Page 5 Advertisements Column 1

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 74, 9 August 1912, Page 5

I In Our Opinion j

fTIHE N.Z. Government is superb in its magnanimity. It has actually decided to grant the Passive Resister.s immunity from having their finger-pr-krts taJsea when they go to jail for refusing to commit perjury and otherwise violate consici«tto®.

JSPAKE a hint) from that serviceable - and keen letter which P. Fraser got into a country paper and we reUriiiiiqL Send letters to the papers and five the Federation side of disputes. Don't send your letters to us, but to ifta local paper.

rfMlI cables report that 2Q, 000 boys *" are. due. for prosecution in Australia under the "Defence" Act. The number is nearer 60,000. What a towering opportunity presents itself to tlhe Australasian Socialist Party to point the way to Socialism for those 50,000 lads.

ttiN.CE tb» strike and lockout, Fedoration speakers have addressed 260 meetings. Keep it going, for such energy and enthusiasm, backed with a good cause, must conquer apathy and reaction. Our cause is tho c„use of the ages, our hope is the hope of the world, We are bringing "the goods" to the workers of New Zealand, and soon they'll take and hold them. Courage everybody.

ITTE hope to circulate a recora quantity of next week's paper. It will be a special strike number, and will .otMrtftitt in full the Minority Report jaunted in conoaotian with the Mines Commission. 33-is is a valuable doouJB»ant. Ihe aiumber will **so give a -fnfH and corsect account of the troubles .et •"'•'aflri and Reefton, and will smash ■the'cavilling and captious critics. Boom .and .boost it!

"13S ifb* 'latest volume written ,by that ■*" igrtat {philanthropist, General Badenftowsll, and ids sister, "Hew Girls can fhrild up the Ilmpi**®," occurs the following useful information for girls (page 97): "When you want to steal Boni«tning, dont put on mended boots. A patch on the sole of a man's boot enabled the police to track and oakih him." We hope all Now Zealand girls intending to enter on a life of crime will benefit by this piece of advice —part of the instruction in "char-acter-building" which is such an important feature in all scout training.

fIONCERNING the complaint of the Conciliation Commissioners who went to Waihi that tho strike officials refused co-operation, how many more times has it to be emphasised that the str,ik* is mow in the Ibands of the executive of the federation of Labor ? The unionists at Waihi did quite tho right thing in holding aloof, .especially as \ the F.L.ewoutive was not asked to aid \w_____\_\t the mis*is"T of / the Commissioners, foolish policy" of trying to imply is no Federation of Labor as P a ghterninjj body won't help anybody, and will react upon Seamen's Union, conciliators and the whole caboose.

TN filling—alternative, jail—a youth for failing to attend parades, the Dunedin Magistrate (Mrf Widdowson) added that it might he .advisable ,in these cases to get an attachment order on wages lest defendants Should take the alteiaJfttivfi. If this garnishee principle- is introduced into the Defence Act there will be a very serious problem 4o faoe. In an interview with Sir J. Ward some ntonths ago, the Prime Minister, in answer to Mr. Semple, said ■that -there was no intention of using this method of enforcing fines. It is quite a question whether it can be used even.

fTWE "Social-Democrat" of Auckland has ceased publication, to the regret trf many and in a manner entirely admirable. It went down .fighting. For the.year .and .more of its .existence it 'was a ..militant voice of a militant proletariat, and if we did not approve of all it advocated, we were glad to know it was ; fearless and uncompromising advocate 6f views sincerely .and strongly held. That is a great. distinction. 'We want papers •for and <of -the working-class, and -we must welcome such papers .gladly, without expecting them to be completely tn accord in every minute par•tiouktr *with each doctrine of a movejmaivt, the. ueaj strength of .which .may come of the .mixture. Edwin Saves, proprietor .of the "S:D.," kept his •paper going wonderfully, When the forces against him are considered. Few .enterprises are as exacting as running •a -newspaper, and that Sayes and his helpers did so well will long stand to their credit-

TS7BILE in Vancouver, Wilford, ;M."P., made the statement to somebody that there were ''norther millionaires nor paupers .in New Zealand." There are ,no millionaires, it is true, bub at the other extreme of the social i*cale*do we not find people so ipoverty«Btricken*that no word but "pauper" can adequately express their worldly circumstances!- Alas! we do. It is an ugly ■word;, fs There is a harshiivtss -about the word that has produced a disinclination among those who would blind themselves -to the brutal facts ..of ..existence to apply j.t to those whose misfortunes, iand»not their fault, in the -gi»eat -majority of cases, f-oroo them to acoe,pt charitable aid. Still, for all that, there are people so poor that "pauper" must be.applied to them. Thero is cbn.■firrndtion of this almost every day in .ono -Dominion paper or another — jheartrending stories of sickness, suffer•ing and starvation—aye, starvation! — of want and woo and wretchedness. ■"Tragedies of \Poverty" .are -too frequently narrated, .and some of the most pitiful and pathetic cases conceivable Lave recently bad the broad light of publicity shed-»pon-them. Y«?, there is- a world of want and woe even in prosperous New Zealand. No paupers? jVould to God there wero none in truth.