TOPICS OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue II, 13 July 1895, Page 26

TOPICS OF THE WEEK.

NOTHING, so it appears to me, makes human nature so intolerant as dabbling in goldmining, or even worse, goldmining scrip. A crowd of disappointed diggers broke the windows of the newspaper offices in Coolgardie the other day, because a certain * find ’ turned out to contain considerably more rumour than reality. The papers, they declared, had for their own gain published unsupported news. But supposing the papers had held off, and supposing the news had turned out to be true, that there had in fact, been a splendid gold find. The public would in this case have been even more virtuous and even more violently indignant. The papers, they would have said, kept back the news till their friends got a good start tor the field. Much the same thing happened in the case of the recent fluctuations in May Queen. Speculators who rushed the shares at thirteen shillings in the sure and certain hope ‘ they would see a pound ’ blame everyone save themselves for their loss, and in the fury of disappointed greed do not hesitate to level charges against brokers, the papers, the directors, the managers—in fact, everyone and everything except their own folly, and insensate desire to make a * hatful ’ of money ‘ without working for it.’

THK evils of too much law-making seem more than likely to be augmented rather than reduced this session. Over legislation and its attendant sorrows is not confined to New Zealand, though certainly this otherwise delightful colony enjoys a well-earned but extremely unsavoury reputation for grandmotherly lawmaking, and initiating rules and regulations. All over the world complaint is being made and with reason, that far too much time is wasted in passing useless and vexatious measures, which are either amended out of knowledge, or abolished at each change of administration. In New Zealand we seem, indeed, inclined to go a step further. The main labour of one Parliament will soon be to repeal or amend the laws made during the previous session. It has been well pointed out in a recent article on the matter that the craze for law-making ‘is due chiefly to two causes. The first is the general feeling of discontent with existing conditions, supplemented by the belief that the making of a law or laws will prove a panacea for the ills and evils of the body politic, and the second is the combination of vanity and ignorance which afflicts so many of our legislators, whether in national or state legislatures. The maxim of law that wherever there is a right there is a remedy is construed to mean that wherever there is a wrong there may be a remedy discovered or invented by the adoption of a statute, and from this follows a desire to rush into the legislative halls and attempt to do that which is clearly impossible, make men good and honest and fairminded by statute.

‘ The second matter of difficulty is connected naturally with the first. It is not alone that laws are altered and amended, but that those who undertake the task of law-making are, in too many instances, wholly unfit for

the work. They not only do not know what’the scope and effect of the existing law is, but they are grossly ignorant of the meaning of words, even in their plain and ordinary sense, and when they try to patch or cobble a statute they make queer work of it, and not only queer but lamentable, since their work, clumsy though it may be, must stand for two years as the law of the State, unless sooner declared void for unconstitutionality. *

It is suggested by the same writer that the Houses of legislature should only meet once in four years, and as he remarks, some extremists urge that once in ten years would be sufficient. The latter is probably too long a period. The world lives so quickly nowadays that the whole Conditions of life may change in ten years. But in all seriousness, there is little doubt that in this colony it would be no bad thing if there were no further laws made for four or five years. As the writer already quoted says, ‘The ten years’ “rest” might be pushing nonlegislation too far, but it is certain that it the lawmaking power would content itself with remedying such defects in existing laws as are demanded by the general public ; and would lay aside its ambition to distinguish itself by exploring expeditions into the domain of new and untried lawmaking, the interests of the people would as a general rule be much better subserved than they are at present and under the existing system.’

CRASS stupidity and fanatical vindictiveness on the part of the Prohibitionist leaders have done much to injure the cause of temperance in this colony, and it now seems not improbable that by a perfect debauch on these, their favourite views, the prohibition faddists will produce so great a revulsion of public feeling on the question of temperance, that all the great and undeniably successful work accomplished by the moderate section of the temperance party will be swept away and rendered useless. The loose manner in which grave charges are made, and the exaggerated statements which prohibition leaders are in the habit of making have long since ceased to create surprise, but these unamiable and unworthy characteristics are rapidly creating such a wholesome disgust and distrust for prohibitionists and prohibition, that that party is rapidly digging for itself its own burial place. The utter uselessness of attempting to legislate in advance of, or in the face of public opinion has lately been made manifest in the reaction which set in directly any attempt was made to enforce Saturday closing. A noisy minority got their own way for a week or two, until loss and inconvenience roused the somewhat somnolent majority to look after itself and its likes and dislikes. Any attempt to enforce prohibition would meet with an even swifter fate, an even more powerful reaction. The average man is abominably lazy in objecting to faddy legislation until he begins to feel its effects. Then he usually not only sweeps away the obnoxious measure that annoys him, but in his vexation not infrequently several really useful and necessary reforms and restrictions.

New Zealand is now possessed of an advanced and in many ways excellent Licensing Act. If the temperance, party really desire progress they will give this a fair trial before proceeding further. To do this they must force the Isitts and Taylors, who do so much damage to a really good cause, to understand that their tactics must be changed, and their tone modified unless the temperance party is to be forthwith wrecked. Such men with their bogey stories, their rash accusations, their worn-out platform platitudes and feeble witticisms, would wreck a stronger and more hopeful cause than that of the moderate templars. With fanatics and mouthing orators out of the way, advance would undoubtedly be made, but so long as the temperance party entrust their hopes to that set of persons who have been prominent during the last week, so long will they be defeated and disappointed.

THE materials for a sensational novel were certainly provided in the case of attempted suicide reported in the Auckland papers the other day. Here was evidently a case of disappointed love. The young man had apparently been paying his attentions to a more than usually • cruel fair.’ For a time, presumably, the maiden was kind, but when thegentleman's attentions were becoming too pronounced, or too embarrassing, she let him understand that she did not want his company any longer. In nine cases out of ten, the young man would have accepted his fate, eaten a trifle less heavy

dinner than usual, and taken, perchance, an extra strong ‘ comforter *as a salve for his lacerated feelings. But this Romeo was of more sentimental stuff. He bought or procured laudnum, and armed with this phial, presented himself at the house of the adored one, literally, either to do or to die. At first he had a determined attempt to ‘do.’ Having been informed that his inamorata was out, he entered the house and declared he would not go away till he saw her. He waited for a few moments, and then being apparently convinced that the attempt to ‘do ’ had failed, determined to die. In this, happily, it appears likely he will fail too. Having taken the dose, he must needs advertise the fact. ‘ I have taken it,’ he announced (doubtless melodramatically). ‘Good-bye.’ The timely intervention of a stomach pump is the conclusion of the tragic farce up to date. It would be interesting to know if the lady was touched by the proof that her admirer was as ‘ true, true till death,’ as he could be in an unfeeling age when a love and laudnum sick youth can be stomachpumped back to life, and if she has therefore relented and named the happy day.

THE dangers of poisoning from eating tinned fish make more inexplicable the curt negative sent by the Government to the now famous offer to introduce Irish smoked mackerel to New Zealanders. Apparently there is no objection to the importation of tinned fish in which, despite assertions to the contrary, there every now and then proves to be some danger of poisoning. The latest case was in Wanganui, and the trouble arose from an- imported tin of fish, according to the local paper. Thousands of tins of fish are sold in the colony, and it may, of course, be pointed out that it is only very occasionally one hears of poisoning; yet the unpleasant fact remains that one does hear of it. All tinned goods seem liable to the same risk. The details of the last case do not differ much from others one has read about. The fish were newly bought, and appeared to be without blemish. They tasted as usual, nice, but the after effects were serious, and might easily have been fatal. Under the circumstances, the importation of fish, in which even the minimum risk existing where tins are employed is absent, should, one would have thought, have been encouraged. It is, of course, urged that one tin in a million or even more is poisonous, but that millionth tin crops up with a fair amount of regularity all the same.

IN these democratic days when everyone ‘ loves a lord ’ • with a fervour never before equalled, and when the scramble for titles is brisker than ever, it is refreshing to read of an aristocrat who wishes to remain a

commoner. A portrait is here given of Viscount Wolmer, who tried so hard to refuse the peerage which banished him from the House of Commons to the outer darkness of the ‘ Hereditary Chambers.’