The Week in Review.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 1, 5 July 1911, Page 1

The Week in Review.

NOTICE. The Editor will be pleased to receive for consideration Short Stories and Descriptive .Articles, illustrated with photos, or suggestions from contributors. Bright, terse contnoutions are wanted dealing with Dominion life and questions. Unless stamps are sent, the Editor cannot guarantee the return of unsuit, able MSS.

Auckland's ' Jungle.” C7TUCKLAND has unearthed ‘The / I Jungle,” and the author of it is not Mr. Upton Sinclair, but the chief sanitary inspector (Mr. C. Haynes), whose report to the City Council on the state of the food supplies in the Northern City has been the talk of the week. Mr. Haynes mentions, amongst many things, having found a pork butcher’s shop "with tne floor, walls and benches covered with grease and filth nearly half an inch thick. Machines and tools were apparently never cleaned; bread was soaked in a dirty sink; dressed poultry was kept over a filthy drain; putrid meat was priced near the sausage machine, and probably used in same; corned beef was kept in an open barrel near a fowl pen in a filthy condition. An hotel was found with a kitchen receiving light and ventilation from street gratings, through which dust land filth spread over the food. In a restaurant the floors were so filthy that they had to be scraped, and fish, offal, and garbage were found on a table within a few ipehes of food ready for the dining-robin. The premises were overrun with rats, evidences of which were found in the food. In a diningroom seven dead rats were seen on the floor, and one in an open box of currants. All food was open and accessible to vermin. The kitchen and pantry and sanitary appliances were in filthy condition, being coated with grease and dirt. Tn a bakehouse the oven top was used to deposit rubbish, and contained large quantities of old boots, rags, bags, tins, bottles, decayed potatoes, egg shells and dust. Cupboards, where meat was cooled after cooking, were alive with vermin end rats. A defective .Train leaked llarough into the bakehouse. A full account. of these horrors will be in “News of f the Dominion.”

Public Apathy and Legislative Defects. The foregoing are but. a few of the extracts contained in Inspector Haynes* report—quite the most startling document that has ever appeared in print concerning local administration. The causes of the evils complained of arc twofold. One is the dirty habits of the people concerned, and the. other is the failure of the existing machinery to provide the corrective. Why the people dirty and irresponsible is due to a o f things. Public apathy—a C .complaint of climatic origin P' 0 " l •''y-understafling of employees in the premises referred to, lack of proper

conveniences to cope with and do away with the dirt and refuse, and, finally, insufficient inspection. The failure of existing legislative machinery is due largely to overlapping of Departments. We have the Police, the Health Department, the Labour Department, and, lastly, the Sanitary Inspector all concerned. It is a case of too many cooks. The administration of local affairs by Government Departments is an obsolete form of. government. The function of administration is the cardinal duty of a local authority itself. The people who govern best are those who govern themselves, and its is time now in New Zealand that the functions and powers of our municipalities were extended in conformity with those of British cities. A Government department’s activities should in most matters concerning the welfare of any single community be confined to supervision only. It is because we have this constant overlapping of Government Departments land over-riding of the municipal authority itself, that to an Important degree the whole efficiency of civic government by democratic representation is becoming endangered.

The Need for Greater Auckland.

There is also a still more important reason why Auckland continues to stagnate year by year in civic activities, and that is the confusion which exists in having something like twelve local bodies to administer her affairs. Confusion and misunderstanding are inevitable under such a condition, which is obsolete by many years now In contrast to what is going on in the modern cities of the world. The Auckland City Council, under the progressive regime inaugurated by the present Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr), will no doubt make a vigorous effort to have the disgraceful state of things revealed by Inspector Haynes’ report remedied. At best it can only be patchwork whilst the overlapping of departments continues, and local goveernment itself will always tend to lag along in unprogressive ruts so long as Greater Auckland remains a dream of far-seeing and experienced men, who well know it is the fundamental step upon which the whole future civic supremacy and achievement depends. Chinese Seamen. Mr. Houston, writing from the House of Commons to the London “Observer, defends the British seaman against the -attacks made upon him by a Glasgow firm of shipowners. He says: “It is a rule rigorously enforced by me that no foreigner shall be shipped on board any of the vessels of my fleet sailing from home ports, and the same rule is enforced as far as.it is practicable in all foreign ports. I greatly regret that more British shipowners have not adopted the same practice as myself in employing British seamen. The British seaman is not an angel or a ‘plaster saint,’ but with all his faults, and he naturally has some (insobriety being the worst), 1 much prefer my own •countrymen to foreigners, and more especially Asiatics. It is unfortunate that some shipowners, by reason of the Chiiriinnn being cheaper, prefer to employ Chinese sailors and firemen. T admit the temp tation to do so is great to those whose first consideration is cheapness, for the Chinaman, shipped in China, can be engaged for about one-third the wages paid

to the British seaman, and can be fed for about half the cost of the British seaman. True, the Chinaman —and small blame to him—takes the earliest opportunity of deserting from this ship in a British port, with the result that he finds his way into this country, evading the provisions of the Aliens Act, such as lit is, and immediately becomes a serious competitor with British seamen in this country, readily accepting employment as a sailor or fireman on board British vessels at about £ 1 per month less wages than the Britisher will a'ceept (but double the wage he originally shipped at in China), thereby displacing British labour. I readily admit the Chinaman is sober, frugal and hard working, and therefore a dangerous competitor with the Britisher, but it ought to be borne in mind that, in addition to the serious evil of increasing, by his cheaper competition, unemployment amongst British subjects, his presence on board British ships is an element of grave danger to this country, should it unfortunately be engaged in war with some other great naval Power; and this would be brought home iii a striking manner to the Government should the Admiral y have to draw upon the Mercantile Marine for men to fully man and replace the wastage on board His Majesty’s ships of war. It must also be admitted that, although the Chinaman possesses the virtues of sobriety and industry, lie also practices the vices of the East; and his presence in ever-growing numbers in Liverpool and other large seaports is, to my mind, a serious evil and a source of danger to the community.” This fully justifies the action of Sir Joseph Ward in seeking to protect British seamen against alien competition. Sobriety is the virtue of the East; but it is at best a negative virtue, and the Oriental more than di - counts it by a liberal .indulgence in vices far worse than an occasional spree. J* The Missionary Navy. The I i*'st Lord of the Admiralty, accompanied by Mrs. McKenna, unveiled in Ruskin Park, Cambridge, recently, a tablet which has been placed by the London Missionary Society on the wall of the shelter in memory of Captain James Wilson. More than a century ago Captain Wilson commanded the sailing ship Duff, on which the first party of missionaries sent to the South Seas sailed. Part of the shelter is constructed of the remaining portions of the house in which he lived between 1708 and 1814. In performing the ceremony, Mr. McKenna said that G-ptatn Wilson bad lieeii rightly called the founder of the missionary navy, and his story pointedly illustrated the ennobling and purifying

influence of the Christian religion upon a great character. 11 is career he described as that of a great naval hero, and remarked that those illustrious naval captains whose names lived in one’s memory and were frequently on the tongue, deserved only too well the praise which they reaped in their lifetime, ami which their descendants gladly r ‘ndered. No less worthy of praise were men like Captain Wilson, who worked lor other ideals and other motives, but who ha 1 shown the same characteristics, the same zeal, courage, devotion, ability, and self sacrifice as even the greatest of the traditional naval heroes. There were higher ideals than the ideals of politics, ideals higher even than the national ideals—those for which Captain Wilson devoted himself, ideals for which the London Missionary (Society was working at the present moment, the ideals of bringing home to those who otherwise would not know them tlie blessings which alone could come with a knowledge ami belief of the religion of Christ.

Public Libraries. Public libraries have ceased to be regarded as luxuries. They have become one of the necessities of life. Mr. Leys, in the course of an exceedingly interesting lecture on the subject, drew attention to the rapid growth of these institutions during the last half century. lie dwelt especially on the advance made in library work in the United States, where books are sup pliel to schools, and each school becomes a branch library without any extra cost for building or management. Mr. Loys quoted figures to show that libraries to be really useful should bp absolutely free. In Auckland, with a '.barge of 10/ .» year, there are only 900 borrowers; in Timaru, where there is no charge, there ar** 2000 borrowers. In proportion to popu lation, there should bo 20.000 borrowers in Auckland under the free Rys'em. 'I • a scholar or a student the referenc* library is the most useful; indeed access to a good library is indispensable to any one who really desires to study a sub ject. No one can buy every bonk of reference needed for the mastery of amgiven branch of knowledge. As r«»»r ds lending libraries, tbps * must of noeoss 4 • be largely confined to fid io 1. Nor is there any reason to regret this Fidioii is the most popular means nf interesting man through the imagination. Thos • who condemn novel reiding as waste of time have tailed to appreciate the art of the novelist. The work nf the imagine five writer is necossarv to the growth nf the finer qualities of the human mini Bv it wo learn sympathy nnd insight, and we gain a truer and better apprecia-

tion of our fallow men. No one who knous anything of English literature would underestimate the value uf the novel. e« <?* to Read. With many people the difficulty lies in knowing what to read. The huge mass of books in a library is simply bewildering. For this reason it would be well if some system could be devised whereby popular lectures could be given on periods' or aspects of English literature. Sumo people select a book at random, others are attracted by the little which often proves misleading. The mariner on opening Ruskin's “Time and Tide'’ would be almost as much disappointed as was the bookmaker who bought a lift* of Petrarch, and found it “was all about a bloomin’ |>oet.’’ An enthusiast can kindle enthusiasm. ami much could be done to elevate the taste of the reading public by lecturers who were masters of their subject. In large cities ’(here should be no great difficulty in providing such lectures, and where this system has been tried it has always been found that inleraht has been aroused in authors hitherto unread. Most of us have ‘to rely on reviews. which are frequently so divergent that they only confuse. But one great rule may be laid down. Read ■what really interests yon. find out your taste, and try and master all that appeals to this taste. So many people read a book because they feel they ought to read it. and they look on liboratu.re as dreary drudgery. Others read in a haphazard manner and never really find their proper mental food. No one can draw up lists of books for read ing; all that can be done is to help people to discover the books that meet their needs.

Children's Libraries. A taste for literature must be cultivated while young. For this reason it is important to have children's libraries, with a skilled attendant in charge. In childhood the mind is plastic and the imagination vivid. A taste for what is good, if formed in youth, lasts throughout lite. There are at present many excellent children's books. The best classics. ancient ami modern, have been retold to adapt them lo youthful intelligences. From tin' story of Troy’ and the wanderings of Idysses down to Tennyson's Idylls of the King, every masterpiece of literature has been brought within the reach of children. Yet in forming libraries, the claims of the young are seldom considered. If they are. the mental faro provided is only too often of the nambypamby order. People do not realise how’ capable the child mind is of appreciating what is good, nor how retentive is the memory in early years. We eram the mi ml with usele-s facts, ami we never give a thought, to cultivating the imagination, or fostering a love for the good, the beautiful and the true.

The Plastic Mind. I Tow impressionable children are tor good ami evil is shown by the results of some, of the pictures exhibited at cinematograph shows. The case of the young girl who. following the example set her by an evening's pleasure at a cinematograph thea’tie, gagged and bound herself after committing a mock burglary, is still fresh in the public memory. We neglect to provide good libraries for the young, and as a result they go to picture shows, where popular, rather than elevating fare is often ’provided. The proprietors <yf these shows fancy that good films don't suit the public taste. A beautiful film of Tennyson's “Maud" found only one purchaser, although the dresses, scenery, am! acting were alike perfect, and the whole tone of the film was high, and at the same time intensely dramatic. The men who buv the films have got the idea that the public wants excitement, ‘sensation, knives, pistols. melodrama. «<r vulgar comedy. You cannot censor ;i»so fib <*. *M anv arr intended to trnch a good moral. But we can raise public taste bv educating the young to a taste for higher things. No License at Masterton. A speaker a’t the monster meeting held at Manterton to celebrate the second anniversary of the carrying of no-license, claimed that of 90 tradespeople, who had been approached for an opinion concerning the effects of no-Hcenae, only eight

had declared against it. Six medical men gave written testimony that they had not observed drinking in homes to any extent, ami figures were adduced to show that bankruptcy under no-license had been less than formerly, while crime had almost entirely disappeared. These statements go to show that Masterton has found no-license a success from the point of view of material prosperity, and it will be interesting to know’ how far the experience of Masterton is borne out by that of other places where no-license exists. It seems that as far as decrease of crime is concerned Masterton is by no means alone. It seems to be admitted that in this respect, no license has done much to justify the claims advanced on its behalf.

& Nurses for the Backblocks. The Hospitals Conference devoted some time to the discussion of the hardships endured by women in the backblocks. Mr. Stewart read a paper on the need that existed for trained nurses. There was, he said, urgent need for the provision of better facilities for nursing in maternity cases, especially in the back country districts. He did not think the disaster of the declining birth rate would be averted by making grants of money, but much good could be done by ensuring that skilled attention at times of confinement could be more readily seiured. The time had come when hospital authorities should see that their districts were supplied with sufficient trained women. This could best be done by providing facilities for training and by offering more inducements to trained women to settle in country districts. The difficulty was particularly acute in the Bay of Islands district, where the old registered midwives were dropping out and their places were remaining unfilled, lie knew of many eases where settlers’ wives had had to be attended by untrained Maori women, simply because no skilled aid was available. lie moved: — The question is closely allied with that of land settlement. Many men hesitate to take up land in the backblocks. because of the hardships endured by women, and thus the country places do not advance. The matter deserve- the best attention of the Government, and every aid should be -given to those who have undertaken the' work of subduing the waste places, of our ’ laud.

Tercentenary of the Baronetage. A propt s of -the ba ronetage conferred on Sir Joseph Ward.’ it is interesting to note that this year marks the tercentenary of the Order. On May 22nd. 1611, the first twenty ’patents' were, issued by James 1. In the new Order James treated an hereditary cast', sort of apprentice peers, midway between the House'of Lords and the House' of (■’otnnioib. To add in time greater dignity, to the new Order. King .Tames' ordained- that the number of baronets should never exceed! 260. When any of the-e became extinct, none was to be created in it- place, so that, the number diminishing, greater honour would acriue to those remaining, for his part. James stood by his original plan: but his sur<-es-or was not so scrupulous, and exceeded that number, which was never afterwards adhered- to. Although the baronets hail their place assigned to them in the King's army, “mar and about the Royal Standard for its defence,*’ when it came to a question of their precedency, the other Orders cast jealous eyes upon them. Some of the Greater Barons viewed the new class with apprehension. The officers of the Navy presented a remonstrance against the privileges conferred, and their precedency was disputed by the younger sons of viscounts ami barons. Tin- latter point was referred to the King. who. in 1612, issued a decree placing the baronets after the younger sons. Of course, had Janies decided otherwise, it would have been a. partial admission of the baronets into the ranks of the nobility—an untenable position, however, disappointing to the former. But as a compromise the King also bound himself, his heirs ami successors, not at any time to give precedence to any persons beneath the degree of Lords of Parliament higher before or equal to the place of baronets.