The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1891.

Thames Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 7036, 10 November 1891, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1891.

We have from time to time referred to the fscfc that the Tbam<-» Miners' TJijion had under its consideration the desirability of taking op an area of pound as a licensed holding and working it by means of contribatioßS reoeifed from subscribers. Bat the matter of arriving at some practicable scheme, and one which would gite general satisfaction to all concerned, has been one of some* difficulty, and hence the delay that has taken place in coming to a decision on the subject.

It has occasionally been advoca'ed that the Uoion ahoaid use the balance ot some £700 to its credit for this purpose, but we are glad to learn that tho adoption of such a proposition was strongly condemned by the vast majority of the numbers. It would, we are convinced, be a fatal mistake to appropriate any portion whatever of what may be' termed the general funds of the Union for prospecting pnrposos. It iuust ever be borco in mi&d that the Union was formed for certain definite and specific purposes, and every endeavor should be continued to husband its funds, and provide as far as possible for any contingency that might occur.

But while we cannot too strongly deprecate the appropriation of the funds of the Union for prospecting or any similar purposes, the idea of sn area of fturifer«Uß land being taken up by the Union, and worked somewhat on co-operative lines, has our most heaity support. But, as we hare before stated, some scheme must be devised which is certain, to give satisfac lion to all interested, and although many propositions that have been made ere admirable from a theoretical point of view, still they are found altogether unworkable when it is desired to put them into practice. In view of the difficul'.iea with which the matter is surrounded, and the great interest evinced in it, we have decided, as will be seen elsewhere, toou>r a prize of one guinea for the best essay on the subject. In the meantime we give publicity to the following as one of the numerous schemes in embryo that have been propooaded. In taking up an srea of land, the •übscribers of funds for itg development should by a l'gal farm drawn Op for the purpose, undertake to contribute to a Prospecting Fund the sum of Is or upwards per week for a given period—say twelve months. These subscribers should appoint a Board of Advice consisting of five experienced miners, who should meet weekly and have sole control of the management of the jjjine for a period to b9 specified by the contributors, at the expiration of which they could be re elected or relieved from tha duty by others, hs might be decided upon. Toe amount contributed to the Prospecting Fund should be lodged in tbeß*?ik to the credit of the subscribers, and bo altogether distinct and separate from the moneys of the Union, The value set upon the shares—of cbich there might be 20,000 —-should be-10a, sod each subscriber should, upon his having eootncistsd that •moaafc in weekly sums of Is or upwards, be given a receipt ac being the possessor of one abate, and so on fo? every'similar amount afterwards paid in by hin?. '.The profits, if any, gppruing from the working of the ground sfaou'd frs divided pro rata, iv accordance with the number of 10s shares held, at each periods as may ba determined upon by the Board of Advice. The wegea paid should be tbe standard rate in the district, or as might be decided upotf at & meetiog of the subserbjra. It has beea suggested in some quarters that the wages paid should be only half the standard rate, so that only miners who ere out of other employment would tsk* cdranfega of tho syork thai afforded them for tbo time being, and wosjld not ba conteut to remain loader than possible at this reduced rate. But tbis proposition, while it appears psrhapg commendable from a philanthropic point of viev. presents two important objections. The first is that tke standard rate of wages in this district was fixed by the Union et £g 5j per week, and at the time of ths inauguration of the organisation in St. George's Hal), it was publicly stated that any attempt to reduce tbis wage would be strenuously resisted,as it was justly reeoesised that tbe amount was little enough for the labor performed. The retention of wages at £2 5s per week iras made, aod now is. one of the principal planks in tha Union's jjUtfprSJ. »»d it would be Bißflifesily unwise in the interests of the Union itself tlist aoy such reduo tion should be made. The eepond objection is that those who become Eubseribero would, as in the case of our mining com pantee, do so nmoly iv theiiopa of profit accruing frosa the enterprise, and as it would be apaefc fro^s the Union, any reduction ia weges might aft6?*&rds be ussd as aa argument against tha Uoion Itseif. We understand that at a meeting of the Committee of the Union it was decided, by way of an initiative step, fco ascertain how msny subscribers would ba likely to be obtaified of Is or upwards per *eek, a»id that in tbe event of a sym of £15 a week bpinjj gu»rnnte?d,f definite action will be cakea in Ihe mm-ir'

The election of a Councillor for the vapanj; seat in the Middle Ward of the Borough Council takes place to-morrow, the polling place being the Borough Chamber^ between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The candidates are Messrs F. Trembath and H. W. Moore, and the former has an advertisement in another column to which we would direct the attention of the electors of the Middle Ward.

We believe that Mr Thomas Mace Humphreys, barrister and solicitor, purposes again taking np his residence at the Thames and practising hia profession here.

Ma Jas. Eenshaw, who is a candidate for the Mayoralty, leaves here to-mowow afternoon en route for Wellington to attend the Baptist Conference.

"■ Thb Mohawk Minstrels gave an excellent performance in tbe Academy of Music last night, but there was only a moderate attend. iance. Songs were contributed by Mcasns S. i Barchard, It. McGregor, J. Gerrieh, Casey, I Woods, and Eiug, while Mr P. Hennesßey de--1 lighted the audionco with a uand-jig. Ths corner meu were Messars McGregor, Barcbard, King, and Gerrieh. Thu entertainment was , brought to a close by an amusing farce.

The aauatic tportß held at Shortland yesterday afternoon excited a good deal of in« tereat. Tli(s principal events resulted as follows s—C'toasbg the greasy boom: D. Daltoir and E. Gibbon* tied s 'swimming race (about 200 yds) t P. Dalton I, C. Bolton 2; ducTcbuat; H, GalUgV-p* ; J>«»t race; O.'ftoltoi;

A yacht race between the May Queen and Grace Darling, sailed by Messrs 0. Solton and H. Gallagher respectively, took place yesterday, and resulted in a victory for the former after an excellent contest.

Whiting re Sir Dillon Bell, our late AgentGeneral, the London correspondent of the Auckland Star says:—"Great surprise has been expressed in the city and Anglo«colo;;ial circles generally, that the other Agents-Gene-ral should have permitted Sir Francis Bell to leave London without some recognition of his services to United Anstralia. For years past whenever a figure-head has been wanted for the,colonies colleotively the agents have invariably pot forward Bell. Whether it was a Paris Exhibition or a Postal Congress, or merely a joint meeting of Australian repreaentatives, the old New Zealander invariably took the lead. *It has been complained,' remarked Mr Keunaway, whose respect and admiration for his chief are boundless, 'that Sir Francis Bell waa oat of touch with the colony and colonial visitors, bnt which is most important—that an Agent-General should be in touch with the colony, or that be shonld be in touch with the Colonial Office and all the great financial magnates ever here ? You won't find one man in a hundred who is both these tilings." Mr KenDaway is quite right—Sir F. D. Bell's influence at the Colonial Office, in Downing street, or »t the Bank of England, was immense, probably greater than that of the other five Australian Agenta put together. He, had been in England so many years he knaw all the permanent Government offioials intimately, and could ask almost any favor with a certainty of its being granted. Whilst many respected and even admired Sir Francia Bell, few liked him. This ia why though hundreds would hare felt it right to join in any valedictory tribute of respect, no one oared enough about him to initiate it."

In the course of an article on the Labor Demonstration in Auckland yesterday the Star remarks that one important question naturally arises whenever the subject of labor is under consideration—What influence is universal education having upon the people ? To a certain extent, it certainly seems that there is ground for the view which is taken by some pessimists that the necessity for " work" is a " lost idea," " how not to. do it" having taken its place. Such old-time phrases as "the dignity of labor" are regarded by a considerable proportion of our young men as silly or sentimental, how to get our living without taking off our coats being considered in many quarters as " the whole duty of man," aud yet we cannot all be bankers or lawyers or gentlemen (the latter in a mean sense). We must have some ploughmen, some hewers of wood, some drawers of water. Our system of education is doing one thing for us. It is increasing an unwholesome discontent amongst that portion of the people it is the fashion to term " the working classes." As we have said, it is developing, a dislike for work and a desire for shapa gentility. It is opening all eyes to the "diversity of condition" without teaching our youths either to accept what is a JJaw of Nature or to adapt themselves to it. While this effect is too apparent to bo ignored, we do not consider it a matter which shonld occasion any feeling of alarm. The period is one of transition, and we may trust pretty safely to the operation of those inexorable laws of supply and doHiaiid to restore a souud balance. . Education will ultimately enbanpo the yalu'e of ajl Jabor; it will not deliver mankind from tbo necessity for work, but it will endow workers with the intelligence necessary tD emancipate themselves from those oruol conditions which have degraded honest toil in the evil day* of the past. * After we have learnedjby a painful but certain experience that" work" ianot .a curse, but an undisguised blessing, 'that idleness is a danger, and that luxury—real or sham—is the road to rnin, we shall come to kno^ th;s " pram' Via not true* knowledge, and thai the real gentleman in apt ho most dazzles, us by bis wealth, but ho vpbp most loves his neighbor. We shall recognise i-bac &a phe patent of true nobility, and shall cease to honor a man merely for he has, but for what he is.

4- cable message from London says that the election for the vacant seat of Cork in the House of Commons, caused by the death of Mr Farnell, resulted in Mr Martin Flavin, ihe McCarthy candidate, being returned. The numbers polled were: Mr Flavin, 3669, Mr J. Eedmoud (Parnellite), 3107j Mr Sarafield (Unionist), 1161.