THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1872.

Auckland Star, Volume III, Issue 642, 1 February 1872, Page 2

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1872.

We have much pleasure in publishing in another column the temperate and sensible, but at the same time outspoken letter of" Looker On"—and all the more so from its questioning the propriety of our own action. Our correspondent says we lay one ghost to raise another, but the memory of the Sheffield rattenings must have produced a morbid feeling in his mind, or he could not fancy the possibility of such a dark cloud hanging over industry under the sunny skies of New Zealand. "We hold that one ghost is just as much out of place as the other in this colony, and we should just as soon expect to see our boarding school misses running about the streets, with dishevelled hair, flinging oil cans into Canada Buildings, as we should expect to see labor blowing up the houses of brother labor, because it will not stand by the rebel standard in the war against capital. Life is too buoyant, and social feeling too genial in the colonies, for such dark and murderous scheming ; and with all deference to the views of a " Looker On" we decline to be frightened by his ghost, more than by the " Bogey" of the International Society. We have taken the side of the men on strike, because we believe it to be the side of mercy: because the men have temperately enough asked .for a boon which we think the Gk>vernment and the contractors ought to yield; and we have done so with as little expectation of the agitation leading to violence, as we expect the members of the " Early Closing Association," whose cause we have warmly defended, to turn out armed with cloth yards and scissors, and bombard G-overnineat House with cottoD reels.

There are no " dangerous classes" in the Australasian colonies, nor can such excressences appear so long aa the colonial tree is growing healthily ; and it will only be when our institutions shall have reached that period of maturity taat tends to rottenness, that we may look tor any accumulation of these parasitical growths. To our correspondent, a " Looker On," we would say, don't be frightened; nobody will hurt you. If the eight hours' movement leads to occasional bluster, it is very harmless ; and when the agitation begins to develope Bradlaughs, Odgers, and other exotics, let him tell us, and he will find the staff of the Evening Stab among the first to wield the baton of the special constable, and to rally round the cause of law and order. Our action last year with reference to the " unemployed," when they sought to gain their object by blustering about " striking terror into the city from end to end," is quite sufficient to show how far our sympathy would extend to "rattening," and how far we are disposed to pander to the passions of the mob. At present there is no bluster. The men on strike have made a temperate and a justifiable stand in the cause of early closing ; and we reiterate our hope that the boon which is a fair and reasonable one, will shortly be conceded. As to the questions iput by our correspondent, we refer him to the men on strike. Wo are not their organ, nor do we profess to be in their counsels. We would ©fiiy say that if they commenggi^o work nine hours, anil, altered ineir minds they had a pe£fe c t right to do so, quite as much as a gentleman; and as to1 their going back to the work on which they had been employed before the commencement of the railway works, or remaining on strke, that is a matter entirely for themselves to decide, according to that right of free will which is claimed by every colonist. Our correspondent looks at the question .from an employer's point of view, and evidently feels that the employer has a right to give as much or as little of his money as he pleases, but he totally ignores the right of the working man to deal in a similar way with his capital—his labour. Fair play and a generous concession of other people's equities characterise colonialism; and it is only those few who persist in looking at things from their own point of view, and in consequence insist on their own particular rights, that develop class antagonisms ; and by a retributive providence are punished by their always .seeing "Ghosts."

We have to apologise to many subscribers for their not being yesterday supplied with the Stab. We published 3,000 copies, but the runners, despite" our instructions, appear to have proceeeded on the principle of " first come, first served," and, having disposed of their papers, did not in many cases proceed to the limits of their runs. We regret this, but think we have made provision by which the recurrence of ..this annoyance ■will c prevented. We are obliged to still hold over a greal accumulation of correspondence and a quantity of general intelligence, in order to give aa fully as possible the sensational romance at present being related in the Police Court. We understand that the navies have gone to work on the Waikato .Railway works on contract.

We are not accustomed to draw attention to the leading articles of our contemporaries; but there is a leading article in to-day's Herald respecting the recent conduct of Judge Fenton towards the Volunteers, to which we oordially direct attention. We have not the least idea by whom it has been written, but there ia a genuine ring in itj and it gives a deserved and thorough castiga* tioa to as impertinent a piece of puppyism as has evec been perpetrated in the district.

During the investigation of the charges against Cyrus Haley intense annoyance has been caused by the noise made by passing vehicles. At frequent intervals all progress is suspended and a feeling of irritation produced in all. It ia really a pity that a pound or two could not be sat apart from the vast accumulation of " fees and fines" to pay for laying down a few loads of bark, for the heavily laden carts passing along the street create an intolerable nuisance and the business of the Court is frequently suspended on account of the impossibility of hearing anything within the walls. We trust his Worship the Resident Magistrate, who, as well as everyone else that has business in the Court, suffers intensely from this nuisance, will cause the matter to be reuresented in the right quarter in order that something may be done to remedy it. We cannot conclude this paragraph without cordially thanking Captain Beckham for his kind permission to use the Magistrate's room as a means of ingress and egre9B to and from the reporter's box in sensational times, when it is difficult to push through the crowd surrounding the public door.

A poor woman dropped a letter enclosing photographs a day or two ago in Queen street This was picked up by Mr. Cole, the basket maker, who will be glad to return it to her if she will call.

To-morrow evening Mr. Hoskins will take a benefit at the Prince of Wales Theatre prior to his departure for Wellington. During this gentleman's lengthy stay in Auckland he ha» never failed to please his audiences. His talents are of a high order, and wherever he goes Mr. Hoskins will never fail to give great satisfaction. An excellent programme, consisting of " She Stoops to Conquer" and "A Handsome Husband," will be presented, and it is hoped a good house will lesult.

Captain Kirkpatrick, of the steamer Waipa trading at the Waikato, denies that there w a any dilatoriness on the part of himself and crew in attempting to rescue the drowning man at Cambridge a fortnight since. He attributes the delay to the strength of the current and the eddies in that part of the river, which prevented the boat reaching the man in time to save him. The halfsyearly meeting of tho Middle Star Gold Mining Company was held yester* day afternoon. The reports and balance sheet, shewing a balance of £458, were adopted, and the retiring directors re-elected. The affairs of the company appear satisfactory. The Shar6broker's Act came into operation to-day. We understand that at present not many licenses have been applied for. The half-yearly meeting of the Auckland Whaling Company was held yesterday afternoon, in accordance with the Act. No business was brought before the meeting, but future prospects were discussed. A letter from Captain Thomas, late of the Albion, was read, stating that it would cost £5000 to buy a whaling vessel in Now Bedford, U.S., and fit her out for a four years' cruise. The Central Board of Education held an adjourned meeting yesterday. Several applications for aid to schools were disposed of. A letter from Mr. O'Sullivan wag read, stating that ho had elected to hold the office of laspector of Schools. Tho Board again adjourned until to-morrow, Io consider tho question of appointment of a socretftT-y, The transfer books of fche,A.ll'sTations Gold Mining Company arc Closed until Monday next, when i* dividend of Bs. per share will be payable. Honry Wrigg, Esq., C.E., is a candidate to represent tho Waikato district in the General Assembly. An amusing sight was witnessed this morn* ing off Wynyard Pier. A boy was frollicking in the water mounted on a goat—the most classic position being, the goat swimming about with the boy perched on his back a la Mazeppa. Wo hear that Mr. W. Mitohell, parlia» mentary reporter, is about to resume his even* ing classes for the study of phonetic shorthand. This is an accomplishment which ought really to be made a branch of learning in every school. Within the limits of a paragraph it is impossible to descant with effect on the peculiar advantages of the system. Suffice it to say that many a brilliant but evanescent thought has been loat to the world by the impossibility of doing justice to it in the old fashioned character*' requiring time for their committal to paper which, although it might have been available in thfl days of Cadmus, can be ill spared in these days of steam and electricity. Every one should learn the art brought to such a state of perfection by Pitman; and for in- ' Btruction, they could not go to a better qualified instructor than Mr, Mitchell. '