CANTERBURY CATHOLIC LITERARY SOCIETY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 27, 24 October 1884, Page 19

CANTERBURY CATHOLIC LITERARY SOCIETY.

The evening of Monday, 6:h inst., was devoted to songs, readings recitations, and filled in between in various ways according to tb c individual inclinations of the members. Some, and, in fact, a goodly number, make the royal game of chess a favourite amusement, while others indulged in conversation in its various and varying moods from gay to grave and back again, taking in the latest bills before the House of Representatives, the English Franchise Bill, the French War with China, and the Parisian fashions. In this way a very pleasant and enjoyable evening wps spent. Song j were sung by Messrs. Leahy, Jlennes3y, Loughoan ; readings by Messrs. Kennedy, Milner, and Scanlan ; and recitations by Messrs. McGill and Geoghegan. " Extemporaneous Debates " appeared on the notice board for Monday evening, the 13th inst. This revived a practice abandoned for some time past, and provided a splendid night's neutral activity and enjoyment. Several members suggested subjects as various as could well be imagined. The first one drawn, with Mr. McGill's name drawn at the same time, was—" Why are there so many unemployed in Christchurch ; and what remedy wonld you suggest to ght over tee difficulty." Mr. McGill fully recognised the fact that a large number were out of work, but failed to tell why, nor yet to suggest a means of tiding the difficulty, unless it was owing to the system of Immigration which overstocked the labour market.

Mr. Kennedy commended the brevity of the previous speaker, but differed from him inasmuch, as want of capital, and not surplus labour, was the cause of the depression generally and the large number of unemployed particularly. The influx of capitalists alone could permanently relieve us from our present condition. Mr. Leahy disagreed with both the last theories. It was absurd tostate, in a country larger than the United Kingdom, and with only half-a-million of people, that we were overstocked with labour— the very material of a country's greatness. It was equally erroneous to contend that our great want was money, while our credit was so sound in the money market. New Zealand was not exceptional in the matter of unemployed. Telegrams and newspapers showed that in the railways, and in the manufacturing districts of England thousands were out of employment. Canada had many of her foundries closed, and so on. From these facts it was clear that tho cause was not a local but a general one, operating at all times and in all places in the same manner. It was the principle which gave some men, the right or power to prevent their fellow men from labouring so as to produce food and the necessaries of life that was at fault. He knew that this theory was looked upon as being absurd and chimerical, but to him it was the only complete and satisfactory solution to what was one of the gravest problems of to-day, and, in fact of all time . Rev. F. Bowers could not see what those men had done who purchased land from Government or the Natives in the early days. He had never beard the rights of property so much assailed anywhere as in this Colony. The owners of land were called landgrabbers, monopolists, land-sharks, and such opprobrious epithets, yet their only crime seems to be, in this respect, that they had. lawfully secuied the land, and were, he naturally supposed, more energetic and fortunate than those that are without land. Neither could he trace any connection betweenjprivate ownership of land and the unemployed. He thought the fact of so many being out of work was the outcome of the depr ssion which the community as a whole was undergoing just now, and could not be remedied by any extravagant and impracticable theories.

Mr. O'Connor said that, however those owners of large tracts of land came by them, there was no doubt they were stumbling blocks to the progress of a country, because the exhorbitant price they fix on their land makes it utterly impossible ftf >t a small capitalist to purchase the land, with a prospect of making it pay. In this way, perhaps, the labour market was indirectly affected, as there was no labour to any extent engaged on these large stations. He admitted the poor we always have amongst us, but in a young, vigorous country the number out of employment was out of all proportion to the population. The prosperity of the past was in a large measure owing to the circulation of borrowed money, in. constructing railways and other public works, but this could not always last, yet he believed that at present another loan was necessary to give a fresh impetus to public and commercial enterprise. He believed, too, that the construction of the West Coast Railway would be of great value to Canterbury, while giving employment to a large number of men. The next question was, " Give the meaning of the Chiltern Hundreds." This Mr. Kennedy did satisfactorily.

mmsm fIttHHHB Wom^n's^hts'lS SttW 1 t0 thefle newr fads ' Bnch M got orvery well wttJo^fh Nf *K™toation, and thought the wld a^^^^^o reason why ■Hiiil ESS. n^^i kl^ + r? ÜBlßtllnce °* "* onght not to^ tond a land ew{«2i 7r • ownthatn >any eminent statesmen of BngS ahSf! « ?-h % lenU will force the OWQ ers into positions ofalfowteff" ESJS Btl ? a , m^ th .atcity, in order to test the question memtere HeknLn £? tbe ? feats in the House of Commons as Sfrfendof Mr Rr^i Dg X. Of Ta y lor - onl^ that sbe ™» * debate qaeßti ° n ° f C°loQ!alC ° IoQ!aI Federat^ appears for next night's