The Week in Review.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 21, 20 November 1912, Page 1

The Week in Review.

Disorder at Waihi. g VENTS at Waihi have moved rapidly of late. The workers have relentlessly turned tire tables on the strikers, and the Fedcratifgiists have been the hunted instead of the hunters. Nor can this be wondered at. For weeks past- any person willing to work in the mine, and also his family, has been subjected to insults, taunts, and rough usage. For long the workers endured this treatment in silence, but as their numbers grew they began to feel their strength, and it cannot be surprising that they retaliated on their persecutors. When work was resumed at tire imine the workers had to be escorted to and from their homes; their houses and their families had to be guarded by the police, and it was not safe for them to be out at night. The women folk joined the strikers in insulting and even assaulting those employed. Irritated and molested beyond endurance, the workers last Monday broke from the leash, irrisistibly assailed their tormentors, fought furiously with bare knuckles, and scattered and chased them pell -melt through the streets and out into the surrounding country. That day and night the Arbil- - and their families were able for the first time in weeks. to freely use public streets without insult and interference. Worse happened on Tuesday. A few of the extreme Federation supporters jeered at the workers as they passed the Miners Union Hall, the windows of which had in the meantime been stoutly l>arricaded with timber and wire-netting. Before the incensed workers reached the building, two shots were fired from inside, and the door slammed. The police were in the thick of the sortie, hut failed to arrest, the mad rush of the Arbitrationists, who hurst the d oor and raced through the building in hot pursuit of the fleeing strikers. More shots were fired, and Constable Made and a worker' were injured. A Striker, Frederick George Evans, who it is alleged fired point blank at the constable, was struck down with a baton and then man-handled by the infuriated crowd. Me has since succumbed. The strikers were limited high and low (the workers taking a day off). and when captured were severely jmnislied. The police had difficulty in rescuing some of the refugees. Firearms and explosives were found in the- possession of the l ederationists, and at their houses. Taking complete charge, the workers gavt the extreme section of the strikers 48 hours' notice to quit the town, and there followed a general exodus. In addition possession was assumed of the Union ‘fall, the red flag was burned in tire public street, and the Union Jack unfurled. Federation Tactic*. M e must remember tliat the more offensive acts of aggression have been carried on by an extreme section of the federation, representing only two or three hundred of the original thousand who went out on strike. A large nuni‘el °f. Fedcrationists were opposed to the strike from the start, and it is not h all clear that the executive of the (■deration was In favour of the tactics ■wlopted by the more extreme nrniority. ut even after making these alloiv«nees, it cannot Im> denied that the Feden tton made a blunder of the first mags"PPort>‘ig the strike instead ,M|n ß *' ie lnen r<>sn,n o work. or it must be remembered that in this

strike there was no question of shorter hours or better pay. It was merely the right of the engine-drivers to form a union of their own that was in question. Nor can the authorities he altogether absolved from Qdame for the tardiness they showed in granting protection to ■those outside the Federation. During the Brisbane strike the Queensland Government took ample measures to safeguard the individual liberty of every person, while the men on strike were allowed to employ ail legitimate means for the attainment of their ends. Law and order can only be maintained by a display of overwhelming force, and a little more firmness at the start might have prevented much subsequent rioting. The events of the past few days ■have convinced everybody that the strike has failed utterly. The mineowners have declared emphatically that they will not enter into negotiations with the Federation, and the settlement concluded at Reefton lias further demonstrated the folly of strike methods. The one outstanding lesson of the recent strikes is the superiority of the judicial adjustment of disputes over any other methods that can be employed. Bad leadership has induced many workers to persist in a course which has ' led to much suffering and inevitable failure. It must now be patent to all that, the real good of tire worker is to be sought through arbitration, not through any methods that savour of anarch;,- or revolution. je Report of the Commission on Divorce. The report of the Divorce Law Commission has been issued, after considerable delay. It cannot ’be said that it is very satisfactory from any print of view. It recommends simplification of proceedings, and that divorce should be obtainable for desertion after three years, cruelty, incurable insanity after five years confinement; habitual drunkenness, and also after three years imprisonment under a commuted death sentence. It goes too far for those who regard the marriage tie as indissoluble, except for infidelity, and it does not touch some of the main causes of unhappy marriages. It is a compromise that as likely to please nobody. Bad temper is often worse than habitual •drunkenness. and habitual drunkenness is often idle result of the neglect of the home by tire wife. There is no relief for the husband whose wife nqglects lier home and her clrildren, who is wasteful and extravagant, and who nags and nags until life becomes unbearalde. One can quite understand the position of the minority on the conimission who recommend that no marriage should be dissolved except for infidelity. Put if a marriage may be dissolved for cruelty, the question arises as to what represents cruelty. It is quite easy for a person to make the life of another a little hell upon earth without actual -cruelty, as tile law would define it. Who, also, is to say when insanity is inciinibh-T It is logical to grant divorce when both |mrties find that they cannot live happily together. It is logical to maintain that the marriage tie is indissoluble. But the finding of the ooHHnission i« neither logical nor practical. It is a tame attempt to give partial relief, while neglecting many cases where relief is more urgently needed timn in the cases recommended by the oonunissiOß.

The Problem of Marriage. Even more important than the question of divorce is the fact that the marriage rate all over the world is steadily decreasing, and the marriage age has advanced considerably. During the last five years the population of Great Britain has increased by some two millions. aud .vet there are over 12,00<l fewer marriages a year than there were five years ago. It is among the wealthier classes that the marriage rate shows the greatest falling oft’. The man who used to marry at 25 now waits until he is 30 or more, while, according to the evidence of clergy and registrars, the woman of between 30 and 40 is ousting tire younger gill from the marriage market. Father Belo, who has been called the “ Gloomy Dean.” of Paris, thinks that men are becoming more wary. He is of tire opinion that girls think too much of dress and beauty, and too little of moral qualities. To use his own expressive phrase. “Game flies before the dress of the hunter, and the rat smells the trap under too dainty a morsel of lard.” A curious feature of present-day marriages is the success of the plain girl. A noted French scientist has stated tliat plain women, so long as they are not absolutely ugly, are becoming more and more popular amongst Frenchmen, while many business men in England note it as a curious fact that of those in their employ, it is seldom that the pretty ones leave to get married, while they are constantly losing the plainer ones. Men are becoming less romantie in their ideas, and when they do marry they prefer solid qualities to mere physical charms. Defence Prosecutions. Recent prosecutions in connection with breaches of the Defence regulations are hardly creditable to the officials responsible, and indicate that something sensible needs to be done to give proper rnstruetioiis in the method of procedure. A w<-ek or so ago a batch of young feljows brought before the magistrate for failing to rentier■ military service included some who had missed only one parade, and were not permitted to attend another parade in the same week, in lieu of it. The original intention was certainly to study the interests of employers and employed by making one or two parades per week optional, so long as the full time was devoted to service, but local officers evidently prefer to lay down hard and fast rules and harass those who come under tlieir control. A more glaring case of inexcusable prosecution occurred last week. 'I hree members of the Postal Department were summoned, despite the fact that they had attended parades regularly, and heads of departments liad previously informed the defence authorities that lads

could not be spared for the annual camp, owing to a shortage of officers. The prosecuting officer was clearly told by the magistrate that the lads were not de fendants, and the cases were not only dismissed, but costs were given against the Defence Department. This should serve as a lesson, and emphasise the need for a readjustment of the policy of giving undue attention to trivial matters. Negotiations for Peace. Although the cables are somewhat eon tradictory, it would appear that Turkey is appealing to the Powers for mediation. The official announcement states that Turkey's appeal to the Powers has 'been sent on to Bulgaria, by whom it was submitted to the Allies for consideration. Another account states that at Russia's instance Turkey is negotiating direct with Bulgaria. The main obstacle to immediate peace seems to be Bulgaria’s insistence on the temporary aud formal occupation of Constantinople, a humilia.tioH to which Turkey is unwilling to agree. The French Premier is of opinion tliat the whole matter can be settled hi a manner satisfactory to the Balkan nations and to the Powers. Meanwhile dreadful stories of 'Turkish excesses continue to come in. The Turks are reported to have looted and burnt several villages, forcing the inhabitants to take to the eaves and the mountains. It is also reported that women have been violated and murdered. Six thousand women in Epirus are said to be starving. The many outrages committed by the Tui'ks have alienated all sympathy from them, and the good wishes of the civilised world have been entirely with the Allies. .* d* Milk Without the Cow. Milking machines are doing away with the picturesque milkmaid, and now cowless milk —it the claims of a German scientist count for anything—threatens to make the cow itself good for nothing but beef. It is claimed for this synthetic milk that it will serve every purpose for which cows' milk is now considered indis pensable, and that in many directions it possesses important advantages over its animal rival. The first samples of this .synthetic milk will be subjected to searching tests in 1-ondon by the most expert analyst. So far, no ‘thorough analysis of the cowless milk is obtainable, and it is merely stated that it is made solely from cereal and vegetable substances, of which an inexhautible supply can be obtained. It is stated that this synthetic milk has every nourishing property of vows’ milk, but contains no trace of animal -matter. It is more readily digested than cows’ milk, as the fatty constituents are provided in a more assimilable form.

an*l it can b«* altered In maitufwture to suit the particular need* of babicx or delicate jmtmhis. It i* claimed alwo that the new milk in far purer than any cows’ milk as (supplied to the consumer, and that it has better keeping properties. It will la* possible to supply it in vessels sealed at the linn* the milk is manufactured, with a consequent maximum of eleaiiliness. It will he jK>*sible to manufacture synthetic milk at a cost which will compare favourably with that of cows’ milk. Its taste is very pleasant, and of course it has the one great advantage that there is no risk of it being contaminated with tuberculosis or other disease germs. Yet another advantage, claimed is that any milk left over in manufacture can be converted into ••hetec ami hut ter.. Wall Sti*eet Must Go ! A new campaign has been opened byMr. I‘. \\ . Lawson, the millionaire, who created a sensation eight years ago with a series of articles on “Frenzied Finance.’’ 11 is object is to aladish stock exchange gambling. The remedy which Mr. Law s<m outlines in a tornado of words is in two sections. “The first, *’ ho declares, “is the d-f*truction of the big evil—and the big evil is a gigantic, ‘sure-thing’ gambling <|e\ i-e by which the people are annual l\ robbed of between two ami three billions of dollars. This device is—and must he. to be effective—worked through tin Stock Exchange. Therefore. the purpos< oj our work is the closing up ot the Stock Exchange—its closing so far as gambling is concerned. When the Stock Exchange has been destroyed . . . the f«w. the possessors o| gig’anlii fortunes, will still collect through th£ instrumentality of stocks and bond?- a Idgal but undue return on their investment*. The second section of the remedy will correct ihi- by compelling a lair division with the people.” A Menace to Good Governmputt, Ex President Taft considers Socialism a ereed tor the lazy. IL* sums up the rasi as follows: -“One of the greatest incentives to industrial energy ami thrift is the desire of the bread-winner to provide for tin- future welfare of those he holds dear. Rob him of this by the prospect that his accumulation will revert to the State at his death ami you have robbed him pf what to most men is the chief inspiration to enterprise ami saving. Do that, and you have lobbed the world of one of the mainsprings of its progress. \<>r will you replace this motive power by assuring the. bread-winner t hat society will rare for lho<c he loves and leaves behind. Examined in the cold, clear light of common sense. Socialism will not bear the test. though viewed merely as' a philosophy it is not without its attractions. Indeed, it is these attra-lions Which constitute its danger. It holds out a promi-e it cannot fulliL It represents to tin* dreamer the vision of a society' in which all shall he equal, in which life will hr easy, ami industrial toil and strife will have been reduced to a minimum. Io tin* idle, the slothful, and imam bilious malcontent. Socialism at’ once affords an excuse for his own defects and holds out the promise of an economic revolution which will remedy the evils for which his own delinquencies are rhielly ropon-ible. To such as these. Socialism presents a. constant and almost insuperable temptation to persist in habits of idleness ami thriftlcs*no*s, interrupted onl\ by an energy devoted to the denunciation of society and the present social system. S<»eialism is a menace ti? eood government ber.iuse it. undermines patriotism and saps civic interest and enterprise. exaggerates the disronlenl of the discontented. and disfrom greater effort the human failure who is led by it to bdieve that Oiis misfortunes ate dm -olcly to an imju-t e.-onomi.- -yslrm which deprives him of opportunit \ ami robs him of a fair remniior.ition for hi* *»-r\ice.” Hendercd Idle by L gislatioii. E\idem r in regard .1 serious aspect of -I In* inl rod net .011 in Kiiglaml of the Instir.iiire At . wa* cli-ited al an inquest, nil Ihr bi»d\ of ,1 \oollrli weaver last month. lar widow srl dicrasmi had been out ol woib. r\ii since the Insurance Act was pa-'-rtl. beciu*r of his liability Io tits. I nti! the Xcf raiue into force he MH-, engaged on night work, but dirertJv the measure became law he loot bis job. “Many men have been

affected by the minimum wage legislation, the result of which is that those unable to earn the minimum wage have to give way to those who can,” said the coroner. “As the cost of production is increased,' and as insurance contributions, the -millimum wage, etc.,' place heavier burdens on the ' employers,' it follows that they refuse to' employ defective workmen, who, in consequence, became a burden on the whole community.” J* Leison of the War. Colonel Heard, in speaking at Christchurch on the defence of New Zealand, applied some of the lessons of the war to the question of the defence of the Dominion. He said that the defence of New Zealand was of vital importance to all. He sympathised, however, with the young men to a certain extent—they had to give up certain things, and, of course, they did not like doing so. Now, the civilian eould help the scheme considerably- by joining the honorary territorial movement, which was doing good work. Military training was no small thing it required discipline, and that was not a bad thing for young men. Discipline included self-control and self-sacrifice, and when the time came it spelt success. It gave soldiers confidence, amt that, was a. great thing in a military organisation. What had made the word objectionable to some people was the fact that there were penalties for those who refused to be disciplined, but that objection eould be applied to all laws, military and otherwise. The poor Turk was at one time a great lighting man, but lack of discipline had sapped his powers. He was also poorly trained, poorly led, ami poorly fed. On the other hand, the Bulgarians had been trained steadily, organising thoroughly, and the result was a great military success. The lesson for New Zealanders was plain. Should a force land here it would be perfectly disciplined ami well fed. Before such a force untrained troops would be wiped out. He did not wish to alarm anyone, but that was the position. War would cost Germany - £1,000,001) a day, and when she made war it would be sharp and sudden. d* Why There Are No Domestic Servants. One of the most persistent and amaz's ing .insincerities of the day is the periodic' wail of surprise at the scarcity of domestic' servants. At the present moment vve are told that hundreds'of domestic servants are needed in New Zealand,-and that 15/ and £1 per week, with board and lodging, are waiting for them. Yet I here are plenty of young women in New Zealand. But they belong to tlie other learned professions, and not to that of domestic service. It would take the united efforts of Providence and a strong policeman to get one of ‘these ladies into a kitehen for pax*. We have before us as we write about a column of small print from one of the New Zealand daily newspapers. The paper says that these young women prefer to work in factories, where they get no board and lodging. Then it goes on to describe how- surprised it is that it should be so, and that girls should prefer the factory to the good Christian homes offered to them. The article in question may have been written by a woman, in which .case she probably spoke the truth whim she said she was surprised. Women are like that. They are always surprised when they don’t get their own way. But if that article was written by a man, he lied most impudently. He was not at ■all surprised. I'here is no man on earth who is surprised because girls prefer to work in a factory or shop rather than in a "home;” that is to say. no man who has ever observed the average housewife at short range and with unobstructed vision. The difference between the factory and domestic service is not one of £ s. <l., or of board and lodging. It is the difference between being controlled by a man and by a woman. We may be unwilling to admit t hat we know tv hat that means, but. we do know all the same. Then? are oeeasions. rare oeeasions, when the truth ought to be told, and when a departure from one’s habitual mendacity is not. only permissible, but laudable. And there is not a mail among us who would not rather die than enter the domestic service of our wives, that is to say, to any greater extent than wo have already done. And in the eyes of the average young woman thorn is no lower depth of humiliation than’ to enter the

domestic service of one of her own sex. That is the chilly, glacial truth about the matter. The girl who works for a man in a factory knows that she will be required to deliver a definite and specific amount of work for a definite and specific amount of money, and that her relations to her employer are absolutely confined to the precise contract. There is no such knowledge in the ease of domestic service. The relationship between mistress and maid is elastic, and that is precisely’ where the trouble comes in. The woman lias yet to be born who can aecept the domestic services of another woman as a matter of definite barter, and without the haunting conviction that she is entitled to some control outside the terms of that barter. Therefore, there is no reason to t>e surprised because thousands of girls prefer the factory and the shop with all their drawbacks to domestic service and control, however benevolent, that never rests. Of all tile different kinds of control the benevolent and the well-meaning are Ihe most unbearable. When women are ready to buy’ the domestic service that they need in the same way that they’ buy cheese—according to the measure of the scales—they will get all that they need. Until then those thousands of y oung women in New Zealand will troop into tile factory and the shop'. J* To Cultivate Music. A deputation from the Auckland University College Council waited on the Prime Minister and urged the granting <>f a subsidy for the establishment of a niusie conservatorium in Auckland. It was pointed out that it was not intended to interfere with the ordinary music teaching, but to cultivate music, more in the artistic sense. The estimated expenditure was £2.<>l>o or £3.000 yearly for the first two or three years, after Which it was hoped tile institution would be self-supporting. .Mr Massey' replied that he would lay the matter before the Minister for Education, and made the encouraging announcement that lie hoped to see his way to place a. grant on tlie Estimates when tlie House next met.' «*» Preference.. v; : . - In replying to i deputation at Auckland last week, the Prime Minister made a statement with reference to the Government's policy regarding finance. Mr Massey said as far as the price of money was concerned tlie present Government had come to a decision as to what policy’ should be pursued in differentiation between loans for developuriHit and nondevelopment purposes. In tlie latter case the money- would only lie advanced at tlie rate it cost Hie Government, for it was only reasonable and fair that the taxpayers should not be burdened with any- such cost. In the case of loans intended fur development; purposed, however, a considerable reduction would; bo made. .Milch tlie same system would prevail as in the old days of the Government Loans to Local Bodies Act which was in operation before tlie .introduction of (lie State Guaranteed Advances Act. Loans for development work would have first call for attention. 3 d* The Home Rule Bill. The debate on tlie Home Rule Bill took an unexpected turn when the Government sustained defeat on an amendment by 228 votes to 20(5. The 'amendment, which was moved in Committee of Ways and Means by Sir F. G. Banbury, Unionist member for the City of London, proposed to limit tlie Imperial contribution to the Irish Parliament to £2,000,000 a year. Twelve Nationalists and thirty Labour members were absent at the time of the division. Tlie Cabinet, after deliberating on the position which arose as a result of the division, decided that the Government should continue in oflice. This decision led to aii extraonlinary scene. Mr. Asquith moved tlie rescission of the nmend'ueiit which had been carried against the Government; Sir Rufus Isaacs was refused a hearing, ami loud shouts of "Adjourn'’ drowned his voice every time he attempted to speak. Paper pellets were thrown .at the Premier uml the Attorney-General, and a enpy of the Standing Orders whs hurled at Mr. Churchill. Tlie S|>eaker was appealed to as to wlie;her Mr. Asquith was in order in 'moving 1 he rejection of the amendment, and he ruled that though tile motion was unprecedented,

yet it was in order. He would not say the House should never form $ new precedent. Bonai- Law moves.' the udjournment of the debate, but this was defeated by a majority of 100. Sir W. J. Bull was ordered out of the House for refusing to withdraw the word "Traitor,” which lie had applied to the Premier. The scene that followed is described as a regular pandeiuonium. Meuibers leapt to their feet and mounted the benches, cheering wildly and hurling insulting epithets at each other. Aflct several minutes of wild hooting anf jeering tlie House dispersed. Jt mat be said that tlie decision of the Cabin'? to ignore the decision of the House < the matter of tlie amendment is vvhol'y] without precedent, but it eannot be pr.s tended that the division on Sir F. (.'. Banbury’s motion in any way represented tlie real views of the mujoritv “t the members. The Wellington Competitions. The Wellington Competitions, in connection with the New Zealand Competitions. Society, have attracted a lame amount of interest. Tlie programme is a varied one, and provides for recitations for Boy Scouts, piano and vocal competitions for all ages. Shakespearean an,l other recitals, as well as other items. It is computed that over a thousand {reople were attracted to tlie capital from outside the eity. in connection with these competitions, it is interesting to note that many - people who have sub" sequently achieved world wide fame have just made their mark by winning prizes in similar contests. The late Mr \\ . T. Stead wrote his first article for a guinea prize in a literary competition. We have already referred to Mascagni and his success in a similar maimer with l.availera Uustieant.” 'Mrs Henry Wood wrote “Danesbitry House” for a prize offered by a Band of Hope organisation. Zangwill wrote his first story for a prize of one guinea, offered by a weekly paper. 'Mrs Bailie Saunders wrote Saints in Society ” for a prize offered by' Mr Fisher Unwin, tlie publisher. Annie S, Swan wrote her first stories in connection with competitions in the vveekly papers, and tlie present Archbishop of York won a silver medal for an essay promoted by tlie Sunday School Union. It is hoped that Some of the winners in our New Zealand competitions will achieve a like success in the future. J* Assassination of the Spanish e Premier, •• Senor Uanelejas,’ the late Premier of S'pain, was shot dead as he was walking alone to a meeting of the Cabinet. His assassin tried to commit suicide, but failed, and was subsequently - arrested by the police. It is 'believed that ho was incited to commit tlie crime by tlie fiery ■speeches made at tlie annual demonstration ou tin? anniversary c; tlie death of T’ranciseo Ferrer. The late Premier eould not, however, leave been held in any way responsible for Ferrer’s execution, seeing that he was not in ofiiee at the. time, but " Ferrer-day,” as it is called, has now become the chief anarchist festival in Spain, and fiery, speeches are delivered against all in auth’orityi Uanalejas, indeed, was by no means a supporter of clerical domination in Spain. Two years ago he caine into contliet with tlie Vatican, whose power in Spain was curtailed as tlie result of hi<s. legislation. At the same, time, lie was a marked opponent of the. Socialists, and argued so fiercely againss them as to excite their animosity. H‘ } stood for progress and reform. He was an aristocrat born and bred, a great orator, and a man of splendid physique. Though he had many bitter opponents, he had a great hold ou the affections ot his countrymen, and bis death will eau-e vv id es pread reg re t.