx, a.- ir meant, monov left behind. Such a slnte of industrial unrest has never before been seen- in Auckland as at present, and, instead of the Conciliation Act bringing peace, it ha* brought a word. Tho Conciliation Hoard has been sitting for many months pa 4, and in one rase which has occupied it» attention for months both side*? have repudiated the award, and (ho case will go to the Arbitration Court. The miner?, the sawinillcrs, the bakers, the eartors, and the tanners have boon before (lie board. The tminer.* came before the board to renew their agreement with their employers, with which they were satisfied, barring some slight additions and alterations, but their agent stated that they bad received word from the south not to renew their agreement just- yet, a? in the south they were going in for a higher rate of wages. I-Io said that- the Auckland men I v/ero well satisfied with the Auckland masters' terms, and he declined to take the action suggested, an, in hi? opinion, being unjust to the Auckland muster tanners, ami asked for a renewal of the agreement, which was assented to. As an instance of the way how things are going through the Workers* Compensation Act, a man was employed in a certain shop who had fits. He did his work well, and his master had no fault to find with him, but when the master saw, from the act, that he was liable to the extent of £400 for any accident that might happen the man while in his employment, lie discharged him, and the man has had to apply to the Charitable Aid UoariJ for support, as no one will employ him. Another incident has occurred showing how claims may arise. The contractor for the Nihotopn No. 12 contract and one of the workmen wcro killed by a fall of earth from a "soapy head." The contractor was defective in his eyesight, and had previously fallen over an embankment. It was shown in evidence that ho had l>?en warned by the inspector of works and by one of hi> own workmen that tha ground was treacherous and rotten. While drilling a hole on the morning of the accident, the. workman raid "the rock was all of a shake." The inspector of works said thai ho drew the contractor*# attention to the nature of the country, but the contractor carried out his contract within his own right, and he had no power to interfere with him, and in dealing with "soapy heads" the workman himself had to bo careful, as a slip might occur through one without any warning. Yet, in the face of these facU, a claim,, lias been made on the City Council for £400 for the loss of the life of the workman. The contractor is represented by his widow, and she has notified the City Council that ahe is unable to carry out the contract-, and the council have had to re-let it. 5 Any prospect of getting any oomppsatioir from her is, of course, impossible, and the relative? of the deceased workman have laid their claim against tho City Council. The danger of the act appears to have attracted the attention of the widow of the late Hon. ITonry Chamberlin, M.L.0., as she lias published ihe following ndverliscment in tho papers:—" No one will bo employed by the undersigned unless insured against accidents, or agre? (o pay tho fee out of tho first month's wages; ami all men at presont working on any of her properties (contract or otherwise) will have to agree to this." Kmployer* at first ignored and floured all such labour legislation, but, found that such apathy did not prevent the evil* of it being brought home to their dour#". They are now meeting combination by combination, and an Kmployers' Association is being formed which will be affiliated with similar institutions in the south. At the goMfielda a sluing organisation is being; formed to protect the mining interests. There are some employers in Auckland who would do what is right .and just were there no labour legislation, and there are other.# who fear neither God nor man, and who fear only an act of Parliament. A way has to be devised to deal with the latter class, without harassing the former. Gross wrongs required to be righted, but these could have been remedied without punishing innocent employersof labour. There have been things dono here to labouring men in the matter of pay and housing which would have disgraced the hast Knd of London; girls discharged from factories because thoy were suspected of having given information to the press as to how they were treated: girls eating their lunch on gunny bags on the public street, because they had no lunch room, and of factories where the sanitary arrangements wore of the most primitive description, and used in common by both sexes. One shopkeeper told the inspector of factories: "I have provided the chairs you spoke of, but the firr.t girl that sits down on one." Another said: " [ buy my girls, lilto sacks of potatoes, in the cheapest market, ami sell them in the dearest." Most of these crying evils have been rectified, if not all of them, and now the pendulum is swinging t-.i the opposite side, and as many evils being created as have been remedied'. The employees of the. warehouses are up in arms against their so-called "deliverers," and find that if- the Shop .Hours Act 'is amended to pn.v overtime for at night they will have to work from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m., instead of their present hours, anii thus have their hours of labour considerably increased instead of being shortened. They have, at a public meeting, cried with remarkable unanimity, u Save us from our friends." l'or the first time the waters of the Waitemata have been graced by the flag of the Argentine Republic, being flown by one of it*; men-of-war. the Presidente Sarmicuto, which is used as a training ship, and is making a trip round tho world. The men are a smart-looking lot of follows, and the officers gentlemen in every sense of the word. During her stay in port a number of our leading citizens visited the ship, and were hospitably entertained. The anniversary of the independence of the Argentine occurred while the warship was in port, and war. duly honoured, the Knglish warship in pnrl also paying tho compliment of "dressing ship." The officer* inquired into our educational system, and other' matters of interest to their country. The name of their country n: not particularly exemplified in that of Martin, the commander, or of Clery, a lieutenant: while an English instructor and and Knglish engineer go to show that " the tigty little island" is well represented. Several of the men speak Knglish excellently, being the offspring of Knglish fathers, who were married to Argentine women. Our Harbour Board Jius advanced a stage in the matter of the erection of an Admiralty House. A lender has been accepted by the board, but i ! . is said by builders that the plans have been cut down to bring the lender within the sum allotted (£5000), but that the contract will involve a respectable sum for '*extras" at the finish. A more remarkable thing is that the Admiral commanding the station declines to have anything to do with the matter, as he has received no advices from the Admiralty, and therefore has no ojflioial information in respect to it. The board ha* now informed (by the 'Frisco mail} the Admiralty of the sbeerlegs fiasco, and the public- are waiting with amused curiosity the reply of the Admiralty to thn additional "little bill" for about £40,000.