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Evening Star, Issue 3520, 4 June 1874, Page 2

Aw amusing and well-written article on the settlement of the Waterworks difficulty appeared yesterday morning in the columns of one of our contemporaries. There is, however, running through the article, a line of argument which is, in our opinion, calculated to mislead. The writer evidently tries to make it appsar that, on the whole, the public has no great reason to be satisfied with the result that has been brought about. He insinuates that this is the first step in the wrong direction ; that in future there will be a tendency to take all institutions that minister to the public convenience out of the hands of private persons, and place them under the direct control of the Corporation. Though he does not exactly say so, he plainly wishes it to be inferred that any act of the public which may tend to produce such a result is, on this ground alone, co be condemned. It appears to us, however, that every question of this kind ought to be decided on its own merits alone, la cases of this sort, if in any, Jeremy Bbntham’s wellknown canon, “The greatest good to the greatest number,” would seem to bp a safe guide. The very fact that there is such an institution as the State, implies that it has to do something—that it has certain duties to perform. This being granted, the ques tion arises, what are its duties ? Is it to confine itself to preventing men from cutting one another’s throats and picking one another’s pockets -to securing to every individual the greatest amount of personal liberty that is consistent with the safety of oth rs ; or should it not rather be looked upon as an organization brought into existence by the public for performing all those services for the people which are likely to he productive of greater good to a larger number of people, when they are rendered by such an organisation, than they would be if they were left to be carried out by private individuals? We certainly incline to the latter opinion, and though we do not state it as a proof that tnis is the true principle, we may say in passing that it is the principle acted upon by the Colony of New Zealand. In support of this view, we! need only point to our Public Works scheme, our Life assurance system, apd the education policy of the various Provinces, The fact is that we have no right to limit the ; duty of the State by placiug an arbitrary line of demarcation anywhere. Why should the State do no more than protect the lives and liberties of the people ? If it can do other things equally as well $3 it can that, why should it not do them ? Again, it may be quite fairly asked, why should the State do as much as this ? Why should there be any State ? People could protect their own lives and liberties after a fashion, or they might do it still better by means of united private enterprise. A company might afford a town a very fair protection; might supply policemen, watch-houses, evenif there were no such thing as a state. Why then should this business of protecting life and property be handed over to the ' tate ? Because the State —the entire people, can do the protecting business far better than it could be done if it were left to private enterprise. It will he found a far safer plan, we believe, to examine every proposition fpr handing over any important business to the state entirely on its own merits, to see whether it is on the whole, expedient (to determine whether the work will be done better, with more safety to the public, or more cheaply, by the State than by private individuals), than to place confidence in the as yet, to say the least, in. completely established theories of any philosopher, however eminent he may bo. Our readers will see that we have been dealing only with the general question, “Ought the State to interfere with private enterprise ?” They will see, too, that our answer is that it may lawfully do so when more people will be benefited by the business when carried on by the State than would be without its interference, and that this is to be decided for each particular case, without reference to the unproved theories of philosophers. We rnay say that we believe that the water supply of 3, town is a matter that is more .likely to be attended to by the Corporation than it cojjid be by any private company, and that the citizens pf Dunedin have every reason to congratulate themselves on the final settlement of the Waterworks difficulty, even though it be granted that the shareholders have been certainly no losers by the bargain.

i J her ? :T 6 to 120 Good Templar lodges in the Colony, The performance at the Princess 5 last evenin S> 111 al d of the Benevolent Asylum, was not very numerously attended. For to-night a prize distribution is announced. The telegraph department’s returns for the March quarter show an increase over the corresponding quarter of 1873-in messages, of L 61,359, andin revenue, L 2.197. 45 The omission of a negative from a paragraph in our last night’s issue referring to a report by a select committee of the Provincial Council completely transformed the committee’s repoit which was to the effect that they did not consider Gottlieb Beissel’s special industry of such wide-spread importance as to justify the Provmce granting it a bonus.

Messrs Steele and Keogh’s dramatic company were passengers by the Ladybird this afternoon. We are sure all lovers of the drama will welcome such decided favorites as Mrs Walter Hill, Messrs Steele, Keogh, and Douglas. The company open at the Princess on Monday evening. The ‘New Zealand Herald,’ of May 25, publishes a long account, fur. ished by its special reporter, of some fires, suspected to be the work of incendiaries, in the the Otahuhu district. In .the first instance a large hay store was burnt down, and in the second a haudsome range of new stables, with a loft over them containing feed. The exact locality of the two others, and the damage done, were not known. All the single pick and shovel men now in the Immigration Barracks are to be forwarded to Riverton. None of the single men were engaged to-day. Applications were made for at least a dozen unmarried ploughmen, but none are to be had, while the runholders refuse to take married couples, on the grounds that they have no accommodation for them on their runs. The whole of the single girls were engaged yesterday at the following rates :—General servants : five at L 35 per year, three at L3O, and six at 10s per week; six nursegirls and to assist in the house-work found employment, one getting 5s per week, one at 7s, three at Bs, and one at 9s; one single man—a ploughman— got L 55 per year ; one married couple got 20s per week. The highest figure yet obtained for a married couple from the barracks was LBO a-year, while at Oamaru, as was stated in last night’s issue, from LIOO to LUO was given. A charge, under the Licensing Act, of selling liquor on a Sunday, was heard on May 23, at the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Auckland. The principal witness was a little girl of eleven years of age, who made one statement to the police and another before the Court. The Magistrate, in dismissing the case, said : “ The Act should be so amended as to utterly prohibit publicans from selling on Sunday; or alter the law so as to permit them to sell on Sunday. As the law stands at present, it is most conducive to perjury. I say unhesitatingly that it is far better to alter the law so that the publican can sell on Sunday, than to leave the law as it is ; for now we have two sets of crime—first, selling on Sunday; and, secondly, perjury. There is not a doubt about it, that there is selling on Sunday, and when the police get a ease, it *s generally met by the abomination of perjury.” In the Provincial Council, to-morrow, Mr Haggifct will move ‘‘That in the opinion of this Council, the licensing laws at present in force in this Province should be amended in the following particulars : - (1.) That provision should be made for the transfer of publicans’ licenses between the times of the sittings of the Licensing Courts. (2.) That provision should be made for opening public houses on Sundays between the hours of 1 to 3 in the afternoon, and 8 to 10 in the evening, but that the bar doors should be kept closed on those days. (3.) That a license having been once granted, personal applications for the renewal of such license should not be necessary or required, unless notice of objection to the renewal there if has beep served on the Clerk of the Court, and ■ also on the licensee, a reasonable time before the sitting of the Licensing Court; and if no objection to the renewal bf a license be so served the license shall be renewed as a matter of course. (4.) That the system of' bottle licenses be discontinued, and that the minimum .quantity of liquor of any description which may be sold under a wholesale license be reduced to one gallon.” Tikis afternoon, the Provincial Solicitor gave notice when Mr Haggitt’s resolutions are brought on, he will move as an amendment—“ That in the opinion of this Council, the licensing laws at present in force in the Province should be '.upended in the following particulars, viz (I.) That provision should be made for the transfer of publicans’ and bottle licenses between the times of the Licensing Court. (2.) That in order to. prevent the undue creation of vested interests in the liquor traffic, uo new publicans’ license should ( be granted in any district until a memorial signed by a majority of the adult residents in the district Ije presented to the Licensing Court, the genuiness of jtfye signatures to the memorial being verified, as provided iqv by section 23 of I The Licensing Act, 1873.” ' The circumstances which led to the resignation yesterday by Mr Gillies of his office as Speaker were theseln the course of the discussion on the Financial Statement, just delivered, Mr Pish began to review generally the financial proposals of the Government, when the Provincial Secretary objected, and obtained the Chairman of Committee’s ruling that the item then before the Committee was “ Superintendent, LI, and it only could he discussed. Recriminationsfojlowed, Mr Fish and Mr Reid charging each other with impertinence; and later on, allusion was made to the Speaker’s ruling on Monday, that notice must be first given to move the House into Committee of I Supply, the Provincial Treasurer characterizing ■ that ruling as tf agajnjst all precedent, and : totally unjustifiable.” Of course, this remark brought Mr Gillies to his feet, and he declined i to notice them beyond saying that he considered ! them very ungeatlemanly indeed to the' Speaker, and derogatory to the ' Council itself. Mr Reid then came to the rescue of his colleague. He said the Government had been treated as no other. Government had been; and in reference to the j disputed ruling, e*srpssed his willingness to submit the point to any lawyer pf Parliamentary experience, such as the Speaker’s brother (Mr T. B. Gillies), or to Mr Whittaker, of Auckland. But the Speaker, though directly chal-i 1 Ipnjjed, declined to further discuss his previous ruling, and said neither father’s nor brother’s opinion cause him to alter his own as to. what was due to the House, nor as! to his ruling, which would have been prepared' t<? have' discussed in committee. 'fhe matter then dropped for a time, but was revived when the Council met in i the evening, when the Speaker announced his j resignation, and stated he had sent the follow-; mg intimation to the Superintendent {—“ An ‘

expression of opinion was given to-day by a member of tbe Government that a ruling that I had given oif a previous sitting, although supported,by the House, was against all precedent, and totally unjustifiable, ft js not my intention, as it would be destructive of all weight attached to the office, to lie under the imputation that is in such an expression conveyed, and therefore I hereby beg to tender you my resignation of the office I hold.” In view of what had occurred, Mr M'Glashan moved an adjournment till next day, but the Speaker having intimated that he did not desire that course to be pursued, motion was negatived, and the Council proceeded to business. Shortly after midnight, when the Order Paper had been cleared, Mr Gillies, in accordance with the Standing Orders, tendered the resigna-nTon-i?r(rJiS .°® ce » nnd left the chair, to which Mr M Glashan was voted. Thereupon Mr itfid expressed his very great regret for what had occurred, stating'that he believed it arose nom mere warmth of feeling on both sides, there had been no ijiteptj.on on the part of the Government to impute to Gillies thp desire intentionally to do any act unfair to the Government, though they had at the time felt themselves placed in an embarrassing position, lie was only giving expression to the sentiments of every hon. member when he said that Mr Gillies had filled the office of Speaker in a more satisfactory manner than any other member could have filled it; and nothing wold give him (Mr Eeicl) more satisfaction t.9 see the honorable gentleman reassume the The Provincial Treasurer endorsed hip chief 'observations, Mr Gillies, while thanking the Government for the tostimony they had borne to his conduct, remarked that the point that had really led to his resignation had been overlooked. What led to his resignation was not so much the personal attack that had been made upon himself, hut what might be regarded as an attack upon the House, The House adopted his (Mr Gillies) ruling, and then it became, of coursp, the ruling of the Council. Had the Hohse decided egaipet bjm, he should have considered it as bidding as own ruling. He regretted exceedingly Hvhaf had occurred, but before he could think of re* calling his decision in the matter, an explanation should pp made to the House, for it was the House he considered, gild not himself, in the matter. After some observations by the Provincial Solicitor, the Provincial Secretary' moved, and the Provincial Treasurer seconded the following resolution t - “ That this Council, having every confidence In the impartiality of Mr Gillies as Speaker of the House, respect*

fully requests that he will again allow himself to be nominated to that Office j and that he do now take the chair of this Council as Speaker.” Mr Gillies then assured’ the honorable member at the head of the Government that he did not give the ruling in question with any intention of taking up a position of antagonism to the' Government; he did so under the belief that he was acting in accordance with the Standing Orders. He heartily thanked the hon. member for the frank manner in which he had explained to the House and to himself. He trusted that their friendship, both 'as members of the Council and as private individuals, which was of very many years’ standing, would not be at all interrupted by what had taken place. He would be most happy to agree to the request now made that he should resume his office as Speaker. The announcement was received with applause, and the motion was then agreed to unanimously. Some amusement was caused by Mr J. 0. Brown suggesting that prayers ought to he read; but the Speaker ruled that xt was not necessary. The first anniversary of the Pioneer Lodge, P-A-F. Society, will be celebrated by a social gathering in St. George’s Hall, on Friday evening. _