PRESS OPINIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 106, 28 January 1908, Page 11

PRESS OPINIONS.

1 THE DEARTH OF LABOUR. The. Dunedin.clothing.manufacturers who hopes to induce the Government to take in hand 'tho importation of skilled factory labour will, be jiblo.' to support their arguments by sonio cogent facts." It' is doubtful whether in the .whole! history' of the Dominion there has eveft-beou such',-a remarkablo dearth of labour;.as'exists' at. present. The. industrial progress and, development of the country aro beirig hampered by sheer lack of men and ■ women willing to earn good wages. The general Vpr'oipority that ; . has so greatly increased th 6 buying power off tho public .during 'tho 'la^t 'few years is • partly responsible for this condition, for it has in many cases removed . the necessity for boys and young wonleri'to earn their living. No one can complain .of this cause for the lack of labour, to,far as the are concerned..[ But * condition. of things in .which great nianu- / faciUring ; ac|tivity and a great deficiency in / the nßrtbVf,'of .workers exists side by side is i bad for' employers, the workers who are employed, -and,jthe,; country.' : . The Gov; erhmbrit,'.;rightly, .'as. w _ o think, assists the immigration of domestic servants, though'not to;;£he;.fuir extent that they might, considering' insistent:' and/incessant demand for this:cWsk'of,labour ori'the..part of .housewives. They .might take, similar measures to're-'-situation' in'tho ; manufacturing industries. .S6mo care would have'to be' takenin .tho selection of tailoresses and boot factory; hands at Homo, for, in spite' of the pre- ■ to-bp- exhibited by young women in' Nfcw-. Zealand for ,'employment as typists .. end .'c]6rks,; 'factory'girls. out. here, are. greatly superior tb the? samp;class of labour in the Old. C^.iitry,' and' it' would be inadvisable. in : the Mtreme . to; lower the standard in ahy way." :.;Biit,-assuming that adequate precautions ..wei'cvtalteri' in- tbis'respect; .the Domiri- ' • ion .would, boiiolit '.greatly , by the introduction of./a. rdja'soriable''number 'of new. skilled worlwis. ■ .There/could be no fear .that their . arrival would diminish "wages,, for the latter ate'filed : by, Arbitration Court' awards. Each new arrival .would mean additional w6rk for ;tho*,ii ?who (ire here already, for he or she 'wbulcLrrieed \ clothes and * foodand boots, a house'-or lodgings to live in, and luxuries arid ; hmusenient}i. The immigrant workers wouklj'therefore, create as weir as supply a ; ddmAnd .for, 'labour, and should be welcomed On that, account as much by. the workers already here-as::by the employers who. so urgency Mquirq . their, services.—Chfistchurch ■ "Press." ::"' ; '■ . ■ If.'.our.j bplii-f. is correct.., that; ;tlio, present Bhortage .of ilabour t for the' factories is| the oonseqUehce .of the decline in tho birth rate, it; ife quite" evident that,.'even;,if the birth' ■rate 'were .to increase steadily .to the; level , of-'.'lßßo,it.,would •be . many, years. before, the colonial. population would be able to.'supply j the are required to. work the ,in- , dustrialv;nlachinpry, of , the. Dominion. , But tho .'birth-rate .is not increasingi On the i -otheyf- hand,;' the number..of.- factories -is in-. ', cr'easne.;, The^ 1 ,tendency,- : therefore, will ap- , P. ar ®ritl?. bo.. for .'the supply , of . labour rela-' iively tq diminish. And if so, the industrial development of :New-Zealand will inevitably bo arrested. The situation,; in oui; judgment, is;i one'that calls for tho careful consideration- of.<the: Government.. The. Minister for, Labour has indicated that, while,lie is taking pains to;collect information, on the subject, he, thinks there.is. no likelihood'of the Cabinetvundertaking any scheme of . unless- it bb to provide for -the requirements .°. ihose:who seek,;but cannot secure,'domestit .servants.', There can be no quest-on that the, scarcity- of domestic servants cor-stitutcs a social; problem of considerable importance, the .effects ;.of which may -.be. so- far-reaching aS ;,to -affept the national welfare, but it is now doubtful whether the scarcity of factory .not be associated ~with it as a problem,only to be .solved by the introduction of-workers from abroad.—"Otago Dailv Times." ■, . ■ LIONEL 1 TERRY. 'V" ' Ifc, isvnofc .surprising Dr. rTrubv ; Kmg ; : expressing; tho . opinion, that tho - best thing,,for -Lionol. Terry., and '-fur : everyone; concerned is "to let him-'have his owir way in the meantime"—that-is, to send him backto priso'n. \ Terry, we aro told, was indignant be.cause. ; whcir'recaptured after 'his previous escape, from- Seaclitf vhe was not sent to' gaol. ; Ho ; resents beirig in an institution ' T!r l v insanity on his part., 'declares • tHat.ho.-waiits justice, not comfort, and'that : ho,-would 'be happier in prison, and bcincreasingly, bitter at being detained at' SeAcliff.;-. Dr. Truby King's. suggestion . J'ould ,certainly be_ the easiest way oufc of the difficulty,-but it is not quite clear how it. can legally and with justice bo carried into . effect: i/' Terry was found guilty of what on the faco of-»it appeared to bo a cold-blooded ® vapourings against thd Government s : action regarding the admission of aliens into, NeW Zealand, and tho fact that lio choso the murder as'a' "protest the lavr to which he so strongly objcctg would havo dono nothing to. extenuate tho,deed but far the Fact' that to convinco tho jury that Terry was of unsound mind.' ' .Their verdict to this ?effcct saved ■.him from the gallows, but / necessarily involved hia committal to a 'mental hospital. ' ,X° l .% 0 ; t ! 10 . word of Ur. Triiby King for it that; ho is.' still "unquestionably insano and irresponsible," and since that is the. caso it is diliiault ( to find any excuse 1 - I 'or legal justi-fication-for'confining him in'gaol. Prisons arc for,tho punishment of,.responsible criminals.; those who'aro of unsound i mind aro quito properly, placed in mental hospitals, whoro. they can receive suitable treatmont.; It is .no crime to from such an institution, .and, therefore/it' wo'uld' scem that as. long as r tho law-remains" as it is, Terry jnust'ibotreated as the insano man that ho undoubtedly is, and the Dominion must J )U ' i , U A'".'T".fh tho cost'and trouble''of keeping him under restraint. ' Tho task is bv no means ah' easy 'orio;, still, it is possible, some 'other .mental hospital may bo found whoro it will ;bo easier to keep him under control than is tho caso at Seacliff, with its spacious grounds.—Christchurch "Press." THE TOURIST SEASON. attractions to British and American aro scenic and sporting." We can bfrcr scenic-attractions equal to anything in tho world, but as a goneral rule those who journey for scenery do not caro to wander far irbm.qeaten tracks. The sportsman is more careless of ; ways and roads, but tho well-tc-do sportsman is .as t'ond of comfort and convenienco, when ; it is obtainable, as anybody else. It isj therefore, extremoly desirable, from tho .tourist point of view that tho Dominion/should bo placed upon the highways of travel. ; We cannot move our islands, but wo • CA 'ii. rnoV r, highways—and should do so with as little loss of time as is humanly post> , "L Joseph Ward, in battling for tho All-Red . Route, is incidentally, v/orking on - this behalf. No business would more spcorlily respond to the encouraging influence of a fast mail route to London, via Vancouver, than would that of the Tourist Department. But there is another routo which ought to be oponcd up lii this especial connection. Japan 'I promises to bo for long, tho Mpcca of tho long-distanco tourist. Jt is 'Jysited annually by thousands of British and Americans, although it has the samo seasons. Direct- communication with Japan, that is to say, communication without transhipment, _ would give tho scenic tourist a new ami interesting road Home. . The Northern winter season could then be spent in visiting New Zealand via Sydney, after visiting Japan; tho return Ilomo being mado latef via Vancouver; or the routo could bo roversod. It would bo doubly attractive, and would Vcortninly be largely patronised, if oarricd on by adequate steamers.. With this end in view it may bo possiblo for tho Government to arrange for tho coming 011 to Now Zealand of tho British-flagged lino that now.- rims from Sydney to Japan. For woalthy tourists who aro travelling for pleasure and enjoyment will not submit to the discomforts of inferior accommodation, and to the inconveniences of constant transhipments. Wo must have convenient and comfortable liners and direct communication before, we can_ expect a large sharo of the world's tourists, and particularly before wo can eXpcct_ to divert hithorward the great stream which is now directed to \ Japan.— "N.Z. Herald."