Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, DEC. 31, 1895. The New Year.

Manawatu Herald, 31 December 1895, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, DEC. 31, 1895. The New Year.

m { To morrow marks the commencenQHtit of a new year, which, we trust, may be a prosperous and pleasant one to all. The success of everyone ' U needful to the 'success of the in dividual, and in like manner a happy person diffuses happiness, so that, viewed even in a selfish light, the happier all are the happier we per sonally are likely to be. A wish, similar to the " compliments of the season " so unthinkingly uttered, is a wise and ypt a slightly selfish one to declare We have a grand theory at work, the greatest good for thp greatest numbHr, and we have had during the past few years examples of vain attempts to secure by legislation that

which is only to be obtained by the education of the masses, so that thty grasp the great truth spoken of old that to secure happiness we muat do unto others ?.? we would have others do unto us. It must necessarily be repeated time after time that this is the only way to secure this end and ambitious attempts to secure a short cut by legislation is bound most miserably to fail. It is, however, good to mark that the times have so changed as to induce^ if even clone simply from political motives, our public tnen to consider how the poor and weak can be best defended. We have held that in this colony there is no real poverty, except, perhaps, in isolated cases in the large towns were sickness has entered a family. Though the need does not exist for a lot of the legislation passed, it serves as a warning that no cases similar to the Old World sweating will be tolerated in this happy land. We take life too seriously at times and fret and fight over parliamentary discussions much more than the oc casion demands. Here, as elsewhere, the people in the long run are to be depended upon, and an Act distasteful to their good sense will be ignored and finally repealed. It is irritating to be brought 1 under the control of " faddists " and it is sad to see the persons on whose behalf these " faddists " have passed laws, suffering from the crude ideas of their representatives, but all things come to an end and so will these exhibitions. Parliament last Session shov/ed an indisposition to pass any more measures of the Minister for Labour until the working of those already in the Statute Book have had a longer trial. During the past two years we have watched with regret the difficulty the labourer had to secure his being hired which arose from poor trade and poor legislation. Trade during the year has wonderfully improved and Parliament has shown its acknowledgement of th^ error of tying up the labourer by too many Acts, and thus the confidence of employers is induced and work is being undertaken which will employ labour. The improvement has al ready bpen noticed and if th* Go* verument will keep quiet, very much better times loom ahead. Prices for stock, wool, butter, &c, all arp better, our local industry is keeping up fairly, and everything points to the likelihood of the labourer, worthy of his hire, securing full empi oympnt during the coming year When the labourer is busy all plsp are busy, so we feel we are justified in believing we all shall have as w« sincerely wish