The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1892.

Thames Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 7368, 6 December 1892, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1892.

The news which continues to reach us by cable of the destitution and misery that exist amongst the unemployed of London is a matter which promises to in the near future force its attention upon the minds of the statesmen of these colonies, as .1 ord Mayor Knill is, seeking the aid <>f the representatives of the Australasian colonies to relieve the unemployed difficulty at Home. The Wellington Post, in an excellent article on the •subject, says: "The Agents-General, however, are scarcely likely to respond to the invitation he has addressed to them. None of the Australasian Colonies—unless it be Western Australia, and that to only a very limited extent—require, or can absorb, labor or pauper immigration. The proposal to send to the colonies even the cream of the unemployed of England smacks a go< d deal of the traditional English policy of dealing with pauperism, which is so touehingly and well exemplified in ' Bleak House,' and the reiterated orders to Jo to ' move on,' until he moved on out of the world altogether. The Lord Mayor would doubtless like to ' move on' a large section of the pauper population of London out of his world altogether, but we do not want them in our portion of the globe ' When we bear of 16,000 men vainly seeking employment in Melbourne, when Sydney is little better, and our own toVns are full of men anxious for work, but unable to find it, the proposed scheme of flooding the colonies with the creim of the London unemployed might be justly' regarded as criminal, were it not too absurd. Population is, no doubt, the great and crying want of New Zealand. There is room in this colony for thousands and tens of thousands of people, with an assurance of a comfortable future, if only they are of the right sort. They must, however, have something to begin with. They must bring capital as well as the capacity for work with them. Strong arms and good intentions ate not sufficient. They must have means to support themselves while engaged in the work of developing forms of production. If they have not they would benefit not at all by emigration. *Of course, they would here encounter a milder climate, but against this would be the increased cost of even keeping body and soul together in the colonies as compared with London. The problem of poverty which, troubles the Lord Mayor is not to be solved by the process of mere " moving on." The Lord Mayor, as representing the wealth and power of the greatest and richest city and metropolis in the world, cannot " move on" the responsibilities of those he represents, in such a manner as to transfer them to colonial shoulders. If poverty and distress exist in gigantic prbportions in the great metropolis, it must not be forgotten that wealth and luxury exist there in still more ample form. The thoughtful reader has only to take up a fashionable paper, with its record of lavish display and luxurious expenditure, and contrast its contents with those of a paper which makes the story of the seamy side of life, from the Police Court downwards, a feature, to be impressed with the conviction that there must be something radically wrong in the condition of society where such extremes meet and jostle one another. There is plenty of wealth at Home to relieve all the poverty and distress, without any great sacrifice, if only a means of applying that wealth to productive results were available. The difficulty seems to be to find a means of using money in a form which will relieve poverty by providing reproductive work tut those to do it. A terrible economic loss is going on through the waste of , the power of labor. No amount of, almsgiving or parochial relief will meet the case. Such assistance can only afford temporary amelioration, leaving the fundamental evil untouched. If the wealth of England is really in earnest in its desire to assist the poverty, and relieve itself of an ever-increasingly clamorous burden, perhaps these colonies might, to some extent, supply the means of doing.eo. Capital could, in this country alone, for instance, find investment in the employment of labor to a very large extent, and in such, a way as to ensure a ifdr return of interest, as well as to relieve those for .whom work would be found. The great objection to General Booth's scheme of colonisation ia that jit proposes to dump down in the colonies .large batches oS the worst classes of ■'tji© Unemployed, wittout capital £y

! support the effort to convert them into producers, capable of earning their own subsistence. Lord Mayor Knill's proposal seems open to even graver 'objection, for hd, would apparently hand over the unemployed to the colonies, and 1 hen wash his hand's-of them altogether. Nothing of this sort can be accepted or tolerated, and we trust our Agent-General will let : this fact be known beyond the possibility of misapprehension. But Mr . Perceval may legitimately go further, and point out to the Lord Mayor that while New Zealand is determined not to receive additions to its population in the form of destitute labor, it is quite willing to provide English capital with facilities for the employment of labor ift the colonies in directions which, under proper conditions of management, could scarcely fail to prove advantageous to all parties concerned. If the rich Guilds of London, its merchant princes, landed aristocrats, and possessors of accumulated wealth, desire to help j their poorer fellows and relieve themI selves of the weight of pauperdom, let them invest some of their money in this colony and other colonies in enterprises likely to prove remunerative to themselves and salvation to those for whom they would provide employment. They might combine business with philanthropy, and, not only, without risk but with ultimate financial benefit to themselves, provide work in this and other colonies for tens of thousands of willing hands, on conditions which would enable the workers, by industry and thrift, to become, in time independent and prosperous. It is in this way that New Zealand and other colonies of the .Empire might be used to aid in solving the problem of poverty, the solution of which is becoming a matter of such i urgency and grave importance at Home. By the adoption of such a solution as the colonial investment of wealth to provide employment for labor far from the debasing influences and effects of pauperism and charitable aid, end in a manner calculated to develop in those employed the best feelings of manliness and independence, not only would the capitalist and the laborer be benefited, but the Mother Country and her colonies would be mutually relieved and strengthened, the unity of the Empire cemented, and its power and greatness i magnified."

Thb entertainment by the pupils of the Convent Select School, which was to have taken place last week, but had to be postponed owing to the" death of Mr Peter O'Beilly* is announced to be held to-morrow evening in the Oddfellows' Hall. We anticipate a crowded house, consequent on the merits of the entertainment and the purpose for which it is given.

An interesting and instructive address was delivered in the Freemasons' Hall, Owen street, last night by Brb. Josiah Martin, "P.M., E 0., on " The Mystery of Initiation." The lecture was greatly appreciated by all present, and at its conclusion Bro. Martin was warmly congratulated upon the admirable manner in which he had dealt with the subject.

Tendhes are invited by Mr H. Crump, architect, for providing material and labor for new corrugated iron roof, &c, new fence, and also the painting of the. outside of St. George's Church. Specifications may be seen on and after to-morrow upon application to Mr B. G. Boon, Pollen street, with whom tenders must he left before. 4 p.m. on Saturday.

A wedding of some local interest was celebrated at the Epiphany Church, Newton, last Sunday morning, the contracting parties being Miss L. Watson, of Auckland, and Mr William Twentyman, the well-known carpenter arid builder, of Pollen street. The ceremony was performed by the Eev. Mr Lush. The bride, who was given aw»y by her brother, Mr C. A. "Watson, was attended by three bridesmaids, viz. : Misses Twentyman, Fairweather, and Hutchison, while Mr Rook Twentyman was groomsman. The happy couple returned to the Thames last evening, and were the recipients of congratulations and good wishes from their many friends.

"We learn that the |-inch pipe attached to the 30-inch main by the County Council to give the statutory supply to the Borough has been connected with the Borough main, with co far satisfactory results, the pressure being sufficient to meet the requirements of the district north of Pahau street. After tomorrow the School of Mines will have no cause to complain of the connection existing between its supply pipe and the Borough mains, as to-day the Borough Turncock was engaged in severing it. The horse trough in Brown street will thea be supplied from the Borough main.

The monthly meeting of the Thames Hospital Trustees was held last night, there being present—Rev. P. O'Reilly (Chairman), Messrs J. Phillips, E. Edwards, T. A. Dunlop, and M. Mulligan. Apologies were received for the absence of Messrs Radford, Clark, and Coutts. A report was read from Dr. Williams, which stated there were two cases of typhoid in the Fever Hospital, but both are progressing favorably towards recovery. It was decided to invite tenders for the insurance on the Hospital, furniture, &c, competition among the several offices being keen at present. The usual accounts wsre passed for payment; and other business of a routine nature transacted.

Two nominations for the vacancy on the Cororaandel County Council have been received by the Returning OfiScer at Mercury Bay. The candidates are Mr Alex. Peebles, an ex-Coun-cillor,and Mr A. H, Richards, both well-known Kuaotunu residents. The election taken place on the 15th inst., at Kuaotunu and Mercury Bay, aud the contest will be a keen one.

The anniversary services in connection with the Tararu Presbyterian Sunday School, which were held on Sunday, were very successful, a large congregation assembling to hear an address from the Rev. D. McNicoll. Mr Kewton read a report on the year's work, from which it appears that there are 110 scholars on the books, and an average attendance of 74. There are • eleven teachers and the Superintendent and tbe Secretary, making up an efficient stafi: of 13. Since the report was written the roll number has considerably increased, and last Sunday week no less than 106 were present. The library has been well used, aud £2 worth of new books bought during the year, while 301110 19s worth cf magazines have been issued monthly. Regret was expressed at the removal of Miss Estella Hope .aad Mr J. Wilson, junior. -During the service the children, usder the able conductorsbip of Mr John Dabb, sang some specially prepared hymns. The following are the officers for the enrming year j—President, Rev. S. J. Neill j sup. rintendent, Mr W. H. Newton; secretary and librarian, Mr John Barrow; magazine secretary, Mr W. Brorn ; treasure} 1 ami organic

Tenders aje 'required by the Board o Education for {he erection of a new school building at Waihi.

Jn accordance,with fcba resolution passed at the recent, meeting-of the General Purposes Committee of '.Jhe Borough ('o'uneil, i--pver.il members visited tWTararu Gardens ypsfcerdiy afternoon, for thY purpose of ■copMering the offer made to the JDotiDoil by /'r Comer. The party consisted, of tHe Mayor (Mr Renshaw), Crs McGowanj Wood, Wi son, and Brown. An inspection bfVth'e grounds Was made, but upon returning to. town no meeting was held.