The Star. WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1895. To-Day.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5270, 29 May 1895, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1895. To-Day.

A striking illustration of the advantages pf devising a permanent, self-adjusting tribunal for the settlement of disputes between employer and employed is presented in the report of a recent meeting of the Northampton Coal Trade Conciliation Board at Newcastle. The meeting was presided over by a London lawyer. It waß shown on behalf of the masters that during the quarter ending February there had been a reduction of 9d per ton in the price of coals as compared with the corresponding quarter of 1894, and the coal-owners therefore asked for an equivalent reduction in wages. There was a brief amicable discussion on the details, and then the representatives of the workmen promptly and cheerfully aqniesced in a reduction of 6£ por cent in wages. The whole business waß done in ten minutes. What a pleasant contrast this peaceful adjustment presents to the barbaric and cruel strike !

. In two directions yesterday, advice that has been given in this column proved usefnl. The Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association met to consider the grand stand question, regarding which we had more than once urged that the projected'plans wete quite inadequate for the object tb'be' attained, and that a muoh more capacious structure ought to be built. How little practical consideration had been given to the subject was speedily demonstrated at the meeting. The structure recommended would have accommodated comparatively, few people, and i^ach seat wbhld' "have" cost 16s Bd. Yet a member of the Association produced a } plan whioh he had hin_Belf prepared, and for which he could 'secure an immediate contract,' showing that the work could be done at about ,4b 6d per seat. Obviously there was .only one course to follow,< after < such an eye-opener as this. .The' grand stand question was forthwith referred back to the committee with instructions to invite, competitive designs for a grand stand and luncheon booth. Better late than never, ■ ■ *■■''

Another instance in which our advice was tacitly -■■ accepted wa_ the Harper memorial scheme. The question of building another Cathedrai monstrosity was shelved for a .time,, and the delay may bring about some better conception of fitness. Before the proceedings closed, it was made quite evident that some of those who, are taking a prominent part in the matter fail to grasp an important principle. In the course of the desultory talk , one of the speakers showed that he was annoyed because persons other than subscribers to the memorial.fund have ventured to express opinions as to what Bhould or should not be done. His contention was, in effect, that no one outside the Cathedral Chapter had any concern with structural altera-, tipne, and that no one save the subscribers could legitimately offer a suggestion as to the form or locatiott of the Harper Memo* rial. We take leave to differ. The Cathedral is a public building, erected for a public purpose. Every resident in the district ia interested in it aa one of the city's principal features, and is, therefore, concerned in guarding it against mutilation Or against unsightly excrescences.

A Norwegian expert contributes to a Australian journal an exceedingly interesting letter on the subject of whaling in tho Antarctic seas. He was one of those who accompanied Commander Svend Foyn in the cruise of the Antarctic, their, mission being to look for what are technically known as "right" whales. Of theße they did not see a single specimen, but they saw many larger whales of the kind known to Norwegians as the " blue " whale. Of these the writer says they could in a few days have caught sufficient to fill the vessel, but unfortunately they had not the necessary appliances. Here we are introduced to a little bit of natural history. When a right whale is killed, the carcase floats, and it is an easy thing to forthwith cut it up and secure the blubber; but the blue whale, it seems, straightway sinks. In 1867 Commander Poyn, having protected himself by patent rights, made use of small steamers ranging from forty to seventy tons register. From these steamers he shot and killed blue whales, and then.by means of siutable apparatus, towed them ashore, where the blubber was tried out, and the oil put up in barrels for shipment to the available markets; Commander Foyn's exclusive rights expired come yeara ago, and the development of the industry is shown by the fact that during the whaling season of 189., no fewer than forty-four of these small steamers were engaged on the coasts of Norway and Iceland, killing altogether 1528 whales of various bjz<sb, and giving employment to 912 men.

Then comes a practical BUggeßtion. The writer Bubmit3 that similar small swiffcgoing steamers that are built 6© as to

weather the roughest sea could as well be \ used on the Antarctic whaling groundß for killing the whales, but instead of establishments ashore, one or two vessels as J atoreships would have to be employed to t receive the whale? when captured, and to store the blubber and the bone, for besides ( the oil the blue whale yields bone of an i inferior quality, which, however, at present | fetches good prices on the English market. ' He says :— "I feel quite confident that if j the modern method of whaling waß intro- , duced, with Australia aB headquarters, a i ; most lucrative business would be worked up within a very abort time. On board the Antarctic we all agreed that about forty whales could be killed dming the summer season, December and January, and a cruise from Sydney to the wbaling grounds in the South Polar regions and back would not occupy more than about four or five months, giving the vessels plenty of time during the remainder of •the year to look after sperm or right whales on the coasts of Australia or New Zealand— an advantage we have not in Norway, where our whaling and sealing vessels are lying idle for about six . months. The cost of a small steamer and : two store chips would amount to about £20,000 brought out to Australia, and the value of forty large blue whaleß, yielding about 400 tuns of oil and 20 tons of bone, should not be leea than .£14,000 ; so, even deducting half this amount for expenses, there will still be a handsome dividend for a short cruise to ; the Antarctic whaling grounds." Now \ this subject of Antarctic whaling has . been referred to by us on a previous occa- ! aion, and the communication from which i we have quoted simply strengthens our con* ; tention that if whaling could be profitably* engaged in with Australia as the base of ; operations, it would be vastly more advan-^ tageoua for New Zealand capitalists to \ undertake such a venture ; and we hope that there may be men with spirit enough to seize the opportunity. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals did much, at its annual i meeting la9t night, to justify its existence, and therefore to establish a strong i claim upon the practical sympathy of all j who are opposed to cruelty and who are i desirous that an appreciation of tbe virtue of kindness shall be established in the minds of the rising generation. It is a marvel that with so slender an income the Bociety should have accomplished so much. It has conducted a number of prosecutions in really bad cases, and it has effected a large measure of reform by speaking to persons whose actions, though not deliberately cruel, gave evidence of utter thoughtlessness. Sixteen persons were convicted and fined in the course of the year, and more than a hundred and eighty cautions were administered. But this does not cover all the society's work, nor, to j our thinking, a specially important part. If it is desired to effect a deep and lasting impression with regard to the responsibilities of human beings towards the animal world, the children must be trained to a due appreciation of their power over animals and their consequent responsibility. This the Society has been doing, aa far as lay in its power, by the distribution of suitable literature and the formation of Kind-hearted Brigades. It is now proposed to take a further step by conferring with tbe Minister of -Education as to the possibility of dealing with the BUbjecfc in the curriculum of the public sohools. Meanwhile the funds of the society are much in need of augmentation, and we strongly commend its claims 1 to the consideration of our readers, merely adding that so email a subscription as hali-a-orown a year is a sufficient claim to membership.