OBSERVATIONS BY THEM ON THE LOOK OUT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12856, 18 May 1912, Page 2

OBSERVATIONS BY THEM ON THE LOOK OUT.

Though you didp't or you wouldn't; Ur you hadn't or you couldn't; You joily well must look out! —Kipling.

Poor old " Active Worker" who wrote grumbling to the " Chronicle" concerning the operations of the Beautifying Society must have felt rather dizzy next morning. Five stalwart champions of different branches of the Society literally pulverised him with a Lattery of 'hard facts and blew his petty complaints and erroneous assumptions to smithereens. The growler must have been convinced that about the only thing ho had not failed to make perfectly clear was the fact that he did1 not know what ho was writing about. I was 'glad to see such a lively and spontaneous defence by the Society's good work. That in itself was an effective answer to " Active Worker's" puerile criticisms. -

Some recently published statistics concerning the growth of the 'telephone in New Zealand are interesting, The .first telephone exchange was opened in ■Chirestchurch °n October Ist, 1881, with twenty-nine subscribers at £17 10s each. Auckland followed ten days later with twenty-six subscribers, iand the fact that fivo moro joined in the next two days ltd the then Superintendent of Telegraphs to say that " the would' not be surprised to see a "hundred subscribers some day." That modest anticipation' was destined to be realised maaiy hundred times over, and at the present time there are more than 5000 telephones attached to the Auckland exchange. Thirty years ago at the end of last month, there were" just 116 telephones in use in New Zealand; at tho end of last year there were over, 28,000 separate subscrfbers, and the number has been and still is increasing every day. The cost of the service is still beyond the reach of most people, but 1 hope the time is not far distant when this useful time-saving, aye, and at times Jtife-sjavin-g, instrument widl !be available iat a cost which wall make possible its installation in every home.

Ifc seems fairly evident that the Local Government Bill is in for rough treatment at the hands of the approaching conference. At the meetings that have been 'held to appoint 'represcftita/tave delegates the opinions expressed 'have been-almost unanimously ©ondemmtory of tho measure. The country is in agreement as to the need of ssome sort of reform in the existing system of local government, which has long been regarded as cumbersome, eosbly, and more or less inefficient. For years the Liberals have been promising to provide the necessary remedy, a.nd there was a general feeling of satisfaction when at last the now defunct Ward Administration got to the length of actually placing a Bill on the Parliamentary stocks. The measure* was circulated for public consideration, and the result has been that on closer acquaintance it has proved disappointing. The chief blemishes in the existing system of local government are two in number. , The first is that it as largely dependent on political patronage consequent on the power of Parliament, or, more canroofcly speaking, tho Cabinet, to grant or withhold votes for tho~Oonstruction of roads and bridges? The second is that the development of settlement and the natural progress of the Dominion has resulted in the creation of a multiplicity of governing bodies and a consequent over-lapping' and waste' of administrative energy.

s Men who have examined the Local Government Bill carefully' say that) it does not remove these blemishes. Indeed there is reason .-to suppose that the effect of its adoption (a most unlikely contingency) would bo to place even greater power in the hands of the Executive. As evidence of the reasonableness of this assumption let me take tie constitution and procedure of the Local Government Boai-d which the Bill pro- . p050.3 to set up. IThis Board-is to con- '■ ei«t of tho Minister of Internal Affairs; ' the Under Secretary of Internal Aftaiirs; the Under Seereta-ry of Grown Lands; the Under Secretary of Public Works; and ?uoh other persons, not oxceeding three in number, «s the Governor thinks fit to appoint to hold office during his pleasure a«? members of tho said Board. It is obvious at a glance that as the selection of the nominated members would rest entirely m tee hands of the Government and as the Under Secretaries would be subject to Ministerial control, the Board would .have some difficulty in adopting and sustaining a politically independent attitude. Couple this presumption with the fact that the Bill provides that meetings of the Board shall be private " and we are at once' faced by a grave danger. Loans might be refused without any reasons being given and ; tho. members of the Board being subordinate to the Minister, the reasons not •given might be anything but reason- • able. In such a case the country would ;be worse off than .it as now. Then, too the proposal to abolish the Boards of luluoation and to place the administration of education -m the hands of the Provincial Councils is one which can! not be seriously entertained. If there h.Tu f'fVl B°V€! rning bodies which has justified its existence, it is the ■ Boards of Education. The wooi th^ do as of & special character, not such as could safely be made part and' parcel of a general system of local government, and I think that it will be conceded .that on the main they have done this work we'll Back of the proposal to do mvay with .the Boards is the intention cost 'of education largely on to the local | rates, for, while it is provided that the | moneys now paid to the Boards would ! continue to be paid to the Provincial ; Council, there is added- the significant I provision that if this money ia Sot ! sufficient the further expense w to be f borne by the general fund of the Broi viwcfcal 'Council, Supplemented by ,a subsidy from the general Government There are many other controversial I leatnres of the Bill which one could mot ■ attempt to deal with in the brief compass of a few notes, but I hare touched .on sufficient to indicate the stiffness of I the .task in front of the conference in | the event of its being called upon to I shape this extraordinary Bill into an ;' acceptable and workable measure. Still, I the discussion should do good. As I ; have said, the country has long realised- ' that thero as room for much reform in j matters of local government, and, if [ the Bill which Sir Joseph Ward has bequeathed to the Mackenzie Government : doea^nothing else it will enable tne men I who are to discuss it—men who have ; bad practical experience of the different branches of lrwn.l government—to evolve a more Satisfactory substitute.

If the Hon. Mr. Millar is a true prophet the Mackenzie Government will uoii live to givo effect to the recommendations of the Conference. That ivii'i not matter, because the carrying out oic the (reform will then fall into >fche : hands ot the real reformers. i * *• * * ! I had a pleasant chat this week witJi | one to whom the workers of AustraC-ki owo a deep debt of gratitude. I refer :. to Mr. Uiiarks B. Vine, who was .the secretary of the inaugural committee of , the eight hours system in Australia, j Mr. Vine, despite his 84 yeairs, is still I hale and hearty and a fine represemta- j tive of those hardy and energetic peo- I pie who iieiped to day, well and soundly, tho foundation of the colonies in the : Pacific. Happening to hear of Mr. Vine's association with the eight hours movement, 1 called on him at Smithfidd, and obtained some very interest- : ing information relative to the steps i winch led up to tiiat great change an , industrial life.

So far as Australia is concerned,, tho movtmeait began to take life in 1855. On September 22nd of that year tho Operative Stonemasons' Society of New South Wales held a meeting at which it was resolved " That in the opinion oi this Society eight hours should be the maximum of a day's labour." It was further resolved to wait upon the employers in the building trade and .request their concurrence. Almost all tho contractors in Sj-dney conceded the boon immediately, and as a result of the Society's zvotitm, ,aill j opposition was withdrawn within a fortnight. In the same year the masons of Victoria (which hatl been in • existence previously, but had adjourned on account of the gold rash in 1851) renewed aotivo operations, and, on February 4th, 1856, the first Victorian movement for an eight hours day was initiated by James Stephens. Interest in the movement spread, and cv March 12th, delegates of the Society met the employers to discuss 't<he matter. Other conferences were held and then, on March 2Gth, at a big meeting at the old Queen's Theatre, Melbourne, bo-th parties closed the bargain in an equitable spirit. This agreement was made as affecting the masons only, but other branches of the building trade soon joined the leaders, and public notice was given that the masons, bricklayers, carpenters and joiners, plasterers and painters would commence the eight hours system on April 21st, 1856. The Societies also formed a demonistnvtiion committee, the members of which wore: Thomas Walter Vine (President), A. Forsyth (treasurer) and Charles B. Vine (secretary). On that day tthe first Eight Hours .Demonstration was ihedd, and' a great day it was: The proceeds amounted to £248, which were equally divided between the two principal charities, Melbourne Hospital .and Melbourne Benevolent Asylum.

The Vine family played an important part an the Labour movement in those days, and it is interesting to note that the banner which is carried at the head of the .procession each Eight Hours Bay anniversary was made by the Misses Vine, from a design-by their father. Mr. Vine, enr., wiho had been in "the Royal Navy, in bis youth, knew the lasting qualities of bunting, and chose that material in preference to silk or other material. His choice wsus wise, for today the banner is in excellent preservation, ;and serves as ,a tangible link with the work Of the promoter of an eight hours' day.

"So many inquiries reach New Zealand about ' Peiorus Jack/ the solitary white dalnhiai that frequents ,the. waters hear the French Pass, on the northern coast of tlhe South Island, (and so much curiosity is displayed by travellers in this ttrango creature of the sea, that this little book has been written in order to place on record some facts and fblfcJcco about tho famous fish." Suah is the opening sentence in the preface to a capital little booklet entitled " Pelorus Jack," ,and written by Mr James Cbwan. The promise "of the preface is imply fulfilled in the succeeding pages, which are exceedingly interesting. A largo amount of information relative to the fish and 'his.-'lonely life is given, in addition to which' Maori legend and illustrations make the booklet one which is sure to be in much .demand. *; .