Sayings of the Week

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 16, 15 April 1908, Page 4

Sayings of the Week

In my judgment, the agitation for the introduction of the Bible into the schools in largely insincere and artificial, and has little solid, earnest conviction behind it. — Rev. Beatty, Auckland.

With an utter disregard for the proprieties and conventionalities, men had invaded the kiwi’s innermost private life; and its funny habits, its clumsy gait, its wretchedly defenceless condition, its family failings, its deformities and malformations had been shouted from the housetops. The only thing hidden from them was its origin. They did not know where it had come from, or why.— Mr. Drummond, F.Z.8., F.L.N., Christchurch.

If Britain had cared to exert herself in the eighties or early nineties, she could have annexed the New Hebrides group; but that day is past, and we have to be satisfied with dual control as the next best thing, with the hope that by-and-by British influence will gain such an ascendancy that the group will ultimately be taken over. There is, however, no hope of that unless special exertions are made. France is at present doing her utmost to foster her trade in the New Hebrides. — Dr. Bowie, Medical Missionary, in Wellington.

New Zealand firms frequently got enquiries from Vancouver for butter and mutton, but they had no chance to accept, as there were no insulated steamers trading direct to that port.— Mr. Quane, Christchurch.

What the New Hebrides planters w’ant is a direct line of steamers between Auckland, Wellington, ami the New Hebrides. The New Hebrides could send any quantity of bananas, oranges, limes, lemons, pineapples, and all kinds of tropical fruits. Auckland is 500 miles nearer than Sydney to the New Hebrides. New Zealand could also obtain copra- for soap-making from the New Hebrides.—/) r. Howie', in Wellington.

For “Young Australia” to-day was “All Australia" to-morrow. They had three duties: —First, to occupy the country; second, to utilise it; and. third, to take care that it did not pass from the flag and the race. — Mr. Deakin, Commonwealth Premier.

The trade between Canada and New Zealand had been developing, but it was exceedingly difficult to get an accurate estimate of its dimensions, as so much of it was done through New York and London. The New Zealand statistics showed that the -exports to Canada in 1906 amounted to £29.000, but the Canadian import returns showed £62.000 worth ot goods,— Mr. J. 8. Darke, Christchurch. Americans are watching New Zealand, and particularly its laws. They are particularly interested in the development of this country, and the people of Seattle, who are holding an exposition in 1909, are sending out invitations to the Australian and New Zealand Governments to be represented at it. The opportunity of demonstrating New Zealand’s scenic attractions and its general resources is too good to be missed. Seattle, he added, has doubled its population in five years, ami its progress is altogether remarkable.—Mr. Raphy, of Wellington. The suicidal policy of State against State would not be done away with without placing the advertising of the Commonwealth as a whole in the hands of one responsible person.— Mr. Deakin, Commonwealth Premier. New Zealand birds offered a lesson that he who ran might read. They showed the danger of inaction and the folly of contentment. Contentment was the high-road to inaction, and history had demonstrated that nations guilty of the sin of inaction must earn the wages of sin—death. — Mr. Drummond, F.L.8., F.Z.8., Christchurch. • • • * The strngetic value of the New Hebrides group is also great, and I am told by naval experts that it would be a huge mistake to let it pass altogether out of British control.— Dr. Bowie. Medical Missionary.

There were articles produced in New Zealand which were not produced in Canada in sufficient quantities for their own consumption—they wanted sheep, cattle, pelts, skins, and hides, and they preferred to import from their relatives if it could be done. They wanted meet and butter, and on the east, the Atlantic, they wanted wool, flax, Irides, skins, kauri gum, and other produce for their manufactories. — Mr. Larkc, Christchurch.

Though there are foreigners in America who speak ill of the Britisher, the average American has a keen admiration for England and its solidity. One impressive thing to the American was that while some of their banks were paying 10 per cent, on deposits, the Bank of England announced a reduction in the rate of interest.— Mr. Rapley, of Wellington.

He recognised that the high price of timber was one of the causes of excessive house rents. He had price lists before him showing that kauri of equal quality was offered at 22/- a hundred in Melbourne, and at 27/- in Christchurch. —Hon. J. A. Millar.

The result of the experiment of State ownership of a town will be awaited with considerable interest and curiosity.— Mr. Gray, Christchurch.

The United States and New Zealand are particularly interested in first-class inter-communication. Their trade, which has increased nearly 300 per eent. in the last ten years, and now exceeds 10,000,000 dollars annually, demands a fast mail, passenger and cargo service to and from San Francisco at intervals of not more than three weeks. The boats in this service should be as good or better than those of any line now plying between Europe and Australasia. — American Consul-General Prickett, of Auckland.

Scientists wanted to know without any doubt why the female huia had a bent bill and the male bird a straight bill; why the wry-bil), of all birds in creation, had a bill bent on one side; why a merganza was found in the Auckland Island and in no other country nearer to New Zealand than Brazil; why the North Island crow had a blue wattle and the South Island crow an orange wattle; why the Auckland Islands duck had lost its' powers of flight, while the ducks on the mainland had retained theirs.— Mr. Drummond, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Christchurch.

Some of the greatest classical composers did not make any' money. That thought is about the only thing that gives me any comfort when I listen to the things they made up.— Herr Benno Scherek.

He was at one with those who urged that all protection should be given to women and children, consistent with what was due to the rights of individuals. The Government would be only too glad to try and improve things.— >S’ir J. Ward.

It was impossible to understand why men of intelligence, self-respeet, and respectability, with wives and children depending upon them, could freely indulge in drink, and bring themselves to the level of committing crimes, and leaving their wives and children to the mercy of the world.-— Mr. Justice Cohen, N.S.W.

the great hall m the new town Hall will provide a magnificent auditorium capable of seating 3,000 people.— Mr. IF. E. Bush, City Engineer, Auckland.

He asked the leading men of the Maori race to use their great influence to lead their people on temperance lines. He strongly advised the ciueis to set their people an example in temperance themselves.—Hon. J. Carroll.

For the last two or three years timber had been steadily going up, and now millers pro|>osed to make a further increase of from 2/ to 2/6 per 100 foot, bringing heart of nmtai and rimu up to 23/ or 24/ per 100. — Mr. IF. H. Bennett, )f the Federated Builders’ Association,

The supply of liquor to Maori women is absolutely prohibited by law, but still they seem to have no difficulty in getting whatever liquor they wish.— tfr. Ngata, M.P.

Englishmen should cultivate sentiment towards the colonies. If sentiment died out the ties binding the Empire would fall asunder. South Australia had tried to work in harmony with the Federal Government, and all the talk about separation was only humbug.— Mr. Price, Premier of South Australia.

He would be pleased to see the Opposition a little stronger than it is. In fact, he believed the Government would be pleased to see it stronger also, because their own side became unwieldy. A good, sound, healthy Opposition was the life of a country. — Mr. IF. A. Carruth, Whangarei.

No one, not even if they lived a lifetime in the country, would understand the Japanese. He is a liar from the start, and when he says “Yes” he generally means something nearer “No,” and as business is placed upon the lowest scale socially he considers it his business to cheat as much as he can. — Dr. Mackin, of Wellington.

There never has been in the history of New Zealand such a rigid power of inspection as is possessed and used at the present moment.— Hon. R. McNab.

I wish .to make it clear that the difficulty of getting labour has put up the price of wheat, and there is not so much wheat going in. I mink in the last Chamber of Commerce returns it was shown that the acreage sown was about half what it was ten years ago. That has been brought about by the difficulty of getting labour. — Mr. F. G. Horrell, Farmer, Canterbury.

He was no friend of the worker or of the employer who urged that the Arbitration Act should be repealed, and that the Dominion should revert to the old system of men versus money, or money versus men. — Sir Joseph Ward.

He believed that individual liberty and individual enterprise were going to have more scope during the. next few years than they had had for a very long time past.— Mr. IF. F. Massey, M.P.

□the idea of a mental hospital for the North Island was to have a large tract of land available, where a more effective classification of the patients could be carried out, and where the large amount of labour available could be utilised to the best advantage.— Hon. G. Fowlds.

Pleasure-seeking on Sunday was doing moral harm to the recipients of pleasure, and both physical and moral harm to the hundreds who were called upon to cater for the Sabbath-breaker. — Rev. J. A. Luxford.

He had power under the Tariff Aet to increase the export duty from 3/- to 5/per hundred feet, and also to limit the classes and sizes of kauri timber that might be exported, but the taking- off or reduction of the duty on foreign timber was a matter'for Parliament.—Hon. J. A. Millar.

The kiwi, he said, was probably the most shocking living example in birdlife of degeneration. Nature seemed to have been in a very whimsical mood when she made the kiwi, which had been aptly described by Dr. A. R. Wallace as the queerest and most unbird-like of living birds.— Mr. Drummond, F.Z.8., F.L.8., Christchurch.

There was no party in Australia that would talk repudiation or be disloyal tQ the Empire to which all were proud to belong. — Mr. Price, Premier of South Australia.

Some of our men have been blamed for certain things. I do not say that they are angels, or that some of them do not pilfer eargo, but we are trying to put if down as far as we are able.— F. R. Way, Auckland Waterside Workers’ Delegate.

There is very little evidence that ministers of religion themselves know the Bible, reverence, seek to understand or obey it. If they did, they would see and confess the evils of religious divisions. And they would set themselves to repent of their own sins, and amend their own faults, instead of attacking others. — Rev. Beatty.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and Dean Farrar, amongst others, were fighting for no-license and occupying the same platforms with the Free Church representatives in dealing with this great problem. The general feeling is that it is a matter of national importance, and that it is no longer one that ean be dealt with by faddists (as they call us) alone. I am of the opinion that if the House of Lords rejects the Bill the Government would be quite safe in going to tho country on that issue alone.— New Pastor. Knowles Kempton, Auckland Tabernacle.

There was a sanatorium in the North’ Island which had not been as successful as it might have been, but they might try again and have a sanatorium for the South Island; but they would have to put a medical man in who would have sole charge. If a sanatorium of this kind was started in Central Otago, the cost would not be very great. — Dr. Dunedin.

The unforeseen success of the Pacific; cable, and the trade created, via San Francisco, were a good omen for the All Red route. Though he admitted that Australia relied upon the Suez highway, New, Zealand and Queensland would stand to gain considerably by means of the AH Red route.—Hon. Reeves, High Commissioner.

No ease of anthrax had been reported since he becaine Minister. The system of the inspection of bones had prevented tho source of infection getting into the country. Wherever anthrax had broken out in the past the Department had taken possession of the farm, and practically killed it out by the best-known means, regardless of cost. The same course was being pursued in regard to combatting the fruit fly.— Hon. R. McNab, Christchurch.

£90,000 had already been spent on irrigation in Central'Otago, and as that district certainly wanted water very badly, a scheme would be carried out for the benefit of the people. The sum of £lOO,OOO had been placed on the Estimates for the purpose.— Kir J. Ward.

While in New Zealand recently he had been greatly pleased with the dancing ho had seen there. He had never seen anything more beautiful than some of tho New Zealand terpsiehorean efforts.— Cardinal Moran.

You should pay a visit to our settleiment at Maungapohatu, and see what Rua is doing for our people. In seven! months we have cleared 700 acres of bush, which we will put down in grass for our. cattle. We have built wooden houses, and do not sleep on the floor. Rua got us to make wooden bedsteads, as he is opposed to people sleeping on the floor. You never see dirty children at our place, but, until we get something growing, it is hard to live, as it costs 17/- to get 501bs of flour to our settlement. There

In no waipiro there, and Rua prohibits •making as well.— Maori Follower of Rua, the “Prophet,"

Those who were in charge of the creche nt the Exhiibtion, had ample proof that not all New Zealand mothers know how to care for their children; and those who took charge of the little ones were sometimes horrified at the sight of the bottles that were left with the babies. One child ’Was found to be sucking at a bottle in which the milk was actually curdled, and another had been provided by its mother With a bottleful of cold tea.— Christchurch [Visitor in Wellington.

No child need grow up a pagan, even if he does not learn the Bible at school, But if I had to choose between the two, I would rather be an honest, kindly, useful, manly pagan, than a crooked, shuffling, treacherous, cruel Pharisee.— Rev. Beatty, 'Auckland.

I think that, on account of the weed-ing-out process, stags are not so numerous. I hold the opinion that New Zealand would have the best stag shooting in the world if it could be differently managed in that respect. Everybody goes shooting, and, if it goes on like that, I think in a couple of years that good stags will be very rare. On the whole, the trip was very interesting to me, and the sport is very good.— Count Grundius, ■Wellington.

No Act that has ever been passed in New Zealand has been more abused than the Arbitration Act, and I am sorry to •ay that it has not been respected.— Robert Rainey, a Tiatapu farmer.

Those firms who are both manufacturers and importers tell me that every year they are importing more and manufacturing less, owing to the scarcity of labour and the restrictive influence of the 'Arbitration Court awards, and if matters go on as at present it will practically mean the closing up of some of the. manufacturing branches of trades. — Mr. Scott, Wellington.

We, in company with a majority of the Workers of New Zealand, are very much dissatisfied with the administration of the Court of late. Who can dispute the fact that Judge Sim was conversant with the purpose of the Eight Hours Amendment Bill, and, being in possession of that knowledge (even though he could pick out some little technical flaw in the working of the Bill), who can justify his action in defeating its purpose and overriding the legislation of the country?—! Mr. J. Marchant, Denniston.

The old people must pass away, and they, in their turn, would be called upon to carry on the work of New Zealand. The Government wanted them to do that creditably, even as their fathers and mothers had done, and they could only be in a position to do this by going regularly to school and working hard at their studies.

There are two representatives of capital on the Arbitration Court Bench, the judge being drawn from the capitalistic class. It has failed to benefit the workers, as in 14 years there has been a decrease in the purchasing power of wages of four shillings in the pound.— Mr. P. Galligan, Denniston Union.

A pensioner, at the present time, who might succumb to a single glass of beer, was subject to the cancellation of his pension for five years. Such a penalty was a most outlandish one. It meant a forfeiture to the pensioner for the one offence of £l3O. (Cries of “Shame.”). — !Hon. J. Beehan, Auckland.

During the 21 years he had known the 'Auckland Rugby Union it had slowly but surely expanded, until it was now the leading union in Australasia. The present ground was liable at any time to l»e taken away from them, as it was too valuable now to be used as a playing area. —• Id. E. Devore, President A.R.U.

It was the creditors’ business how they treated the debtor. It was his (the assignee's) business to see the dividend was as much as possible, and if there was a surplus in a particular estate it was his duty to take care of the bankrupt.— Mr, Gerard, Official Assignee, Auckland.

You appear like the leading birds of flight. You come like the leading lights, that we may sec you, and you see us. We have here to-night amongst us the Bdiuisler for Education —he whose body

we have never seen before. We welcome you, air, as one who can give us an opinion regarding our schools, and also regarding matters affecting our health. We have accepted with gratitude the education system granted by the Government—Te Hatiwiri Haumaku, at Te Aroha.

The Northern city is peculiarly adapted for the visit. It is also within easy distance of the thermal region, and a visit to Rotorua, with a Maori welcome, would be quite a unique feature, and one ever to be remembered in connection with the remarkable voyage of the American Armada. — Mr. Massey, at Wellington.

Britain’s ideal should be to make the army and navy work together and into each other’s hands.— Lord Tweedmouth, First Lord Admiralty.

The feeling in the North was decidedly in favour of strengthening the Opposition in the next Parliament. Wherever I have been I have had excellent meetings and plenty of encouragement. In a day or two I shall pay a visit to the Hawke’s Bay district, and later on to the South Island. — Mr. Massey, in Wellington.

A great deal had been said in regard to professionalism in football, but he did not consider the matter at ail dangerous. In his opinion, the professional game could not live in New Zealand, the centres of population being too small and too few.— A. £7. Devore, President A.R.U.

Mr. Balfour’s fiscal platform was one whereon all sections of the party could well unite, and whereon ultimate reunion, besides being possible, was certain. He did n6t envy either the common sense or political foresight of a man declaring that no change in the fiscal policy was required or likely to occur.— Lord Curzon, at Basingstoke.

Mr. Duthie, as manager of the Auckland branch of the National Bank of New Zealand, played an important and responsible part in the commercial life of the community. The fact that Mr. Duthie had fulfilled his responsible office so long and successfully showed that he was amply endowed with all those gifts that made for a successful bank manager. — The Mayor of Auckland.

He had a feeling of satisfaction in knowing that at times, when the North of Auckland province was not in such high favour as at the present time, he had had unbounded confidence in the future, and had been able to further the interests of this part of the province. He was glad to say that those who had held contrary views now recognised the great future before the North by settling there and helping to develop it. — D. IV. Duthie, Auckland.

The country unions did not wish in any way to interfere in city football, but they thought the time had arrived when the body governing the football of the province should have country representation. If professionalism were to be fought successfully, the country support would be of great assistance.— R. J. Gwynne, Waikato Rugby Union.

The standard of education in Maori schools was as high as the children in the schools were willing to work for, and that, generally speaking, it was higher in the purely Maori schools than in the board schools, where a large percentage of the pupils were Maoris.— Hon. George Fowlds, M .P.

I am quite convinced that the main responsibility for the exclusion of religious teaching from the public schools of the Dominion lies at the door of religious people in general, and of ministers of religion in particular. It is a matter of history that endowments for educational pur)>oses were misused or perverted by different religious bodies, and that grants of money were secured by dishonest means. — Rev. Beatty, Auckland.