NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 542, 24 June 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Oub checrful little contemporary The Spike has' allowing itself indulgence in. that time-honoured delight of tho average person, namely, the demblifion- °f .the' tribo.,of journalists,: In a . lament upon tho absence' of -"a . literary ; school amongst'ub," it observes that "it 18 in the power of our newspapers to do much_ to encourage literary talent. They certainly, do 'not do so at present,!' it adds, and the scolding, proceeds: ; .A .man of' literary, ability who joins :,.tne staff of a newspaper can find little ' congenial work under the present conditions of newspaper management. And a . degrco. of.-journalism which was sug- .' . gested a snort while back, was scoffed at by the papers. . One paper went so ...far assert that a University: train- ... ing was a handicap to a-man entering ■■ ; the profession of journalism. Certainly r the ■ liveragd. New Zealand newspaper ■ does nothing to educate the public taste, s ' The papers do. not -welcome to their ''■■columns work of literary ability ; even . their criticisms, which should give some'. , sodpo for • talent, aro governed by the' advertising columns. The whole standard ; | of writing in the papers is hot a high ■ one, and to raise that standard' would bo to dovelop tho literary tasto of all those who peruse tho papers. [ And again: - •■/ . . / Our newspapers at prosout seem hope-' , less. And they roach a vast 'public which is beyond the influenco of our „ seoondary schools and Universities. Let ' ■ 'the Newspapers seo that their writings ■' ar J' .something _ more , than a fleeting oriticism or recital of tho events of-the r '.day. ;We pannot complain of them as newspapers pure and simple; but: is. it a true 'reflection of tho spirit of the ago that they should remain at their pre- : sent low standard ? We venture to think ' not ; wo venture to assert that tho pa-poi-s would- be held in far greater ostoem if they were to publish daily articles of . literary . value or short Etorics of roal ' merit-not mere "pot-boilors." . The ■ criticisms—dramatic, musical, and literary—of the newspapers would, if thoy - v ''ere written by rrally qualified men, command respect. Nowadays, however, it would seem that, provided that a man •: can write at all intelligibly, it matters not what education he lias received, hois fit to.'.beoome a journalist. . ' We are glad to find the boys are .think-' ing, even if they are thinking cruelly. They will perhaps take our word for it that if "a man of literary ability" finds journalism uncongenial, it is beeauso ho is only "a man of literary ability," and nothing,else, lie has no greater right to complain, in. cuch a case, than'a move plumber or a mere astronomer. But a jounifllut "c( literary ability" is a horse of another wlour, We can assure tho

boys that fitness for journalism requires m oro tban ability to "writo at all intelligibly." The butcher can do that when ho demands the .payment of his account. The fact is, of course, that pur young friends' ideas of "literary ability" is ability to write such an essay on the character of Hamlet as will please, the professor. Welh-the public does not want to hear about Hamlet. When Dr. Johnson said that " 'The Rehearsal'; has not wit enough to keep it sweet," ho was talking journalese. When, ho added, in emendation: ."it has not vitality enough to presorvo it from putrefaction," "he was displaying literary ability. If The bpi/cc knows of any young men who have a style, and can bring it to the writing 01 an article that the. public will appreciate, it would bo doing the newspapers a .favour by furnishing particulars.

There is a hint for others than .butterproducers m tho little homily which Me. Mackie, the London agent of tho National Dairy Association, delivered yes terday. upon tho use of Maori names by tho dairy companies. The burden of Mr: Mackie s .argument amounts to a' state-' niont .that Shakespeare has done a good deal of damage to the dairy business by his encouragement of the idea that i is nothing in a name. Mr. Mackie has ' never hoard anybody attempt to describe a brand of butter or cheese with a Maori name who did not. seem to bolt the word with a. sort of apology, and mumble it in-a desperate endeavour to cover his inability to pronounce 'it/', A London grocer finds, say, that "Wbangamoraona" is good stuff. But ho cannot remember the name, and "Whangamomona" does nob benefit; in the most literal sense it cannot "make a name' for itself." And a&ain, the London grocer may find that Waimakariri" is the label on a badlot of butter.. Thenceforth he looks coldly, ?mn. only on "Waimakanri," - but on .Whangamomona," and every' other Maori polysyllable.. \ Wherefore Mr. Maokib our ( butter-producers: this sound bit of philosophy: "Affection, and' love for all things Maori is all very well 1Q 3 - proper place, but sentiment docs not sell cheese.lt says much for this country b butter that it-can make its way against tho London grocer's incapacity to take a, Maori polysyllable to his bosom. The point seems, a small one, but in tho oxtromo refinement of modern competition, it .is: tho little things which make all the difference, like tho half-inch at the top of the barometor.

There are somo points of special interest in a memorandum attached by: the .Artafcration- Court to - tho award • which it delivered in Christchurch on Monday ni settlement of the boot trado dispute. Iho, Union based its. domand' for higher wages oh. the fact; that the, manufacturers wero protected, by a higher duty than .ruled, in, 1905, and\it citod.an award by the New South, Wales Arbitration Court in. which an increase; in wages in; itho - engineering trade was ordered -on -the ground_that tho employers recoived : 4 -per ccnt. of a 7J per cent, increase in tho ,duties connected 'with the industry. The Court, however, pointed out that : while tho increased duty, loading to a decrease in.the importation of boots, made it reasonable to concludc that the trado was' 111 a, better condition, there was nothing to. show_ what portion of tho benefits arising from the increased duty was, received by. the employers. The Court also pointed, out that .

Tho duty docs not go into tho! pockets of too employers, and tno employers • derive only an indirect benefit from an increased duty That benefit may.' l>o large or email acoording to circumstances. i.

What the Court means—and what iwe wish the unions would that the main benefits of' the- increased duty, on boots arc in tho enlargement of tho local manufacturer's market. The duty is not a sum; placed'in'his pocket." . 'it is something designed to enable him to sell moro boots at the old price. :If he I .raises his price; he still has the samo outside competition. Clearly, then, the Workers should,see that their gain is in the increase; of employment; That being so,' it will hardly Eo believed—tho Court found it , qui to incomprehensible"—that the Union,, which complained that the men were not earning enough, desired that w? kours of ilabour should be rcduced.. What the men wanted , was more moricy : for less work, and- they.quoted, l the 1 increased duty as the justification of their demand. Thoy failed utterly to sco that the increased duty in this case would not benefit the manufacturer unless it led to a, greater demand for his boots, and therefore,,to more.bootmaking. And how could he reap. this, benefit if .the hours of labour wero to bo reduced ?■,'