THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2623, 22 June 1904, Page 48

THE WEEK.

" Kanquim illud n»tur», aiiud aapientia dixit."— Jutixal. "Qood nature *nd lood iess« muse ever join."— jfori,

Parliament will open next week, aaii judging from the import - The Business of ance and the amount of Parliament, business to be transacted, the session promises to be » protracted one, unless, indeed, the dissolution more than once hinted at should intervene. It is matter for congratulation that the Premier has so far recovered from his severe indisposition as to be able to take the floor of the House, but the warning he has received has been a sharp one, and it is evident that he will need to husband his strength carefully if he is to carry on right through the session. Mr Seddon has announced his intention of endeavouring to do without late sessions ; but all who are acquainted with parliamentary procedure are somewhat sceptical on this point, especially in view of the nature of the questions which will invite discussion. Still, from the necessities of the case it is evident that there will be less of the legislation by exhaustion expedient and more appeal to reason and common sense than has been the fashion in the_House of Representatives of late years. It must not be expected, however, that Mir Seddon's ill health can be accepted as reason for silencing the Opposition, and, indeed, Mr Massey, in his speech at Huntiley, seems to have antipated this point-. The leader of- the Opposition expressed the hope that li^ Premier's health would have so improved ere Parliament me?ts as to enable him to do iustics to his position in the House ; but "Mr Massey went on to say that whoever happened to be leader of the House ■the Opposition wo'iid do its duty courteously and considerately, but firmly and tliorougbly. The three burning questions -which must engage the attention of the Government relate to licensing, land tenure, and tie reform of the Legislative Council, and on all three questions — particularly the first — feeling is sure to run High, and the -utmost tact will be necessary to avoid those scenes which are ailike discreditable to Parliament and the colony. It is to be hoped, therefore, t-hat the Premier will not, as is his usual practice, delay the consideration of these important matters until the fag end of the ses-sion, but ctooso a- wiser and more courageous course and bring them on while members are fresh and vigorous, so that the fullest consideration may be given them. Mr iMassey has clearly outlined his policy, the insistence upon strict economy and honesty ©f administration being the first plank in the Opposition platform ; next comes the granting of the right of the freehold to all Crown tenants, tne point upon which Mr Seddon has hinted that a dissolution may be expected. Then follows the question of making the Legislative Council more repr^Fen'tative of the people, io accomplish wLich Mr Massey suggests two alternatives -, either the amalgamation of two electorates into one, giving each the right to appoint one member to the Council every six years, or else (let 40 members of the Upper House be appointed by a. poll of the members of the Lower House, either proposal tending in the direction of making the Upper Chamber more representative and more democratic. As regards Mr Massey's attitude on the licensing question, it is significant that he condemns the action of the Government in not introducing legislation to provide for a second Jioll at N^wtown when the first poll was declared invalid. There is a world of truth in the concluding cla-use of Mr Massey's speech, that if democracy is to be a suc«ess It must above all else possess the virtue of honesty ; to which end the people of this colony must bestir themselves, and see that more power is placed in the hands of their representatives and less power vested in the Government. This fighting speech from the accredited head of the Opposition presages a.n interesting session, and seems to point to the fact that the Government will not have things quite bo much their own way as has been their wont to expect, and we venture to hope that the time wiil not be so recklessly squandered in the early part of the session, but that members will be allowed to get to work in real earnest right from the start of the proceedings.

In a concluding an interesting article on "The Spirit That Wins Bat-

Tlie ties," a writer in a recent. Potentialities number of the Spectator of jßpaaese says: — "A nation like Patriotism. Japan, whose soldiers and

sailors, obeying great matincts, volunteer in thousands for forlorn hopes, may or may not. be successful in war carried on for years against immense resources and deep determination. But it possesses at least <ne source of terror for opponents — that, unless crushed at once by enormous numbers, it absolutely cei^am to win battles." This opinion is splendidly exemplified in the condv^ct of the Japanese troops at the battle of Wa-fang-Kau, whtre the rival armies met on fairly even terms, the Russians, under General Stakeiburg, having, if anything, the advantage both in position and numbers. . But ia spite of every attempt of tho Russians, when heavily reinforced, to turn the Japanese right, the Japanese were victorious, and •under a withering fire from their artillery the Russian, retreat was converted into a positive rout. In face of such a magnifioent victory, the capture by the Vladivosiock squadron of two or three Japanese transports sinks into comparative insigniflcance, more especially when it is noted that the troops on board the transport pve-

ferved suicide to capture at the honcls of the Rn&oinn«. And it i« true that men inspired by the spuit winch animates the Japanese people in their conflict with Ilu-bia. must, unless pitted agauisf- overwhelming unequal odds undoubtedly win, for this is the spirit which has ever inspired men to victory. The spirit which animates A he Japanese soldier may be fairly gauged by the stories told of the saciificcs made a.nd the oufook on the war held by private Japanese citizens, Mr E. F. Knight, the war correspondent of the London Morning Post, tel,'s some interesting stories bearing on this point. He declares that the heavy war taxes, which press hard on everyone and cause much suffering among the poorer people in Japan, are borna without a murmur, although in some European countiies they would result in revolution. Are volunteers sought for a forlorn hope, such, foi instance, as the blocking of Port Arthur, practically tveiyone volunteers, while many, following the old custom of the fighting caste, send in application written m their own blood to go to what seems certain death. Some Japanese officers who, disguised as Chinamen, had been working for years on the Siberian railway were quite justifiably hanged or shot by ihe Russians as &piet. but, so it is said, the relatives of the men thus executed envy them their fate. One of tho most astonishing stories told is that of a Japanese womin, married to a Russian, to whom she was greatly attached. Discovering that her husband was a Russian spy, she unhesitatingly delivered him up to justice, deeming it better to betray her lover than her country. Another equally remarkable narration is that of a man condemned to die for some crime committed. His friend's had sent him a few shillings, and on the evening preceding his execution his gaoler suggested that he spend his money on a really good meal, his last on earth. Instead, however, he decided to send his mite to the war fund, and the next day smilingly walked to the scaffold. This, then, is a sample of the stuff of which the Japanese nation is made. Possessed of such marvellous patriotism, it is no wonder that Japa.n is winning all the way, and that every day their chance of ultimately triumphing over Russia seems to grow brighter.

Mr H. D. Bedford, M.H.E., senior member

for Duned:n, is back frcm 'Jlio Southern his trip round the world, Labour and he has lost no time in Problems. enlightening .his constituents

I in particular. and the colony in general, on some of the opinions he ha*: formed as the result of his travels. His personal experiences whilst engaged in finding out whether a prohibitory liquor law really dots prohibit in the State of Maine have been related with a naivete which will, we fear, lay Mr Bedford open to satirical comment at the hands of the licjtior party, for his narrative in parts was quite in the style of Mr W. T. Stead. In passing, Mr Bedford touched upon the South African Laboui Problem, and characterised the ''handing over of South Africa to mine owners and Chinese" as "one of the most scandalous things ever perpetrated." In the latest number of the Nineteenth Century, a Mr Charles Sydney Goldrnann presents the other side of the picture, and complains that Australians and New Zealaaders are doing incalculable harm by talking as if the race conditions in South Africa were analagous to those prevailing in Australia ; and he declares that the people in England are glad to accept views such as those expressed" by Mr Bedford, believing them to be the words of impartial advisers speaking from a ripe experience, whereas in reality no shadow of identity exists between the two , cases. According to Mr Goldmann it is nonsense to speak at present of South Africa as a white man's country in the same sense in which the words are used of j Australia. South Africa has 1 millions of , aborigines, while the white inhabitants

number only as many hundred thousands ; • and the natives, partly enfranchised and ; partly semi- independent, are multiplying ' apace, in striking contrast to the declining tendency of the few hundred thousand \ aborigines of Australia. Labour is South : Africa's paramount need ; in Central and South Africa th© native population is estimated at 13 millions, the white popu- . lation being relatively insignificant, and thus the native has come to be regarded as • the musculair unit for all classes of work. In fact, native labour is the raw material upon which the whole system of life in, South Africa depends, and a shortage in j the supply affects not only the mining in- : duatiy, but every class of the community. • Thus a rise in the scale of wages in the ' mines at once affects -the scale off the mines, for the highest wage paid becomes j the regulating index foi all varieties of j unskilled labour, thus reacting upon agri- ■ culture or upon wherever else unskilled native labour is einploy€tl. The cost of • living is thus enhanced all round, and for this reason a rise in the wages paid for unskilled native labour does not necessarily bring unskilled white labour into compctii tion with it. The two classes of labour 1 ran parallel with each other, the. white labourer's living wage being determined by the cost of living, and that depends again ' upon the standard wage paid to the native.

Strangely enough, it is avened that to ; raise the pay of the native . Some in South Afiica, ho far from ! Difikulties producing an increased and tficir supply of black labour, Solution. would tend in exactly tho opposite direction. ILs South African native has no notion of the value of labour for its own sake; he has no ambition, and few needs. What he really enjoys is to sit in the sun and vatcb. his wives work, and he will only work for as many months as will give him sufficient money to remain idle for the rest of the year. It therefore follows that any increase in the pay given to the natives shortens the period of work, and diminishes the supply of labour, and. this in the face of a continually increasing demand. In South Airica the opinion is

pretty generally lie' 4 ilmt the current wage poirt to the nuihe i« above the It vi-1 at his status, o^pecial'y in view of the f.tct thai, he is relieved from .ill ilic lespousibil.lies of citizenship. It is suited that prior to the proposal for the intioduction of Chinese, the mining authoiities on the Hand spent half a million of money in organising a labour recruiting nnd di&tiibuting agpucy to tap every possible source of native labour supply ; in addition, they have introduced all .-cuts of labour-saving devices, effecting a saving equal to th.2 labour of 37,000 natives. And yet the labour situation is far from relieved. Another featiue at woik is, the fnct that of the neaily 70,000 natives at wotk on the Rand, or^y 20 per cent, come firm British South Africa, the remainder being drawn from Portuguese territory. It is said that the Portuguese Government are quite aware of the lever which this monopoly of labour gives them, and they are using ib ior the purpose of estnblishiug commercial relations with the Transvaal extremely favourab'e to themselves ond inimical to British trade. Although we dislike, as much as any one, the idea, of South Africa developing into a sort of happy hunting ground for the Heathen Chinee, yet it is impossible to avoid giving heed to the conclusions which Mi* Gold ma an arrives at, and which he states as follow s; — "The introduction of coloured labour for unskilled work to .supplement the present shortage wiL 1 . not only preserve the existing number of white skil'ed mechanics on the Rand, but it will largely add to the number, and will bring in it> train ah 1 , the other classes of artisans and small 1 retail dealers and tradesmen who supply the wants* of a large whit' 3 community. It will render possible the exploitation of the lower grade mines. The expansion of the mining industry means the increase of the white population. In the past there ha-s been one white inhabitant in Johannesburg for every native employed. When 100,000 natives were employed, the census showed » white population of the same number. The situation ia too far advanced to turn back or withdraw from. The deveilopement of the mines is a question not merely if financial, but of national, importance. However conditions in South Africa, may alter during the next few years, the present scarcity of labour demands a special lemedy now. The solvency of the country depends principally on the mines, and the solution of the present economic difficulty is a matter of immediate, though perhaps temporaiy, necessity, and a question 'of ieep political moment."