Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Quarter of a Century.] FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1902. THE POT AND THE KETTLE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 7240, 22 August 1902, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Quarter of a Century.] FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1902. THE POT AND THE KETTLE.

Our contemporary, the Leader, with all duo gravity, asserts that "in commercial circles especially, where combinations and trusts exists, the greatest attribute of commercialism is knavery." We fear that tho Leader has been " in strange company," if this be its deliberate conclusion. An extremely sagacious person once wrote: "Honesty is tho best policy, and tho devil is an ass!" The controllers of largo undertakings are shrewd enough to conduct them on honest lines. Wore they not to do so tlieir adventures would bo unsuccessful. The rule is that the larger the business is, the more strict is the adherence to commercial integrity. No doubt, in many business concern. l, , there is a percentage of knavery. In small businesses it may be often a largo per-contage); but in greater enterprises it necessarily grows smaller and beautifully loss. If an extraordinarily largo pcr-contago were to be discoverable, anywhere, we should feel disposed to look for it amongst some of the politicians who control the business of this Colony. Commercialism is, we feel sure, far less affected by tho element of knavery than is polifciealism. Tho political pot may call tho commorcial kettle ll black-face;" but then we all know the political pot, and the exact valuo which is to be attached to its utterances. Even the very highest of our rulers are often suspected of political knavish tricks. How often, for example, has not the Right Honourable Seddon been subjected to attacks on tin's score; and, as a rule, undeservedly. Yet, inasmuch as he is a politician, people never feel quite sure of him. They know that politicians are privileged beings who aro not altogether amenable to strict business rules and considerations. Now, take the case of a commercial man, say a director of a public company—perhaps the Wellington Meat Export Company— a sonsiblo person places implicit confidence in such a man. He knows absolutely that he runs straight, and that anything which he says and does is above suspicion. Wo don't want to watch the director —but we do nocd to watch the politician. In commercialism knavery is not tolerated —in politicalism it is, we are sorry to say, tolerated.

Wo wish tho electors of New Zealand had tho good senso to put more business men in tho House, and fowcr politicians. Wo can depend upon the business men to act; and on tho politicians to talk ! A man like Mr John Duthie is a business man first, and a politician afterwards. Ho is, from bis business knowledge and experience, worth a dozen ordinary M.H.ll.'s, who are simply in loading strings to the Premier, and who always vote at the call of their party. A member of Parliament was onco asked if a logical speech did not occasionally change his opinion. He truthfully replied — " My opinion, yes—my vote never 1" It is well-known that this Colony is not run on business Hiioa. If it wore, the olement of what the Leader calls "knavery" would bo far less perceptible than it is. It was said in old times, "Seest thou a man diligent in his business ? ho shall stand before Kings; ho shall not stand before mean men." Possibly " the mean men" to whom Solomon referred were the popular politicians of his clay—but his opinion upon business men was a sound one, and has been amply verified during tho three thousand years which have subsequently passed away. But tho Leader entertains a different opinion concerning business men I Should wo feel sorry for Solomon —or sorry for tho Leader ?

Old sailors and others often forecast the weather and its changes by the moon; more especially by the now moon. At the beginning of this month one such

lookod grave Ho said tho moon was coming in on her back : i a cloudy sky, and that wo should have a rainy month. Ho was right, for wo had throe weeks of persistant rain 1 But, then, in tho City of Wellington nnd on tho West Coast thoro havo boon throe rainless weeks. Docs the now moon discriminate between Mastorton and Wellington, or Masterton and Wangftnui, when sho rides in on her back ? Our faith in tho inlluenco of tbo moon on tho weather is beginning to wane. Sho, or somo of lior champions, ought at least to explain tho phenomenon of tho prosont month —lino weather on ono sido of tho Ranges and wot woathor on tho othor.