The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11, 1907. EXEMPLARY DRINKING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2060, 11 December 1907, Page 2

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11, 1907. EXEMPLARY DRINKING.

“Harper’s AVeekly” one of the Ibest known and most conservative of American journals, which is’ never so happy as .when attacking the progressive President of that nation, lias at last discovered a virtue in -.-r Roosevelt, and strangely enough because the highest official in the land has ventured to drink a glass of champagne in public. After a sarcastic reference to A T ice-President Fairbanks, who is. termed a ‘-..etliodist, and who is, presumably, also a total 'abstainer, the “AVeekly” discusses the incident as follows:—At- a public dinner at St. Louis on October 2, unterrified by Mr Fairbanks’s experience, lie drank champagne in the full view of the assembled company and, report says, to its satisfaction.- It is no difficult feat to drink champagne, and in itself no particular credit to anybody, but, ,by emptying his glass. Spurgeon, nil things considered, it may be argued to have been rather a useful exploit that Mr Roosevelt achieved the great preacher, found smoking very helpful to him. In 1874, being censured by some one for smoking be said:

I demur altogether and most positively to the statement that to ■smoke tobacco is wrong. There is growing up in society- a pharisaic .system .which adds to the precepts of God the commandments of men. To that system I will not v’ .11 for one hour. The .preservation of my -liberty may bring upon me the rpb raid mgs of many of the good and the sneers of tlio self-righteous, but I shall endure both with serenity so long as I feel clear in my conscience. In various parts of our country, (continues our contemporary) and especially in that Middle West of which fet. Louis is near -tho centre, there has grown up a pharisaic system which not only adds to flic precepts of God the commandments of men, but embodies them in legislative enactments, with penalties for violation of them. That the President did not knuckle down to the powerful influences tiiat would impose this system on unwilling voters is to his credit. The most useful example any- man can set is tho example of doing what he thinks :s proper. A hypocritical example or one exhibited from interested motives has no value. The President's example as a very abstemious person in daily- life is good. His example in drinking champagne at St. Louis was also good.

THE FARMERS AND THEIR . WORKMEN. In this week’s supplement the columns devoted to farming interests contain some particulars of the case which is at present being placed be!o;d the Canterbury Conciliation Court by farm laborers. This is perhaps the most notable that has yet been considered in this country since the arbitration system became an essential! feature of our industrial life. It is not so much the merits or otherwise of the demands that are being made which constitutes the importance of the event, but the proposal that farmers, like those concerned in other occupations, shall be subject to aribtrary rulings of a State tribunal. In this issue sufficient of the evidence is quoted to show that from the point of view of wages the demands of the men are not unreasonable. Take for instance the wages of a ploughman. With produce bringing the price it has in reeent years it seems absurd to suggest that such a workman, if competent, is not worth from £1 5s to £1 15s per week and found, to his employer. The? hours of labor proposed, namely, from six in the morning till eight at night, with intervals for meals and an aiilowauce for specified holidays, seem quite generous to the employer, but the difficulty is to lay down any hard and fast rules to fix tho time for such labor. This aspect of the question seems to have been studiously avoided by those responsible for stating the case for the workmen, but it naturally receives attention from the employers whose evidence will be published next week. The same diffieiilty has been experienced by those who have been endeavoring to improve by legislation the conditions under which domestic servants carry

out tlioir duties, and a satisfactory solution lias not yet boon found. The aystom of compulsory arbitration is capable of doing remarkably good work for various industries and so far as it has been tried tho rosijlts have as n whole been distinctly beneficial to tho community, but there is a point beyond which legislative interference cannot go without doing more harm than good, and at the same time bringing a thoroughly sound principle into disrepute. Farmers throughout tho Dominion havo strongly objected to their relations with their workmen being brought within the provisions of the Arbitration Act, but there is in real! ity no sound argument to support this standpoint. As a rule, the farm laborer is fairly well paid and is treated reasonably by- his employer, both in regard to hours of labor and general conditions, but there are exceptions, and the man who helps to till the land for another is as much entitled to protection from an oppressive employer as the artisan in town is from the owners of sweating dens. The chief danger exists in the possibility of the Court conceding such of tho men’s demands as will have an unduly hampering effect on the efforts of the omployer to produce the host that- Ins land is capable of. As soon as this line is overstepped, trouble commences, and it is therefore to be sincerely hoped that a reasonable protection will bo given to tho men without the sanctioning of regulations that can have no other effect, than to jiroditce frict-

It will bo for the Arbitration Court when considering tlio present case to give full consideration to this aspect, otherwise a great wrong may bo dona to tho chief industries of tho Dominion, namely, those carried on by “tlio man on tlie laud”. Personally', wo do. not tliin’k tlie farmer has anything to fear from tlie present hearing, provided, of course, a just and well considered award is givon. At present the position is about as unsatisfactory as it cun possibly bo from tho employer’s standpoint, for lie finds tlie greatest difficulty in obtaining laboi or of properly controlling it when it is obtained. This is ono of the reasons which account for the disinclination of our farmers to crop their lands even at the present high prices of all kinds of grain. With labor properly organised, and working under a recognised system in regard to wages and other conditions, there shovfld be more stability as regards the supply of farm labor.

About six Gisborne young men intend to leave early next year for Fiji, where they purpose starting in business. ' Mr. AV. A. Barton leaves this morning for the Coast, and will be accompanied by Messrs T.A. Coleman and H. Bright, who also go up on Court matters. A gentleman from the pottery district in Staffordshire, as present resident in Povory Bay, has made a discovery of a Targe deposit of clay suitable for making pottery, and is taking steps to have his find properly developed. On Thursday last a gentleman while bathing on the AVaikanae beach dropped his false teeth into the water, and was unable to recover them. Yesterday the teeth were found bytwo little girls and returned to the owner. It is stated that in view of the sports to be held at Puha on Boxing Day, several “dark horses” are undergoing a course of moonlight training on the Domain, and they are expected to give tho local cracks a hard row to hoe on that date.

In the not far distant future it may be possible that a full motorcar equipment will include a whip. Yesterday a small boy was observed enjoying what in tho juvenile vernacular is called a “whip behind” on the back step of a motor car proceeding up Gladstone road.

There was an interruption for a short period last evening on the coast telegraph line, tlie fault being reported between town and Rakarae. Investigation showed that the hiiternujption was caused by a contacl 'about a mile from town, aml the line was speedily put in working order.

An extraordinary rich find of antimony has been made in the North, and it is probable that a strong company will bo formed at an early date to work it. Samples of the stone havo been sent Homo, and liavo been reported on very favorably. When tlio company is formed a small number of shares will be offered to local investors.

At tho S. M. Court yesterday? morning a witness was apparently not well enough to undergo cross-ex-amination. The witness explained that ho had just come out of tho Hospital and had taken morphia to enable him to be present, and lio thought ho would be alright in half ail hour. Ho was allowed to stand down and resume his evidence later in tlio case.

This morning a bull, cow, and four heifers of the Red Polled Norfolk breed are expected to arrive by the Waikare for Mr. H. Strachan, Waimata. Tho breed is new to the district and Mr. Strachan’s animals are all registered in tho English Herd Book. The Norfolk is generally regarded as a good animal, both for beef and milk, but Mr. Strachan chose his beasts wilth a view to beef production. The plans prepared by Air. F. J. AYilson for the new drillshed to be erected at AVLatiaupoko show a building 144 ft deep and 132 ft wide. The drill ball proper will be 126 ft by 98ft Gin, and on each side of it. will be seven rooms, averaging lSfit by loft. At tho back of the main kail is a building 100 ft by 18f.t, 'which can be used as a supper room or for enter,tiaiimnents. The floor is raised 2ft Gin above the lea-el of the floor of tlie main hall, and a proscenium 20ft by ISft is provided. Some misapprehension exists in the minds of the public as to what dress is demanded for swimming on the beach. In certain quarters it is thought that trunks are sufficient, and in others that no dress at all is necessary before 7 a.m. As a matter of fact both of these rules have no existence. The Borough by-law on the matter is as follows:—It shall not be lawful for any person above seven years of age to bathe within the Borough boundary unless provided with a proper bathing dress, such bathing costume to extend from tho shoulders to the knees. There is a good deal of activity in Gisborne at present in connection with mining matters. A Hoeal syndicate ■is at present forming a small company to enable further prospecting to be done on a rich lode of tin recently found 'in .the South. Analyses (of the stone show that it holds about 6 per cent of tin, which must be considered good when it is remembered that the famous Alt. Bislioff mine, Tasmania, is worked profitably on stone which yields only % per cent of tin. The promoters also claim that tho tin lode on their property is tho only one so far discovered in Now Zealand,

Walnut. Toffee, the delectable dainty, just opened fresh for Cbrist-

On Iris return recently to Gisborne Mr. Henry Write, Manga papa, brougirt with him a largo Talbot motor-car; 'adding one more to rise already large number of line motoroars in tlio district.