Sayings of the Week.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIII, Issue 13, 29 September 1909, Page 3

Sayings of the Week.

The Meddling Agitator. THE labourer is worthy of his hire; unity is strength, and workers are entitled to safeguard and maintain their rights by all fair and legitimate means; but the meddling, mischief-making agitator, who, through excess of zeal, or under a mistaken sense of duty, foments discontent among workers, and encourages a spirit of hostility and antagonism towards employers, instead of cultivating and promoting a conciliatory spirit and good feeling between employers and employees, is an enemy Of employers, a greater enemy of employees, and a curse to the community.— ■Hr. C. €'. Kettle, S.M.

To Prevent War. Supremacy at sea is a matter of life or death to the British Empire, but the measures being taken for defence do not mean aggression, but merely a determination to hold what we have. What we want is to prevent war, and be so strong that nobody will desire to attack us. .Why should, not the English-speaking nations get together, and say there shall not be war?— Lord Charles Beresford,

Where Men Are Good. For every male drunkard in Walworth there are seven women drunkards. — Canon Horsley.

Better Than Sandow. One ounce of tact in suppressing a street row is worth all the physical training that Sandow ever invented. — Sergeant Stewart, Wellington.

Expert Evidence. I know what expert evidence is. I wouldn’t take it at any price. — Mr. 'Bishop, S.M.

A High Estimate. The British reading and thinking public probably does not number 50,000 people all told.— Mr. H. G Wells.

The Policeman's Lot. No matter how decently and respectably a policeman may live, there are people in every community who are ready to look down upon him because he is a “bobby.”— lnspector Ellison.

No Boom for Parasites. He had pledged himself to do all he could to fight against the spirit of gambling which was one of our greatest curses. Every nian and woman in the community had his or her work to do, and there was no room for parasites who lived upon the rest—lived upon their vices, in fact. Personally, he would like to see a return of something of the old spirit of Puritanism. He would not like a narrow view but he would like everyone to see the advantages of a pure spiritual life.— Mr. G. M. Thomson M.P., Dunedin.

Why Labour Supports the Budget. The Labour party was supporting the Budget as the first step to their ideal, namely, absorption by the community for the community’s use of all unearned incomes, whether derived from lands or capital.— Mr. Keir Hardie, M.P.

Avoiding the Police. If members of Parliament would keep themselves aloof from constables, it would be better for the constables. — Mr. Bishop, S.M.

Mr. Asquith's Unruly Children. Mr. Asquith was in the position of a father with a large family of extremely ill-behaved and unruly children. He was unable to explain away Mr. Lloyd George’s and Mr. Winston Churchill’s outrageous misrepresentations. . The country was not safe from a pirate crew of tatterdemalions, who tried to hide the red flag of Socialism under the ensign of the older and nobler Liberalism. — The Duke of Rutland.

Attacks on Trade. It was well known that a possible enemy had made all arrangements for

arming merchantmen with small guns, and it was a simple matter to send these to the trade routes before war was declared, so that they might be ready to attack British traders the moment the formal declaration was made. — Lord Charles Beresford.

Offensive Language. Unfortunately this disgusting offence of using obscene language is on the increase. One can hardly pass along a highway or byway of the city without having one’s ears assailed by offensive language. I would ask for a substantial fine, not only as a punishment for this man, who riehly deserves it, but also to act as a warning to others.—Sub-Inspec-tor Hendrey, Auckland, commenting on a charge of obscene language.

Where We Excel. He had watched postal staffs at work in London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Chicago, Washington, and elsewnere, and he was quite willing to back the Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin office staffs for smartness and general intelligence in the way in which they turned out their work,— Mr Robertson, Secretary G.P.O.

He Knows Enough. I know enough about sheep, at all events, to tell farmers when to hold their wool and when to sell. That is more than some of Mr Massey’s friends can say. I don’t say Mr Massey- has not

got the interests of the farmers at heart, but I am sure he would be prepared to accord to another worker the same good intentions.—Hon. T. Mackenzie.

Things One does not near About. You hear in the papers when the mails are late or there is any delay, but what you do not hear about in the papers is the hard work and the long and broken hours of the mailroom staff. And yet the mailroom officers throughout the Dominion, and especially in Wellington, never seem to imagine they have a grievance. No doubt the penny post kept the staffs of the whole Department going, and no doubt, too, it was due to them that the Department was able to pay £lOO,OOO into the Treasury.— Mr Robertson, Chief Secretary, G.P.O.

Life's Purpose. There should be a great purpose in life and being, and each man should ask himself whether he stood for anything in the community in which he was dwelling, or was he a mere cypher. Every man should feel that it was obligatory- on liim—on every man in the community to be of use to that community. Every man should feel under an obligation to live the highest life it was possible to live. Many young men wnnted to “see life,” and not be restricted in any way.

This, unfortunately, often meant death to everything that went to make a true man. A young man had no right to live by any lower standard than the highest he knew.— Mr J. J. Virgo, Wellington Y.M.C.A.

Where Revolution Lies. If the House of Lords destroy the Budget, whether by mutilation or rejection, that indeed would be the most formidable revolution since the Long Parliament. It was settled long ago that the House of Commons has an absolute, unquestionable and decisive voice in matters of finance. The Lords are impotent, and the Commons supreme. If that issue is raised that way revolution lies. It would involve issues far wider and deeper than the right of the House of Lords to meddle in finance. But if it is raised, the Liberal party are anxious and eager to accept the challenge.— Mr Asquith.

Business Lines. I have no more right to use the money of the public in running trains that don’t pay than I have to put it into my own pocket. You wouldn’t do it with your own money. I am in charge of a business in which £27.000,000 of capital has been invested; it is the property of the people as a whole. The people have put me there to run the business on business lines. You wouldn’t keep your own farms for five minutes if you spent £5OO a year to earn £3OO. I am simply the trustee for the people of New Zealand, and I don’t intend to run things on those lines.- — Hon. J. A. Millar.

For Ties that are Bright and Suits that are clean. Chinamen should not slouch and slink along tlTe streets as if they were afraid of someone. The Europeans did not do that,

but looked smart and neat. The Chinese looked smart and neat in China, in their own dress, and they should try to look even smarter and neater when they came to a European country. He would like every Chinese, on arrival in the Dominion, to buy a coloured tie and a new suit. A suit would last four or five years with care. He himself wore his suits for three years. He knew his hearers were simple, honest people, but European youths, without a shilling or a penny in their pockets, would wear suits costing £5 to £6.

That was wrong; but the Chinese were wrong when, with £5 in their pocket, they grudged 2d for a collar.— Ur Hwang, Chinese Consul

A Life on the Ocean Wave. The day must come when avenues of employment in New Zealand will close up, and the young men will have to take to the sea. New Zealand was destined to become a maritime country. The man who goes to sea to-day has now comforts that were unknown a few years ago. and every credit is due to those who have striven to make the life of the sailor more comfortable than it has been in the past. If we desire to get our boys to go to sea, then everything must be done for the comfort of those who go down to the sea in ships.— Hon. J. A. Millar.

Author: Have you read my new book J Friend: Yes. Author: What do you think of it? Friend: Well, to be candid with you. I think the covers are too far apart.