Sayings of the Week

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 16, 21 April 1909, Page 3

Sayings of the Week

Stitnrday for Certain. V . personally thought that if a universal half-holiday could be A J agreed upon it would be much / better than having two or more half-holidays in a week, and if a universal day was chosen he thought it would Certainly be Saturday.— Mr J. Vigor Brown, M.P. • * « • Somewhat under a Cloud. All recognised that at present trade and commerce was under somewhat of a .cloud, but he believed in the soundness Of the Dominion, and held that there was ho bettre country under the sun. If (they would to a certain extent curtail the extravagance of the past, the time (Would surely come when the clouds hovering over the country would pass away, (When they would see better days, and (When they would come out better men and women for the clouds through which they had passed.— Mr T. G. Harkness, [Wellington Chamber of Commerce. • • • • The Gospel of Hope. Our gospel is the gospel of hope. Pessimism may rhyme with Methodism, but the phonetic resemblance is the only thing they have in common. — Bev. E. 'Beeerof t. • • • » The Milk in the Tea. We were a tea-drinking community, and sterilisation produced a flavour .which was -certainly “acquired.” Sterilised milk in a cup of tea would put the average individual “off it” altogether. The only inspection to ensure clean and pure milk was inspection when the cows were milked —not inspection when the product arrived in the city; but this could not be done, and that was the trouble.— Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P. .... We don’t Talk. The Australians generally appear to me to be lacking in that decision of character and resoluteness which are such strong characteristics of New Zealanders. . . . (Our bracing and invigorating climate, tour history as a nation of fighters, and tour continuous fight with nature in tilling the soil, have given New Zealanders a more strenuous character, and the result is that we don’t talk very much about things, but when something has to be done we set about and do it.— Mr G. iW. Bussell, M.P. « « * • Should They Do It. An interesting problem faces the Arbitration Court should the employers apply for a reduction of wages. The unions have in choice language denouned the Court when it lias sometimes refused to grant an increase in wages. What will they say should the Court have the temerity to grant even the Smallest possible reduction? To judge from the present attitude of the trade .unions of New Zealand it would appear that these unions had laid it. down as a cardinal principle that while it would be right for the Court to grant increases on the wages it had already fixed, it yvould be a great moral, if not a legal Wrong, for it to grant any reduction.— Wr. H. Broadhead, Canterbury Employers’ Association. * « * • The Land Speculators. I am of opinion that the class chiefly Suffering from the money stringency (Comprises those who have indulged in over-speculation in land, and who are now experiencing a difficulty in raising the necessary money to meet instalments as they fall due. Too much land, especially country land, was bought at boom prices on the assumption that the produce of New Zealand was going to command extreme rates indefinitely. In other words, no room was left for the drop experienced in the last year or two. Personally, I am hopeful that financial equilibrium will be restored by reducing imports, and by the practice of economy in public and in private expenditure. This is undoubtedly already taking place, and the benefit ought to be felt in the next 12 months.— Mr. H. Beauchamp, Chairman Bank of N.Z.

Cut This Ont. The settlers were the sinew and backbone of the country, and deserved the help of the Government, which help he would endeavour to have extended to them in future, as in the past. Whatever influence he possessed with the Cabinet would be exerted to have more money spent on roads. Money spent on labour circulated within the country and helped to fertilise the land and make it productive. — Hon. A. W. Hogg, M.P. .... Let It Be Known. There was one thing worth suggesting — that the New Zealand Government should advertise that the Public Trustee would be prepared to accept sums of money from the British investor and to guarantee him 4 per cent for that money. Such money could be reinvested here at from J per cent to 1 per cent more.— Mr. J. M. Jones, Oamaru. * * « « Trees in City Life. The great tree for street-planting in all parts of the world is the plane, which has the advantage over most other trees that its roots do not affect the pavement. The famous boulevardes in. Paris are planted with planes, which can also be seen to good effect in Wanganui. The plane trees give a welcome shade in summer and in winter they are leafless. They could be planted very well at intervals along the lower part of Lambton Quay, close to the footpath, and in several other streets of the city. The finest avenue of trees in New Zealand is ad-

mitted to be the one in front of flie museum in Christchurch. It- comprises chestnuts, sycamores, oaks, planes and elms, most of which trees would grow in Wellington, though hardly, perhaps, to the same advantage. There are some streets in Wellington whore probably trees would never grow, because they are such funnels for the wind. — Hr. A ewman, Wellington. • » • • Just As Much Bight, If he wore a worker himself lie would bo one of the. first to propose the formation of a union. The men were quite right to form unions, and get all the benefits they could from them. Those present might just as well be honest. They were there for the benefit of tha commercial community and for the country. Labour in the street had just as much right to combine as they had. — Mr. ]>. J. Nathan, Wellington Chamber of Commerce. • * • « A Strong Australia. A strong Australia was the best gift we could offer Great Britain. A strong Australia could police the Pacific, and keep the trade routes clear. Another, and the best form of defence, was to people locked-up lands with British immigrants. If a country had an army of unemployed in its midst it was worse than a fleet of Dreadnoughts at their shores. Of one thing he was certain, that if the call of duty came all Australians from one end of the country to the other would respond, knowing that the British Empire stood for freedom and justice throughout the world.— Mr. R. H. Ww«, K.O.

Impossible to Avoid. 1 am absolutely opposed to all forms of unnecessary work on Sunday for either Government or private employers, believing as I do that a certain period of the week should be solely devoted to rest and relaxation. At present I am aware that there is an agitation afoot to suppress the handling of mails on Sunday. The Dominion system of transportation, however, has become so great and so complex, that it must be generally admitted that it is impossible to avoid handling some mail matter on Sunday.—• Mr C. 11. Poole, M.P. • • • • Merchants and Harbour Boards. A subject which required to be thoroughly dealt with was the representation of the mercantile community on harbour boards. This was a subject over which chambers of commerce required to make themselves strongly felt, as if their representations were removed it would be a serious thing for importers and exporters alike. — Mr IT. G. Dot hie, President Wellington Chamber of Commerce. What Avails It ? Like the terrible idols in past ages, the implacable iron and steel works at Pittsburg (U.S.A.) must, have their daily human sacrifice. Scarce an hour passes without an accident, and no day without a fatal disaster. But what avails it if one man is crippled, a life extinguished, among so many, when each place can. be filled from ten men all eager for it?— Count Vay de Vaya.

Leaders Wanted. In New Zealand men were needed to hold public positions—men who possessed “grit, go and gumption.” Leaders were needed, too —men who would fill responsible posts with honour and credit to themselves and the community.— Mr T. H. Marshall, Auckland.

Splendid Men. There is one body of men the general public know very little about, ami that is the R.N.Z.A. It is often said that the N.C.O.’s of the British army are its backbone. 1 can only say that the N.C.O.’s of the R.N.Z.A. are the backbone of our coastal defence. They 'are splendid men.—Captain Richardson. Sorely Needed. Dr. Sven Hedin tells us that he tried to drive a flock of sheep, and that he found he had no ‘gift for driving sheep. If he had been in the profession of politics, he would have found that, these gifts were sorely needed.— Lord Morley. The Least They Ought to Get. There is no doubt about it, that a week's training every year is the least volunteers ought to get. At Home the

volunteers go into camp fur eight day* 1 training, ami they go in by brigades, that we generally get between 2000 and 3000 in one camp, and can get very good work out of them. Here we get. very small camps and a very’ short time in which to get any proper training in at all. Considering the limited training down to the present generation. Engihe get, I consider the volunteers here are very efficient indeed.— Coloni'l Tuxon, of the Defence Council. • • • • The Manoeuvres. The value of the manoeuvres has boon considerable, and although 1 have criticised the work very severely, it must not be inferred that I would depreciate the good work done, the keenness of officers and men, or the excellent spirit of enthusiasm of all concerned; but it is by impartial criticism alone that officers will be enabled to remedy the defects mentioned ’<» p ta i n Rieh ardsan. • • • • Absolute Prohibition. The time was coming when Good Templars would not be satisfied with what they’ were now aiming for. They stood for ttotal al/tinenoe for the people and prohibition for the State. ‘’No license” was not enough. They would not bo satisfied until “no-license” meant no liquor. The time was drawing near when it would mean that. Meantime he hoped the Government would take steps to protect those places that had carried “no license” from ‘’depots,’* breweries and the “locker” system.— lira. 7). C. Cam-* eron, Grand Chief Templar. • ♦ * • Fairly Prosperous. Australia is fairly’ prosperous just now. We have had a very good harvest, and, although there have been better, that is in the way of wheal harvests, they have not been better when the small

rainfall is considered. The rain happened to fall just at the right time, with the result that excellent returns have been secured. Dairying is going ahead a great deal, particularly in Gippshind and the western districts of Victoria; Jamb raising, also, has been very successful. 1/r. 77. Mt K curie, Victorian Minister for Lands. Going to Agitate. A man who bad been thrifty ami striven all his life to get a home together and owned a cottage worth £3OO was debarred from the benefit of a. pension, while his next door neighbour, who might have been careless and wasted bis money, drew the pension. He did not think that was right. It was a serious defect, but he was going to agi tate so persistently that the Houso would grant an alteration. — Mr. T. li. Taylor, M.P.