ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 289, 12 September 1874, Page 2

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

A w v HALE,at peas! That is the delicate comparison drawn by Mr. White' between a stupid, pointless American,' yarn and the Premier's aptitude'for work. ! Mr. White's Parliamentary expressions,' poetical''metaphors, and perorations are not of the choicest. He appears either to tell senseless jokes that might be" in keeping if expressed at the bar, of an inferior public house, or th.ey are mock heroic—somebody is disembowelling someelse or his Bill, or else 'the measure in discussion stinks in his nostrils as he, forsooth, in the liberty of untrained'oratory, inflicts the wearied and, we venture' to say, sickened reporters of ' Hansard. J ——Mr. Richardson paid a very well deserved tribute to our Otago Provincial Engineer, while, at {the .same. time,, condemning,the. system he - has to work' under. He said: "I have made observations during my travels which-do not' lead me to the 3 same conclusion asvfchat arrived at by the .honorable members for Waikouaiti, Taieri, and Port Chalmers. I should be sorry-to say'a word against' any of their officers.- The Province has at the head of its engineering department a gentleman whom I know to be a good.surveyor and a- hardworking marij but he has ten* times'? the amount of work to do he ought to have; but if that gentleman does riot go to his''work '• 'for many weeks together, which I'know'to be the case, it is impossible that that amount of attention can be 'given to the works which ought to be given." Some' time-since the Council f of Canterbury passed resolutions to simplify, their legislation—reducing members and'appointin'g'.a 'Chairman —but the system failed -through-the opposition in Wellington,. of Provincialists in the Assembly. It is a feeling, however, which we expect exists pretty strongly/iu Canterbury, a3 it does in Otago, that' Provincialism is obsolete. A. stupid Parliamentary rumor, without- 1 a shadow of truth, was telegraphed by a spiritualistic'correspondent employed by the- ' Daily Times' in Wellington deveral of- our. contemporaries were, foolish enough, to he misled by this telegram, and pußlisH"le'afters '"approving J of Mr. Stafford's" refusal to join the Government as * Premier— Mr. Vogel going Home to shirk the responsibility of the financial crisis impending, in the eyes, of Ithe croakers. „ * The Dunedin. 'Star.' at-once .contradicted the mischievous rumor, jind.has a few clever remarks the following'day worth.reproducing:—" Ha!d the narrator been present at the meeting he could scarcely have been more explicit. Reduced to a, scene in a°play it might; stand thus:—

' ' ; Vogel floqj: ' ' Stafford, I'm in a fix:, - The cares of State oppress me,- and the weight Of public works and public burde.ns too Are more than I can bear. Dear Stafford, Help me or I'll sink; I'll give up power And, leave to theethe honor

And the future glory of this land. Let me go Home, and sit thou in my place. v STAFFORD: ■ , . , _ Not I;/thy proffered honors I decline." -. - I 'see in thee a dreadful cunning card, ■ ■ That, having placed the country in the mire, Would make a scavenger' of me to clean " The dirty wheels of State. I'll none of it. We might pursue the subject .further, but we'are notgifted with the brilliant inventive talent of the ' Daily limes'' correspondent; and, unfortunately, thi thing is not true, and we are unwilling to place ourselves ] in the position of the narrator, in the story of ' the "Three Black Crows," who laid.himself open to the commiserating soliloquy of the I truth.seeker— ..

'Bless me, how people propagate a lie!'" .—^-As"instancing some of the' evils':'bf" Sdual -Government, Mr.i Tribe,f who ifepresents; a mining 'constituency, 'said:. "'lf a miner wanted to search for. a. bit ; pf gold in any one j of the Provinces of Ahe/Middle Island he I must take out a new miner's right j and if he happens to have a dog as a> companion, he musfc also pay "an:,additional'dog-tax. He thinks Tie knows' the law" iii existence, but boundary he finds regulations in existence which are. altogether different. : For instance, _ in the all-important question .of water rights, a Westland miner will find, on stepping'oyer a boundary line, that what ..wag..called a Jjead in one Province is two heads in the other, "-f —-What a capital undertaker's lead-" ing mute. Mr. ; Murray: would make. .3 he more he got the more dolorous-lookincr he would be-—the primal qualification according to Dickens. Says he, "The ruin of the Provinces means the ruin of the Colony. -I think that anyone who, in 1870,- looked forward with the eye of-a statesman must have seen that the great policy which was then propounded must result in .some such measure as this. I saw it!— (Ergo -.• I, Murray, have the eye of a statesman.) I saw the Colony weakened by the scandalous' extrava--.gauce and reckless squanderings of the public money, under the pretence of carrying out public works,; and .the result would be the of the oatlying districts of "the Colony and their ruin. ' Thei Provinces are ; being-ruined, arid-' next will -follow the ruin of ; the Colonial Government."., We.would . strongly recommend the hon. metnber to; keep cle'aT' of -Messrs. Spicer and' Murray, or he -might be impressed.—r-j-We referred in a . previous paper to the Electoral Bill, subsequently withdrawn to' come -on again next • session, preparatory to the elections. Many different views, as was natural, were in some cases cleverly -put-.-- We will take Paraon Mr. Wood as typical of the Oon'ser : ; JUifee.rai v meni

'have divided against each other on ihc main question:—Mr. Andrew said, "This Hoa3e has expressed great confidence in our present leader, and I entertain the highest confidence in him, especially since" he has, this session, expressed such prudent cantion in regard to - borrowing; but if we introduce a mob to elect this House, there is great danger that bur leader- may be pushed further than, we wish—indeed, he ma 3' probably be pushed so fast that hs will fall on his face. Perhaps - the' House will permit me to tell a little anecdote.* a gentleman named Phelps - —the namejiiay occur to some members as that .-of. a forfirer master of 'Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and also of a celebrated 'theatrical'manager. The gen"tleman of whom I speak, a relative of these, happened to be a -visitor in a -menagerie in which a tame lion was exhibited. The spectators were allowed to go into the lion's cage, • but no one would enter until Mr. Phelps went in, and then fhey crowded so fast that both Mr. Phelps and the lion were crushed against the back of the cage. Fortunately no" harm resulted. But if we allow electors to rush in in such numbers as they may under this Bill, it may be that we shall be driven too far—that we 'shall press'too hard'upon the Genius of Bor- " -rowing; as, if asked for a roc's egg he may turn again and rend us. Sir, it seems to me that it would be unwise to expose ourselves .to a danger of that sort. Universal suffrage, as I have 1 said, is'in favor of the people in office, and naturally persons in office; like to promote so useful a tool. We have an instance of that in France., , .It .was universal suffrage that placed Louis Napoleon on the throne; but even in Francethere has : been a strong reaction, and a great desire to curtail universal suffrage. It-is proposed now to strike 2.000,0J0 or 3,003,000 electors off the electoral roll, because^universal' suffrage is found to be very dangerous. We have _ only to consider what is the best form of vernment in theory, but also what is the form in practice; that is, what form of qualification will return the very best House the ! country can furnish. Sir, I believe the General Assembly of jSTew Zealand will bear I comparison with that of any other Colony, and I see s no prospect of its being improved; ! but I see some danger of its being deterioI rated, by, a large number of voters being , placed upon the roll if this Bill be passed. Crowds of persons are being brought to this Colony, arid if they do not-like it after six months' residence, they can "vote in-favor of the construction of large public; works, ■and, ,after they have made their ' pile, 1 leave "the Colony." t Mr/Wood said, "As regards the principle of'this Bill, I do not se? how it is possiblerfhat.'ariy argument can be brought against it. Lsay, ,Sir,, and'l will put it into the feyest .words I can put it into, that the principle of this Bill is that'every man who is called'upon in this country to obey the laws, to pay taxes, and to perform'with propriety _the, ordinary duties of life, has a right to a voice in the election? of those who impose the taxes and" make the laws. lam sorry, such/a/principle-as this should be op'po'secl in"this'"Houser. "lii feudal times, and 2»<w'-feudal times, when it was believed that one.set* of . men .were born into the world to rule and "tb-govern, and another to obey, it might have been easier to pooh-pooh such a principle as that; hot now, when the spirit of democracy has "spread into every class of society, when we all feel that Jack is as good as his master, and sometimes better—'that rank is but the guinea stamp,' and 'a man's a man for a' that' —l say that those who oppose this Bill will rind it difficult to do so on any good ground of reason or argument. ,They mayjdo.sojbywthe jpowerof voting; they may do so by fKe physical, exertion of going into a'particular lobby r of tn?s House; but depend'upon it *his question* will recifr again and again,> and if. we do not concede the principle now<as>a boon;! i-t will be wrested Irom us as a ,rigtit\"— -Mr. Bradshaw, in' bringing under the notice of the Government the desirability, of legislating by "Act next session—based upon the principles of the Factory Acts; Factory. Extension Act, and the WorkShop Regulations Act of the Imperial Parliament, which, while giving every ment to 'these industries, provide such' regulations as are necessary to preserve the health and-safety of .the young of both sexes, while securing for them the advantages of elementary education—read some interesting quotations from English authors ontheques- * ' The Annals of. JBritish, legisla#°V- Professor Leone Levi, speaking of the condition of things in the potteries and brickfields, says, 'Here is, therefore, a body of 11,000 children and young persons, all under eighteen years of age, engaged in this great "and successful branch of manufacture, of the, - production of which the country is deservedly proud, and \yhp are shown,. by irrefragable evidenci, extending over a period of upwards of twenty years, to" be employed un- - der cprfditjqnsLwhich undermine the health and constitution, and. encourage-and propagate disease moti productive,of human suffering, : and most directlyleading to degeneracy : and decay. '•' Another, authority, Mr.-L6nge. ! in the; same:; book, 'says, 'The condition of these boys calls for consideration more than any other class of children. They commence work very young: ; some between six .and se T ea; others, between seven and eight, eight and nine, or nine and ten. Turning the jigger is very hard work •for "children" to be engaged in during the whole day. But the process most injurious to the; health'of the boys is that of mouldrunping, or carrying the. ware on the moulds in the stpne rooms, and the moulds back to the. m'ani who is nia&ing the! dish ? s plate, or saucer./ . Speaking of the manner "in which J parents forced their children to evade the law, the Duke of Argyle stated that-' JSToth- " ing but a stringent system inspection was of any avaTT: against the powerful" combination of motives of which the evils of the factory system arose.' And in the same book he quotes from Mr. ,Baker, one of the most experienced factory inspectprs, to this effect, ' Thus most of the workshops of jthis great commercial country are found to -have fallen into the inevitable track oF competitive industry when unrestricted byJaw, namely, to cheapen'.priees by the employment of women and fehiidren in ithe first instance, - and then to increase production by protracted hours of work; without much regard to age, to sex, or to physical capability.' . In-the evidence taken before the ;.Children r s. Employment Commission, in 1562, one employer, Mr. J. Simpson, ex..P_re._3sed himself as most favorable to legislative interference. 'He would sign anypetition for it. It would be an excellent thin" for the trade generally. As it was,-he a,f- . w . a y s felt restless at night when he had closed his place, lest others should'be working later ■than him, and getting,awayiis orders.' In the absence of a law for regulating the- number of hours women and young persons should be employed, it was very well known that a benevolent employer was placed at a very great disadvantage, compared with those emploj'ers who worked their employes at all .hours. With regard to parents-forcing their children to go to. work, the Duke of Argyle, in his * Beign of ""Law,' says, ' There were -parts of machinery which might be'fed by a^° s * infant, '.'hands." The earnings of • children became, an irresistible temptation to the parents: They sent to the factory at the earliest age, and' they worked during the-whole hours that machinery wera keel at work. The result of this svstem was s.oon apparent- If one parent, more careful than ' others of the welfare of his children, and moved less exclusively by the desire of gain, Withdrew his children at an earlier hour than others from factory work, bis children were liable jho be ; 'dismissed and not employed at ail." That was the very comnlaint'thit had been dm, where, as honorable members were aware, there were now mauy factories "in existence. If one parent took his children ■away at an 'earlier -hour than 'the rest, they

were refused employment altogether; therefore the law ought to place them all iu the same category. It was also stated in the evidence given before the Children's Employment .Commission of 1862, that it'was unhappily' 'to a painful degree apparent ' throughout the' whole of the evidence that against no person do the children of both sexes so much require'protection as* against their parents.'" Mr. Richardson, on behalf • of the Government, thought there would be no ctiffiuulty in drawing up a satisfactory Act based on th« Kugliah legislation, as Mr. Bradshavv suggosted. M anufactories are increasing" very fast' in New Zealand. . It will be wise to legislate befora vested interests grow up to cry out for compensation when the abuses are* so\great f as to demand redress at the hands of our law makers. When in - Committee of Supply, Mr. Keeves wished for 'an explanation of the item " Introduction of salmon, £SUO." "There was," he said, "at one time a, very; small salmon raised in Christchuroh, but he was not aware whether it wai alivo ornbET . . . He asked the Premier whether it would not be advisable to devote some of the money in endeavoring to bring salmon ova from San .Francisco. They would be more likely td get salmon in that way, than by spending the money in the way they had been doing.' 'Mr. Vogel replied that " this item was 'already absorbed. The same sum wa3 put down last year with the object of introducing Silmon ova from Glasgow, but it was found that it wa3 too late in the year to take any' action in the matter. This year, the Superintendent of Otago had asked the Government to renew the vott-, and on the promise of the Government to submit the item, the' Superintendent ha.il sent an order for the ova. As to the difference in quality between the salmon of San Francisco and the salmon of Scotland, no L, one could entertain a doubt of the inferiority r of the former who had'tasted'the two. > Still, ' it might be well to introduce it. He would, however, point out that it .would he better not to take any steps in the matter until the steamers which were to perform thejpermanent mail service with San Francisco were

placed on the line. < With the present temporary vessels it was uncertain whether they '-' would go on from Kandavau to Sydney or - come to New Zealand, so that the Colony , .*, might find the ova which it wished to import '. carried a\vay to New South Wales." Mr. - 'Ma'cJandrew showed the vote was only supc tary upon a large expenditure which' S^'.vthe- province of Otago hail taken upon itself, * Jsfr-fo carry out this object. This tem- " -Wary American service alluded toby Mr. « .", vogel is the one that has been stopped —not th« permanent contract, as many think. . In Hupply, Mr. Mervyn had acclimatisation interests in, mind. He suggested that the 'sum " Wellington Botanical Gardens, £300," should be postponed until after a decision Was come to on the State Forests Conservation Bill. He considered the establishment of nurseries to bo the best way of carrying ■out the object of that measure, and he Would like to see a much larger sum placed on the Estimates for the maintenance and improvement of the Wellington Botanical Gardens. Mr. T. B. Gillies, ot Auckland, opposed the vote for the Wellington' Botanical Gardens on the ground—(a very reasonable one) —that it was wrong to maintain those Gardens at J the expense of the Colony, and n6t vote sums for the maintenance of other Botanical Gar-

dens in £lew Zealand—say in the Mount Ida ~ for instance Members now are , all dispersed at their homes, and Provincialists find themselves wofully disappointed in thoir hopes of the general rising of the people ( io protest against Centralism. The dian,' indeed, sums up, to its,astonishment, that in Otago, the supposed stronghold of ' Provincialism, nearly the whole Press Ithat has ventured an opinion at all has'advocated Centralism. The Goldfields, as represented by the 'Tuapeka Times,' the ' Wakatip Mail,' and the ' Mount Ida Chronicle,' look anxiously for the time of abolition of Otago itself In a concluding paper next week we shall review the action of the Otago Goldtield members during the session now closed.