THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2529, 3 September 1902, Page 43

THE WEEK.

Vunquatu i rjl citura, auud sap\entl* d.i.t.' — Jyvixtt

We lia\e already hinted at the diffeience

of opinion which is beThf Beginning keyed to exist between ofthcrnd. the Premier and the Act-

ing-Premier upon a number of important matteib in connection with the policy of the Government, and we have foreshadow-eii the not impiobable contingency th-U t! ' '■sn'.ation of the coming election wil' Ii • n battle roynl between the Right H iioi'rtb'e R. J. Seddon and Sir J. (r. Ward. Should this highly interesting contingency eventuate, the betting would be all in favour of Sir J. G. Ward, and the present Premier may have to go to the wall. It must be admitted that during Mr Seddon's absence from the colony the Act-ing-Pi emier has been loyal to his chief, and so far as has been humanly possible, has tried hard to cover up the black tracks made by Mr Seddon's frequent and ofttimes incomprehensible blunders. Therefore in no wise can Sir J. G. Ward be accused of in any underhand way taking advantage of Mr Seddon's Coronation holiday. But there are some things which, like murder, will out, no matter how elaborate the precautions to conceal them. The contrast between the conduct of the House under Mr Seddon's leadeiship — a regime of bully and bounce and inexcusable dilatoriness — and Sir J. G. Ward's urbanity and suaveness and quick despatch of business has been commented on again and again. But perhaps the mosfc significant illustration of cho daily-widening gulf between the two men is the latest announcement with reference to the direct steamship service with South Afiica. It may be remembered that about a fortnight ago, when the question of the Blue Star Line was before the House, the Acting-Premier expressed surprise that an attempt should have been made to find fault with the Government in connection with the South African steam .seivice, at the &ame time stating that the Government were taking '"other steps' to secuie a suitable service But appaiently Sir J. G. Waid himseh lu..s been taken by surprise on receiving a cable front- the Agent-Geneial stating that tenders closing to-morrow (Thursday) are being tailed in London for the South African steamship service. Indeed, to such an extent does the Acting-Premier disapprove of Mr Seddou's acpon tbut he has cabled to London stating that he deems the time within which tenders aie to be received insufficient, and also .suggesting that the tendeis should be called for in Xew Zealand a-s well a.s in Great Britain.

At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Chambei of Commerce, it A lttasonalile was unanimously lesolved Demand, to uige upon the Go-

veminent the importance of early arrangements being made for a steam seivice to iSouth Africa, and at the same time to respectfully suggf-i that the New Zealand Shipping Company, the fihaw, Siivill. and Albion Company, the T^er Jnie, ,uid the Union Steam Ship Company of Nlw Zealand be given an oppoit unity to tender for tli<* service. This is a reasonable demand, which ought most certainly to be acceded to, and the fact that Mr Seddou is attempting to tix up a new service in London in a hole-dnd-cmner. tut-and-dried kind of fd&hion ji but unothci evidence of that gentlernan"s insincerity, an insincerity which now unfoitunately appears to have become a habit of his life People who in England, for instance, listened to the Premier's glowing eulogies of the Union Steam .Ship Company on the occasion of the launch of the Motrnki would naturally have concluded that the nun who spoke in Mich a strain would do all in hi.s power to further the interests of a Nuw Zealand Company upon which he chose to shower such unstinted praise, instead of, as has been his habit , religiously boycotting them in every conceivable fashion But w hat can be expected of a man who deliberately, and of intent, seeks to mislead and delude those whom he adtesses. Speaking at St. Helens, Mr Seddon declaied that, as tho lesult of gianting the franchise to women in thus colony, it was now impossible for any man with a stain on bis. moral character to *>tand for a*seat in the legislature. And if Mr Seddon, when on his native heath, and breathing the air of the place which gave him birth, fails to get nearer the truth than in the utterance just quoted, what can be expected of him but a continual drawing of the long-bow? In this latest scheme for a South African service^ we quite expect to discover that it is intended that the whiteheaded Sleigh bhall have a good share of the spoils. When Mr Seddon comes back in October, this is another of the many subjects upon which he may expect a ievere o\t;rhattlui£.

Unfortunately for our commercial morality, it is a common occurrence To bi» Kept for a man in business, in the Family, when he sees, or thinks he sees, ominous clouds looming on the hoiizon, or even when he is contemplating embarking on risky speculation, to safeguard his position by settling the bulk of his property upon his wife. When the crash comes, and the creditors gather together, it is then discovered that little or nothing is available, and with the payment of a microscopical dividend, the estate is wound up. A wife thus becomes a useful and necessary appendage to a man who is sufficiently devoid of conscience to act in this fashion. The suggestion has been made, in a letter wiitten to the Wellington Post, that if Mr Seddon on his return to the colony refuses to accept the now famous "National" purse of sovereigns, it might be handed to Mrs Seddon, which leads the Post to insinuate that the suggestion is an inspired one. In the face of his communication to the London newspapers on the subject, it would be obviously impossible for Mr Seddon to pocket the purse, and the idea of passing it on to Mrs Seddon, is a very nice way of getting over a somewhat serious difficulty. Thus all idea of capturing the c*>sh for the Governor's Veterans' Home will ahncst certainly fall to the ground in favour of a project enabling the .sovereigns to be kept in the family. For rit has to be remembered that there is an ! ever-increasing prospect of Mr Seddon find1 ing himself out of office, and failing his present lucrative position, with its equally lucrative pickings, it will be an absolute necessity that his income should be supple- | mented from some source or other, in which ca«e the " purse " will come iii remarkably handy.

Despite the heavy but patchy rains reported

as having fallen in some The districts of the drought('oßinoiinralth stricken Commonwealth, it as Customer. is evident that New Zea-

land can reckon upon Australia as a good customer for her meat and produce for some time to come, the Federal tariff notwithstanding. The large shipments of live stock, frozen meat, fodder, and all kinds of produce now being made to the Sydney market are indications of an almost insatiable demand, and correspondingly high prices are being paid. Yet in this extensive trade — for the moment an exceedingly profitable one — there lurks a danger which must not be lost sight of. Lon</ experience teaches the lesson that it is the regular customer who pays best in the long inn, and v, hilst the casual cu&tomeis help to keep the business together, and in sale times provide a useful outlet for surplus stock, yet tlie regular customer must be catered for, and his needs supplied. So far as New Zealand is concerned, Australia, which in times of prosperity produces on identical lines, can never be more than a casual customer, and there is the possibility that in our anxiety to supply Australia's pressing needs, we may lose our hold upon the world's markets, to which we lmi&fc look in normal times as the natural outlet for our products. Thus the diversion of large quantities of frozen meat to New South Wales gives the Argentine an opportunity in the London market, which ■■•he will not be ilow to take advantage of. In the same 'way, in f'uee of the lively demand from ail parts of Australia for our pioduco, there will be a tendency to relax our effort* to gain a foothold in South Afrka. The immediate gain appeals most strongly to the .ivernge man, and it is the exception to meet with far-seeing minds. It is well, therefoie, to sound this note of warning, and whilst advantaging ourselves to the utmost by Australia's pressing need, due attention should at the same time be paid to the London and to the South African markets.

Xext to tlie obnoxious carry-over clause in the bills of lading, the Coo) Storage greatest difficulty which in South Africa, has faced the shippers of

peiishable products to South Afiica has been the impossibility of obtaing adequate cool storage for their consignments. The available cold stores are in the handw ot a monopoly, antagonistic to Xew Zealand interest*, and consequently a system* of practical boycott has prevailed. If is gratifying to note, therefore, that the Importers' Cold Stotage and Ice Company, Limited, lus been revived upon a fresh footing, and «c understand the New Zea'.and Ooverunieut has been approached and offered consults able space in the recentlyacquired promise.*. According to the prospectus ju<-t issued, the ideas of the promoteis urn on the following lines: — (1) That a list of the Uuiban importeis of peri*»h/ih!es who are not bound by contract to any other cold storage companies should be compiled, and they should be approached with a view to siting ap agreement with the piojected company to store for a certain period, the iate.« for storage to be cut much below the existing ones as an inducement for importers to sign the agteement. (2) All hotels, hospitals, shipping companies-, and othei Luge consumers of ice should be appioached in regard to signing an agreement to take ice for a certain peiiod at low iatef=. (3) Johannesburg and other up-country importers of perishables s-houid be appioached with a view to their appointing the company to act as their agents in Durban, as this agency business should be open for development, seeing that Duib.ui is the port for all perishables for the Transvaal. (4) The company could act as buying and selling agents of perishable products on behalf of up-country farms, executing orders for usual commission, but not trading themselves. The prospectus concludes by remarking that the promoters are not blind to the fact that, as receiving and forwarding agents for Johannesburg and other up-country firms who may import perishable products, the company could render the greatest service, as the utmost care and attention would be paid to the interests of such firms as may place their business in the hands of the company. It certainly .seems that the New Zealand Gov&nuaeut would do well bo &upport this

company in the interests of our Souf* African trade.

The second annual report of the Departs

ment'of Public Health i» The Hnaiours an admirable document,

of » although the facts with Health Officer, which it deals are sad and

serious enough. At the same time, Dr Mason has succeeded, in ealivening his record with an occasional flash of sententious humour. Considerable space is devoted to reciting the precautions taken and restrictions adopted to prevent the bubonic plague from effecting a landing upon our shores, included amongst which the fumigation of passengers' luggage and ships* cargo bulks large. " As illustrating the desirability of discovering some other disinfectant for the purpose than the sulphur generally used, Dr Mason says : "It has been alleged by those who sit in high places that the fumes cannot possibly reach the insiae of the packages, even of it affects the outside. . While agreeing in the main thab something more powerful than SO2 is desirable, it is difficult to reconcile this alleged inertness with the many claims which now and then are proffered by the indignant lady passenger who asserts that her costume from Worth's has been utterly spoilt, though it was packed in a tin-lined case, or the baker who threatens the Department with an action because ' the life has been knocked out of his floiir.' ' Dealing, too, with the matter of passengers from a plague-infected port being required: " to Teport themselves for medical inspection at certain stated times, under penalty of a fine not exceeding £300, Dr Mason indulges in a little pleasantry : " As, however, at the inception of the scheme one or two of the passengers seemed to labour undet the impression that for the 13th the 15th might be read, or for the 20th ,the 24fh, just as it seemed best to them ; tht^t 12 noon might stand for any hour up to 9 or 10 at night, it was decided to prosecute one or two of the offenders as an object-lesson for the rest. One gentleman was fined £5 and costs, and one lady la and costs, and since then we have had little cause for complaint." The ladies fall severely under the chief health officer's condemnation, as the following extract will show : "If only some of the leaders of society would use their influence in the direction of curtailing the length of the garment which clothes the lower part of the lady on shopping ben^, one powerful agent in the distribution of germs of all sorts, and! conditions would cease to wield its influence. Anything more disgusting than the condition of a skirt which has collected its toll from one of our busy thoroughfares can hardly be imagined. Greater experience on the part of our staff is possibly necessary before the Department can evolve a jjrace'ful and hygienic dress ; but the undoubted danger which lies in the graceful train of her ladyship is one which is great and easy of removal. Till it has passed away, I would remind these microbe-collectors that it is the maid whose duty it is to brush and clean it who runs most risk. They should be careful not to inhale the dust which riseH from the 'hem of her garment.'"

One of the most interesting portions of tlii"? report, however, is that in Life for a which reference is made to D> Ing Race. Dr Pomare's report upon the Maoris, as if; tells of an awakening amongst the natives in matters of sanitation, and thereby holds out hope of a new lease of life for what has hitherto been regarded as a dying race. Dr Mason himself remarks : "One serious obstacle in the way of any great sanitary reiorm among our native brethren is the poverty of many. They aie generally quite willing to fall in with our suggestions that ■they ought not to all sleep together, that the house ought to have a floor that could be e.isily cleaned, that they ought not to drink the water from the swamp, that they should put up a tnnk and catch rain water ; but the invariable answer if, 'Kahore te munie.' A great improvement has, however, been effected in some parts, and doubtless with perseverance greater reforms will result. Diunkenness has in a very great measure disappeared, and now the Maoris may truly be termed a sober race. One great lesson he has to learn, however, ere his emancipation can be assured. is that to live and be healthy he must acquire the habit of steady and continuous work. When he has freed his mind clearly from the past method of paying his debts, when he realises that land once sold belongs to the vendee, and that therefore it ceases to be an asset of the vendor, a great step in the foiward direction will have been taken. Previous to the coming of the pakeha, land was in no sense a negotiable instrument ; only with the advent of the white man did it acquire a value outside what it was capable of producing in the way of foodstuffs. For an acre of land which he did not want, the Maori could get the hoii-e and trap that he had long envied his white neighbour the possession of ; bnt not infrequently, when that horse had turned out to be a bolter, and the varnish had disappeared from off the trap, the vendor might be seen kitting on the doorstep of the house that had been built upon their equivalent in land, explaining to his 'sib,' 'Kapai te whare' — 'that my land.' Steady work, and a complete adoption of the pakeha customs and clothing, is what is necessary, not the buying of a nicely-enamelled bedstead and then th« betaking of themselves to an outhouse to sleep ; not the dressing in warm woollen clothing during the hot part of the day and then sitting in a thin cotton blouse and skirt in the evening. When he come? to a full realisation of tho fact that foi better or worse he must decide whether h p will stick to the old customs m toto, or throw off the flax mat .and dou the pakeha substitute for that picturesque if aiiy gar< inent, then only wil 1 his salvation b« assuied."

Two Japane.-e \vero arrested at Sydney v, few days ago for nttomrting to smuggla 12,000 cigars into the city in bundles of dirtj} linen, from the steamer Yawata Maru.