The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. Friday, August 29, 1890.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 2498, 29 August 1890, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. Friday, August 29, 1890.

The publication of the Waipawa Maid as a daily journal has been so hastily resolved on, and with so little time for preparation, that a few words of explanation of its scant appearance are needed. When there is a sudden outburst of war, the public look to the newspapers almost for hourly information in the shape of extra issues ; and, therefore, with a struggle impending which threatens for a time to paralyze all industry, it becomes our duty to do what we may towards mitigating the evils of the conflict, though we cannot separate the combatants. Already we find our railway service restricted, and any day may bring the news of its discontinuance. As the strike is unlikely to extend to the Postal and Telegraph Department, we hope to be enabled to daily place before our readers the latest details of a strife whose consequences must be to them of greater interest than those, of any European war. It is, perhaps, unnecessary to state that this step is not taken with any desire to injure our daily contemporaries, whose circulation must be interfered with until the ordinary train service is resumed, but Bimply to provide for a special and unforeseen emergency.

One lesson which the’strike is severely teaching us is on what a very unsubstantial foundation our whole industrial fabric rests. It seems as if all our business concerns were like a lot of ninepins, and once the knocking down is started, nobody can tell where it will end. But a few days ago, we all rejoiced at the settlement of the Whitcombe and Tombs dispute ; yet here we are again confronted with a disorganisation of all business, because of disputes beyond the seas. Such is the inevitable result of the extended organisation of labour on the one hand, and of capital on the other. It avails not now to consider whether the Union Steamship Co. merited the treatment meted out to them. The leaders ef the Labor Party were evidently convinced on that point. The trade and industry of civilised countries are now so interwoven that it is not easy to foretell where strikes will stop. Such conditions must lead to the adoption of a speedy and effectual

remedy. It is absurd to suppose that employers and employed who have been invariably at harmony with each other, are to remain permanently subject to being pitted against eaeh other on account of disputes in whose origin they took no part, and which they have now no means of settling. It is an outrage on our civilisation that there should be any measuring of foycea on these points. And again, if orie side were vanquished by a preponderance of “ staying ” power on the other, there would only be a hollow truce, to enable both aides to prepare for a renewed struggle. Both sidea must agree on the constitution of a tribunal whose decision shall be due to the force of right, not might.

Recently the Hampden School Committee enquired into a charge against the headmaster with respect to beating a child. ¥e have made further inquiries into this case, and find that the boy in question had only attended school 16 times during 75 school-days, and has only written 6 pages in his copy-book since last May. This is not, we are assured, a solitary or extrein e instance of systematic truantplaying. Occasionally a school committee indulges in a little tall talk about enforcing attendance, but we rarely hear of such talk being followed by decisive action. It is becoming painfully evident, that, notwithstanding our immense outlay on education the class which most requires free, education is still without it. Tho matter should be taken entirely out of the hands of the school committees, which, indeed, are an useless appendage to the system.

The Telegraph -says we have made an unwarrantable use of Messrs Studholme’s name in connection with Mr Reardon’s candidature for Hawkes’ Bay. We did not state that Mr Reardon was the nominee of those gentlemen, or that they had any political sympaty with him. Every word in our article was justified by the fact that they took shares in the Evening News Co. It is a very poor excuse to allege that that action was the result of persistent touting for support. It stamped their approval, and probably proved the means of drawing others to take shares. When educated men allow their| names to be entered as subscribers to a new work, provisional directors in a new company’s prospectus, or shareholders in a newspaper started and carried on for political purposes, they must know that their action will be made the means of influencing others, and it will take more than the Telegraph's arguments to convince the public that some ulterior object was not in view.

Apparently some members have become so accustomed to cutting aud

slashing at Civil Servants’ salaries with impunity, that they now .strongly resent the formation of the Public Service Association. They should remember that even the worm will turn. There was a long debate last night on the )Post and Telegraph Classification Bill, introduced by message from the Governor, iu the course of which Mr Ward referred to the various organisations now being started by the Civil Service, which ho attributed to political motives in view of the coming elections. Ilis opinion was that a system of re-organisation should not be forced in the House by the Civil Service itself, but as a result of the deliberations of Parliament. This would be all very well, if Parliament had evinced a disposition to deal with the service fairly ; but the general disposition underlying reductions appeared to be how much would the victims bear, without any regard to the value of their services. A more sensible view of the situation prevailed, however, and the second reading of the bill was agreed to on the voices.