The Otago Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 1903) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2561, 15 April 1903, Page 43

The Otago Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 1903) THE WEEK.

" Nunqa«M xiiud nature, aiiod tapiencit dlxit." — JaTMULc "Goed nature and good lease must cter join."— Port.

In his speech at Waimate the Premier stated that the coming sesThe Coming sion would be one of the Session. most important that had taken place in the history of the New Zealand* Parliament, and, in ,'iupporfc »f that statement, ha outlined •some of the matters to tvhich ths Government proposed to devote its attention. Past experience >f parliamentary work goes" to show that the performance always falls far short of the promise, but, even after allowing for a considerable discount, th» programme hinted at is certainly an impor ing one. First of all come the Imperil questions, liseussed at the Premiers' Conference, prominent amongst them .being, the matter of naval defence and the Premier'-s pet proposal for a preferential tariff within the Empire. The discussion of these important themes is likely to occupy the attention of members for some time. The State Fire Insurance Bill is- to be again reintroduced, but, apparently, shorn of its objectionable compulsory clauses. If conducted on similar lines to those on which the Government Life and Accident Insurance Departments are run, the existing" companies a~6 not likely to raise much objection, for, in insurance circles, the competition of the Government is welcomed rather than otherwise. Actual experience will go to show that the bonuses which the Premier proposes to grant to fire insurers with the Government are but the ireation of an active imagination, for, when the department has provided for its losses, actual and prospective, there will be no funds available for bonuses. It is therefor© probable that the Premier will be robbed of tht fight for which, judging by his words, he k spoiling, and. the State Fire Insurance Bill will be allowed to pass without much opposition. The Premier also proposes to deal' with the all-import-ant subjects of primary education in the public schools, free secondary education; and technical and manual instruction. Until the Premier's proposals are befoie ths country, it is impossible to deal with them,, but most people will agree that he has here a great field for useful and abiding work. There is ' universal agreement that the present overcrowded syllabus should be materially lightened, and that deserving children ought not to b debarred the benefits of secondary education simply because of financial disabilities. New Zealand's industrial and agricultural future, too, will depend largely upon the establishment of a workable system of technical and manual instruction, modelled upon tb; test German and American lines. Should Mr Seddon succeed ir working out a satisfactory solution of the iducational problem, we shall feel disposed to forgive him for many of his .former laches.

There is considerable controversy between the Premier and Mr John. Cost of th» Duthie concerning the cost Latest Loan, of the latest loan. It is

now practically admitted that the 1901 'oar of £1,500v000, issued at £94, netted £91 4s : the underwriting and other concessions thus amounting to £2 16s per cent. The Premiei, speaking at Wai'mate, altered these figures, and :laimet' that the latest loan, being issued a* £94 10s, will .therefore ner£9l 14s for every £100 debenture". But Mr Duthie now argues that, with interest adjusted, the 1901 loan only actually netted £89 19s lid, and calculated on the same basis, tht latest loan will only net £89 19s lid, and, calciilated an the same in figures, the calculation is an interesting one. In the case of the latest flotation, d deposit of £5 per cent "was required with each tender i the Joan on the 19th of (February, and this was to be followed by payments jf £19 10s on February 27, £20 on April 21 ; £25 on June 23, and £25 on July 28. This, at the present time, although the entire £100 is interestbearing from the date of flotation only £24 10s out of each £94 10s has been received by the colony. Regarding these concessions Mr. Duthie -ays : —

In determining the result to the iolony there has first to be deducted the unearned interest which the taxpayer or 1 the lsfc inst. ha already had io make good. This amounted tc 50a, lees Is 4d. the value of interest on the calls, amounting to £24- 10s. which the colony had received towards end 1 of February, and further interest has to he deducted on the April, June, and July calls until paid, these together amounting to 8? lid. The amounts of interest, 23s 8d and 8e lid, being concessions for which the -olony got no value, leave, when' deducted, the net total contributed by subscribers at £92 12e sd.

Deducting from thi& amount ihe underwriting expenses, estimated by Mr Seddon at £2 16s, vr. have the figure alreadymentioned ot £89 16« 5d per £100. Unless the Premier is abe to throw any further light on the übject, this statement may be taken as ? fairly accurate summary of the position, so far as the latest loan is concerned.

The circular issued by the New Zealand

Employers' Federation gives

rreference ten reasons against the to Unionists, Premier's proposal to make

"* the preference of employment of unionists compulsory, nd these ten leasons are well worth mature consideration. It is stated that the Trade Unions of the colony have only a membership or 17,000 out of the 55,000 workers in the ; factories of the colonies, not reckoning' those employed in unclassified industries In the face of ttese funires it is oixs& T-

absurd to suggest that the minority should rule the majority. It is also pointed out that the Arbitration Court has already the power .to grant preference to unionists where circumstances seem to warrant this interference, and no reasonable perBon ought to require anything in advance of such a provision. It is argu- —"."6 the argument can be proved by -.- experience of othfir lands — that conipulsory unionism means increased cost of production, owing to higher wages, shorter hours, and limitation of output. The attention of agriculturists should be specially directed to the seventh reason advanced, •which runs as follows : —

"Manufacturers are in some cases able to cover increased cost by raising the prices of their productions and making the public pay the piper; but the largest industry in the colonyagricultural — cannot so protect itself, seeing that prices of farm produce depend upon foreign markets." One of the weightiest indictments against unionism ever permed is contained in the following clause : — "Unionism seeks its own advantage first-, last, and ali the time, and is blind and deaf to the interests of employers or public. The overbearing greed of civil servants and trade councils has aroused public resentment in Victoria, .and precipitated a political crisis. There is a grave danger of a similar state of things arising in New Zealand. "Unrestricted 'nnionism is undoubtedly a menace to the 'State."

This manifesto may be taken as fairly indicative of the attitude of the bulk of the employers of New Zealand towards the latest aspirations of the Laboui leaders ; and should the Premier unwisely persist in his proposals, a great amount of bitterness and unhappiness is likely to be engendered. In many respects this colony has rightly been described as the "Workers' Paradise," but in the guise of compulsory unionism the trail of the serpent can be distinctly detected. And should Mr Seddon swallow the apple sc temptingly held up before him, the angel with the naming sword will be found not far away.

The present uprisings in the Balkan States, representing the dangers abTho Endless tendant upon the upholding Eastern of the effete Turkish Empire, Question. would seem to have origi-

nated in the Austro-Russian Uote, which, outlining a programme of Macedonian reform, was approved by the various European Cabinets and submitted to the Suitan in February last. The suggestions contained in this joint Note ure not so drastic as those suggested by M. Steeg, khe French Consul at Salonika, and upon which, indeed, they were based. His plan was : — (1) That a Christian Governor should be appointed for Macedonia, with full powers ; (2) that soldiers should receive regular pay, so as no longer to be compelled to rob the inhabitants ; (3) that tax--gatherers should be paid for their services, "*nd' their operations controlled ; and (4) ■that both Christians and Muslims should "be employed in the police and tax* forces iv roch proportions as to correspond with the prevailing religion in each village or district. The Note, as finally framed, struck out all reference to Macedonia, it being considered that the designation of one part of the country by name might increase the Mti-foreign agitation, which the Powers are professedly seeking to check. The protection of the lives and the complete safeguarding of the interests of the Christians form the chief features of the paper. The French Consul's plan had the merit of not placing the Bulgarians in Macedonia above the Servians or the Greeks there. So great is the jealousy among these three classes of Christians that some of the Greeks have «yen declared their preference for the Turkish rule, rather than the Bulgarian. With his customary cuuning, Abdul Hamid has long played off these jealousies of one •against another, aud has believed, as do many Christians, that such animosities "would make it impossible to constitute part of Macedonia an independent State, as the Powers had done with Bulgaria. Indeed, Bulgaria remains nominally a tributary State .of the Turkish Empire, under European protecton, although created a quasi-inde-pendent principality in 1878 by the Congress of Berlin, and it is from Bulgaria that ninetenths ot the present incitement to rebellion comes.

Recent cables inform us that the Russian

newspapers urge the dispatch Russia and of 500 Cossacks to MitroHacedoiiia. vitza to protect their consul,

and that the Russians are tugry that the reforms have not been proclaimed in Macedonia. There is adequate cause for all legitimate endeavour to free Macedonia from the rule of the Turk, if for no other reason than that of crushing taxation. In some cases the Jthes amount to more than the whole value of the crops, which have been burned by the unhappy people. This and other oppressions are in glaring contrast to the comparative freedom and opportunity enjoyed by the Bulgarians across the border. But if the ambition to free an enslaved people is a good one, the methods used by the Bulgarians have been Infamous. The patriot brigands who make up the Bulgarian-Macedonian Committee, Bfter years of blackmail, intimidation, kidnapping, and murder, have attacked Tmkish troops in order to provoke atrocities calculated to arouse Europe. It is evident that Abdul Hamid does not propose to bo dispoiled of his province without the stern protest that bis million soldiers can make against the combined forces of Bulgaria and Servia, reinforced by what Russia and Austria can spare. If a war should come it Will probably provoke less sympathy than at any lime since the last Balkan conflict in 1377. It is true that the Sultan has further blackened his record by «the Armenian atrocities, and that lie should have long &iuce been expelled from Europe ; but it is also true that the would-be liberators of Macedonia were the abductors of Mi&s Stone, the American missionary, and that she great Power which p!avs an increasingly preponderant role in the Balkaus is the one which, repudiating tlie promises) of a cen-

tury, reduces its province of Finland to vassalage.

The London Daily Mail publishes an interesting article by Mary The Prisoner Spencer Warren on "The of Prisoner )f the Vatican : Tl>e Vatican. How His Days Are Spent,"

which gives considerable insight into the everyday life of the Pope. Although 92 years of age, his eyes are bright and his whole attitude keenly alert, and when he speaks his voice is clear and ringing. Leo XIII is the 257 th Pope of Piome, and has done more than 50 years of responsible Church work, and is one of the most wonderful men of the present age. The Vatican, the so-called, prison of the Pope, is a palace, the magnitude and splendour of which the ordinary mind can never gra&p. Founded about 1600 years ago, it contains upward? of 11,000 halls, galleries, chapels, and saione, eight grand staircases, and 200 smaller ones, and "s surrounded by immense grounds, which have the most beautiful gardens, and 20 courtyards. The Papal Army, as it now stands, consists of five regiments — or more properly corps — known as the Noble Guard, the Swiss Guard, the Guard of the Palace, the Papal Gendarmerie, and the Papal Firemen. There are few men so rich as the i- ope, for upon his election he became practical possessor of all the Vatican treasures, the worth of which none can compute, for there is no other place in the world where so many art treasures are collected. His Holiness's actual income is something like £480,000 per annum, but he gives a^ay immense sums to the foreign missions of his Church, and for the general benefit of the poor. The Pope leads the simplest of lives. He sleeps in a very plain apartment, and is an early riser. " He says Mass every morning in a small oratory adjoining his bedroom, and until this service is over Leo XIII does not break his fast, his breakfast then consisting of coffee and bread and butter only. After attending to his letters, the Pope takes a little light refreshment, generally in the form of soup, and then audiences are given to prelates of the Church and other distinguished personages who happen to be in Rome. The afternoon dinner is a frugal meal, consisting mainly of soup, poultry, or meat, with bread and wine of the country, followed by fruit. After a little rest, the Pope reads and studies, often far into the night. Occasionally he varies his evenings with a game of chess, and he always attends vespers with some of the members of his household. The expenses of the household are enormously heavy, running into nearly £1000 per day. His Holiness is an omnivorous reader, and takes the most absorbing interest in all questions of the day. England has a large share his thoughts, and, apart from religious controversy, he is really and truly J'ond of that country.

Although the motor car is not unknown in New Zealand, so far it The Fntnrc has been regarded as the of the plaything of the wealthy Automobile, man, and its commercial

value has not yet become apparent. In the United States, however, largely as the result of a recent Automobile Show in New York, it has been demonstrated that there is hardly a task performed with the aid of horse-drawn vehicles that cannot be accomplished more quickly, rnoie easily, and at less expense by automobiles. It is said that merchants and business men all over the United States are awakening to this fact, and as a consequence there is a constant demand foi motor cars of standard types. Amongst the exhibits which attracted attention at the New York Show were a ponderous steel platform truck for carrying heavy machinery, a number of light delivery waggons of elegant design, a mail waggon", roomy euough to al'.ow of the sorting of letters en route ; a brewer's truck with a five-ton load of beer, a truck loaded with Hour, and a heavy waggon for transporting reels of insulated electric cable, with an electric winch for hauling it through the underground conduits. In addition, there were automobile omnibuses and cabs, in large numbers. It is a sign of the times that in many of the cities of America the automobile is not only used for pleasure purposes, but what are known as "business automobiles " are making their appearance on the thoroughfares to a steadily increasing extent. With' some firms they have already replaced horses, and the prices ~>f these new vehicles are being gradually reduced to a figure that is likely to ensure their universal adoption. Ti^e Automobile Club of America is endeavouring to arrange for such a practical test of business vehicles as will" furnish useful information as to the most desirable types and styles. The State Department at Washington has recently published a number of reports from United States consuls in all parts of the world relative to the use of automobiles, and this report is so favourable as to excite the liveliest anticipations in the minds of American manufacturers a" to the market prospects for their new machines.