OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2790, 31 May 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

(from oub own correspondent.) Sensational accounts have been going the round of the press concorning the ravages of La Grippe or Russian influenza. It 13 well-known that those who allow their thoughts to dwell on any given disease, especially if at the same time they are oppressed by forebodings that they themselves will be attacked by it, are predisposed to take it. Therefore, it is not to be wondored at that there has beeu an outbreak of something that is called La Grippe both in Melbourne and Sydney. Probably one-third of the population have suffered mora or less, but in the majority of cases tho symptoms have not been sufficiently severe to compel a total abstention from business. Still, speaking personally, I can say that it is quite bad enough while it lasts, and it has prevented mo from haviDg the pleasure of appearing in your columns for the last fortnight. Whether it is the real and original Russian " Grippe " or not I don't know. If everyone else were not so certain on this point I should be inclined to consider it a merely local malady, having its root and spring in the depressing effects of the prolonged period of raw, cold, wet weather through which we have been passing, which has found out the weak spots in everyone who has been so unfortunate as to be over-worked, over-worried, or otherwise "below par." However, whether imported or indigeneous to the soil, it has an unpleasantly tight "grip" of itß own, and a return to bright, cheerful, sunny, Australian weather, which would chase away this, besides a number of other pestilential phantoms, would be very acceptable. Parliament has once more assembled for the dispatch of business, and, despite the equal division of parties, presents the appearance of a tolerably happy family. You will remember that at the close of last session the Opposition swallowed the estimates en bloc, in order to get into recess and resume the fight on the fiscal question at the earliest opportunity. Well, the recess is over, but so also is the fighting mood. The sixty Oppositionists find out that after all there is no valid reason why they should not continue to draw their monthly "screws'' in harmony with their 61 compatriots on the other side. lam not sure about the exact numbers, but those I have taken illustrate the position very fairly. Payment of members, in short has acted like oil on troubled waters. Twenty-five pounds a month is much more acceptable to the ordinary member than the expense and

risk of an election contest, even though with the latter he would also have the privilege of fighting very hard to obtain £1,500 a year for some one else ! Our free lances have a stake in the country now and are becoming appropriately conservative as a consequence. Far be it from me to upbraid them or to question the wisdom of the measure which has had such a sobering effect, except as to that aspect of it which put them in the position of voting the public money into their own pockets. It is pretty certain that any fresh appeal to the country would be as indecisive as the last, and there is neither sense nor wisdom in stopping all legislation until the movement for protection gathers strength sufficient to carry all before it. Being a young community we shall no doubt have it, just as young children have the measles. But it is to be hoped that with Victoria for our Helot example, we shan't have it very bad, but will take care to confine it to such industries as are likely to repay the attention and outlay bestowed on them. On this point I may mention that Mr Samuel Young, of Numurkah, is at present in Sydney to warn agriculturists against dangers of Protection. Mr Young is a Victorian farmer, and his present attitude is not due to any abstract love for Free Trade, but to the fact that in the last session of the Victorian Parliament very foolish, oppressive and unjust additions were made to the tariff in the interest of manufacturers and against those of agriculture. But nothing Mr Youug can say can get rid of the fact that he is a representative of an industry which owes its present flourishing position to tho policy which he condemns. Agriculture in Victoria is one of the mainstays of the States. Not only doos it produce sufficient breadstuff's for the consumption of the whole colony. It has a handsome surplus for exportation which helps to reduce the national indebtedness, and increase the national wealth. This end was achieved by a liberal and well-designed measure of protection, which, when the gold yield of the colony began to diminish offered Inducement to miners and others to engage in agricultural pursuits. That the assistance thus given was both wise and timely is evidenced by the fact that the protective duty on wheat has now, though unrepeated practically ceased to operate. Victoria is now an exporter of wheat, not an importer, and therefore tho import duty ceases to have any effect. This was not the case in the beginning. For some time Victorians had to pay "more dearly for wheat and flour than they would have done had the protective duty not been imposed. But everything worth having is worth paying for. In return for thus taxing themselves for a few years Victoria now have a flourishing self-supporting industry which (apart from the inevitable vicissitudes of the Australian will probably continue to afford an exportable surplus throughout all future time. In New South Wales, on the other hand we cannot grow sufficient wheat for our own consumption. The existing commercial system so favours importers, also, as agaiust producers that although New South Wales wheat is admitted to be of better quality than the production of New Zealand, the latter commands .jd per bushel more money. Sydney millers, it is stated by those in a position to know, will not pay more than 33 per bushel in Sydney for best samples of New South Wales growth, whereas a 20,000 bag parcel of New Zealand has been sold at 3s 7id. The same anomally is apparent in hay and chaff. New South Wales farmers can only obtain with difficulty the price that is paid cheerfully, and as a matter of course for importations from the other colonies. Very often indeed they obtain nothing at all, but under pressure of the haraising restiictious which baimper the iuland trade their produce Is " slaughtered " for a sura loss than the charges upon it. What the dominant party mean by Free Trade is freedom for one branch of trade only—namely, that of exchange. Of freedom for the other and vastly more important branchnamely, that of production, they seem to have no idea whatever. Consequently commerce comfortably settles down into the foreign channels prepared for it by the host of importing firms, and Home production can only maintain a precarious and apologetic experience.

Considerable excitement has been caused by a series of court martials which have been held on board H.M.S. Opal respecting an alleged muting on board H.M.S. Egeria. The mutiny itself seems to have been of the most harmless sort that are made. No one was hurt, I don't think anyone was even sworn at. But because a few seamen, whose conduct had hitherto been most exemplary, were not as smart in obeying orders as they might have been, they are arrainged before a tribunal of officers only, and sentenced to terms of penal servitude which are usually awarded only to most grievous primes, Qno man gets five years, for instance, more than twice as much as was recently awarded to a cashier who stole £12,000 of his employer's money. His offence was most trivial and there can be no doubt that it was committed as a sailorlike protest against the conduct of the officers. 1 need hardly say that on board a man-of-war it is the latter who nr.; really responsible. A tyrannical martinet can turn into mutineers a crow who under more humane and gonial treatment would bo patterns of loyalty and fidelity. For such occurrences as those on board the Eferia it is in my humble opinion the officers who should tirst be put upon their

At present the whole maohinery of martial law is in danger of becoming a more instrument of oppression.