LETTERS FOR THE PEOPLE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 156, 1 July 1880, Page 2

LETTERS FOR THE PEOPLE.

No. 3. [Communicated."] We have all heard the fable of the ox and the frog. How the frog, ambitious to equal the size of the ox, puffed herself out to such an extent that she suddenly burst, and both herself and her vanity collapsed. I think the moral is applicable, in many ways, to New Zealand. The old Baying that •* The child first crawls and then walks " seems to have been entirely forgotten in all our doings. We have not followed in the footsteps of the early settlers, hacking and hewing out a home for ourselves in tbe bush, satisfied with homely fare and simple furniture, hankering after no luxuries, bufc content with— to many people tbe greatest luxury of all — simple independence. Nofc satisfied with haviDg a roof of our own over our heads, we must aspire to the luxury, and even grandeur, of tbe houses of the well-to-do classes in England ; so we have our plate , glass windows, and our shoddy uncomfortable furniture all veneer and varnish, our wooden cornices, Corinthian pillars, and porticoes, and the other wooden imitations and productions of our saw mills and patent sash frame and door companies. On the same principle, our sons part their hair down the middle, and condescend to nothing lower than a clerkship in a private office, or a Government billet ; instead of our daughters learning to cook, and to make and mend their own clothes, and preparing themselves for higher and more responsible duties, they ruu up bills at their dressmakers, read the latest novel, and, while their mother works in the kitchen, they strum away on tbeir piano a libel on some piece of music, the name of which, in many cases, they cannot even pronounce correctly — they will probably be empty and vain enough, like Nero fiddling while Rome was burning, to tinkle away an accompaniment co their father's and husband's ruin. Ab it is in our private life, so it is in our institutions, public and private, and bo forsooth we have 11,000 Government officials, with over £1,000,000 a year going j in salaries— a Civil Service large enough for a I i nation of nine millions. And not tbe least inflated and spurious feature of our living has been our high wages. In a new country like New Zealand, unless land is being cleared and brought under cultivation very rapidly indeed, there is no reason why wages, especially those of unskilled labor, should be so exorbitantly high as compared with those of an old country like England. If our high wages had been the necessary result of a continually increasing demand for labor, occasioned by fresh land , being cleared and opened up, and laborers settling down on the land and thus becoming employers themselves : in such a case, high wages would have been tbe healthy sign of our prosperity, but un-

fortunately su6h was not the fact. It was not the rapid development ef our natural resources that caused the increased demand for labor, and thus high wages, but the public we ks scheme of the Government, and the Government, by becoming a large employer of labor, caused the increased demand and high wages. Were the public works productive, or had the money for the undertaking and carrying on of the scheme been derived from the surplus capital and revenue of the country, the consequences of their discontinuance would not bave been so disastrous. But as a matter of fact they scarcely pay working expenses, and the scheme was Undertaken on borrowed money, and now that we cab ho longer borrow more money for fresh public wetks, abd even have to discontinue some of those that bave been commenced, we have a large surplus of labor thrown on oiir hands, and tbe interest of a heavy debt to meet eve.y jtea.. Even now, in parts of New Zealand men will not do ordinary unskilled labor for leste than seven or eight shillings a day, but by such demands they are simply killing the goose that .ays the golden egg ; they drive capital from the country, and many industries that might be established, it is simply impossible to make payable because tbe profits Would be swallowed up in wages. That the wages of ordinary labor, such as farm labor, &c, will have to come down to something like four shillings or even lower is evident to every man, except a blustering demagogue, who is not absolutely blindjto his own interests. At such wages many farmers who now only employ one man would willingly employ two or even three ; and many private people would be willing to employ a man for odd jobs now and then could they obtain them for such wages. Before rashly denying the impossibility of accepting such wages it would be well if we were to examine how much the actual cost of living is. Those who refuse to at any sacrifice accept such wageß had better, as I have said before, go " digging," where, as their own employers the wages they earn is an affair of their own regulation. Although admitting the rich harvest certain people have made from the bigh wages that have been obtained of late years, still, generally speaking, the high price of labor has contributed to the high cost of living. The two essential necessaries of life are flour and meat, the prime cost of which is much below that of England ; bufc by reason of the high wages of the labor required fco manufacture the|bread and to bring the meat to the consumer tbe prices of bread is in some places higher than that of England, and the meat, though below the English price, is very high as compared with the prime cost. With the low wages these high prices will come down, so that the purchasing power of wages will not be affected. That the working man bas not been benefitted by high wages is evident, for the prosperous condition of those working men who have acquired comfortable farms and homes in the land is the result of their hard work, frugality, and soberness in former years, when wages were much less than now a-days. The working man has been demoralised by the high wages that have ruled, extravagance and intemperance have increased to a frightful extent and in many cases a man's family has not been benefited in the least by his extra wages, but only a larger amount per week has gone into the publican's pocket. In many things, articles that should be but luxuries, have, in our extravagance, come to be looked upon in the light of necessaries of life. Vox E Popclo.

1810

SlB7

1829

A Man of Tbon. — Among the remarkable men in tbe: United Sta.es (says a contemporary}, one is coming io the iron) of whom pres. utly much inwre will be htard. Hiß name is Victor Newcomb, and he is rapidly rising to a position not unlike tbat held some years bpo in England by Hudson, tbe Railway King. It is believed be will bave built up a fortune of two millions sterling by the time- he enters his fortieth year. Newcorob's field is the purchase and combination of railway companies. He is now vice-presi-sident r of the Louisville and Nashville road, and sole owner of the undertaking. He control?, more or less, all the lines between Chicago on the north and the Gulf of Mexico on tbe sootb, and betweev St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans on tbe west and tbe Atlantic Ocean. HaviDg brought his passengers and freight to the seaboard, it is in bis steamers tbat tbey are carried to New York and Cuba j and from Charleston southwards to New Oi leans, Newcomb controls every port. This enormous property comprises over, SCOO miles of railway, and five or six Ikes of steamers; it is worth over £2,400,000, and does a business of 10,000,-OOdols per annum. Young Newcorob's falber commenced the enterprise, and had largely succeeded, when the Civil War interfered and stopped further progress. Another effort was made ■; then the panic^ of 1874, aDd Mr Newcomb saw nothing but ruin before him. At this juncture young Newcomb, wbo bad but shortly before returned from completing his education in Europe, volunteered to sell the bonds of tbe Louisville and NashvillO railway in London. He succeeded, returned home to receive bis father's dying words, and before he was 30 years old he found himself entrusted with an organisation such as no man at his age had ever before managed. He has bought Hdq after l>ne, to unite his various iron ways, and is now making the busiest preparations for the future. Mr Parnell in Troublr— Home Rule would be a promising business, indeed, says an English exchange, if conducted in the spirit of the meeting at Enniscortby. Everybody thought that Mr Parnell was the idol of his party ; but tbe mischief is, the party cannot sgree. It seems Mr Parnell was anxious to secure the return of Mr John Barry, of Manchester, and Mr Garret Byrne, cf Liverpool, as members for tbe County of Wexford. But tbere were otber Home Rulers who wished to have a voice in tbe matter ; and when Mr Parnell, '.fresh from American triumphs appeared before the electors of Enniscortby, he found priest and layman arrayed against him, and the Chevalier O'Clary putting forth as the popular candidate. A scrimmage was inevitable when Father Murphy called upon the electors to re-

ln of Tbon.— Among the re- Bist "dictation." Soon a rotten orange c men in tbe: United Stales squashed in tbe eye of a furious contemporary}, one is coming speaker, and he could no longer see root of whom pres. ut.y much (he point of his argument, while poor rill be V.. ara. H.b Dame is Mr Parnell, who prefers bis eggs new Newcomb, and he is rapidly laid, was embellished with a rotten > a position not unlike tbat held yolk on his cheek. The chairman of srß bpo in Eneland by Hudson, the meeting whirling a shillelagh, way King. It is believed be shouted for peace, but there was no re built up a fortune of two peace, while one venturous assailant sterling by the time- he enters flung himself down into the oentre of eth year. Newcorob's field is the crowd, ond struck right and left base and combination of rail- until he was overpowered by numbers. ipaniPß. He is now vice-presi- Mr Parnell sacrificed nearly all his f the Louisville and Nashville buttons in the fray, and bis shirt front $ sole owner of the undertak- ceased to be a credit to his laundress, c control?, more or less, all the A sturdy priest, Father O'G-orman, ween Chicago on the north and evidently of the "Church Militant, fof Mexico on tbe sootb, and kept Mr Parnell back by main force. St. Louis, Memphis, and New Altogether it was a mighty fine shindy, on tbe west and tbe Atlantic Magnets fob Mills —The introHaviDg brought his passengers dution of mnenets into the great grain »bt to the seaboard, it is in bis mills of the West in the United States 'that tbey are carried to New has, it is stated, fulfilled the highest exd Cuba j and from Charleston pectations of those wbo complained of rds to New Oi leans, Newcomb wire in wheat. Not only bave the every port. Tbis enormous magnets captured all tbe stray piece of comprises over, SCOO miles of iron bands, and thus removed the last and five or six sit.es of st.amers ; and only objection urged against the wirefth over £2,400,000, and does a binding harvester, but they have reof 10,000,000d01s per annum, vealed the singular fact that of the Newcomb 's falber commenced scraps of iron and steel which find their jcprise, and had largely euc- way to th. mills mixed with wheat, when the Civil War interfered fully one- half are something besides ped further progress. Another pieces of wire, and a large portion of as made; then the panic of these sre of such a nature as to be even id Mr Newcomb saw nothing more dangerous to mill machinery. before him. At this juncture Tbe magnets gather everything of the fewcomb, wbo bad but shortly kind with unerring certainty, thus returned from completing his rendering perfectly safe the use of selfn in Europe, volunteered to binding and wire-bands. bonds of tbe Louisville and Fortunate Scribes— Some literary 0 railway in London. He sue- men seem to be fortunate just now. returned home to receive his Tbe other day Mr Huxley found a dying words, and before he cheque for £4000 in his morning letters years old he found himself — tbe bequest of a Bolton admirer, i with an organisation such as Charles Gibbon, the novelist (author of at his age had ever before " Auld Robin Gray"), reoently reI, He has bought lino after ceived a legacy of £1000 from a Scotch mite his various iron ways, and lady who had read hia books, andwished taking the busiest preparations thus to show her appreciation of tbem. ofrure. Mr Wrigley, the famous paper-maker, abnell in Troublr. — Home has just bequeathed £9000 to the wife )uld be a promising business, and family of James Payn, the novelist, says an English exchange, if whose "'Lost Sir Massingberd "is quite sd in the spirit of the meeting a modern classic in fiction. Mr C. scortby. Everybody thought Reade has been remembered in the wills ■ Parnell was the idol of his of more than one admirer. We never but tbe mischief is, the party hear of any editors coming in for these Bgree. It seems Mr Parnell windfalls. ious to secure the return of Mr Disappointed Virgins. — A most arry, of Manchester, and Mr extraordinary case of suicide is reByrne, cf Liverpool, as mem- ported froni^ Chicago. Two maiden tbe County of Wexford. But ladiee, named Elizabeth and Anna ere otber Home Rulers who Trowbridge, aged forty-three and forty o have a voice in tbe matter ; respectively, after much consultation as en Mr Parnell, from to the mode of death they should choose, n triumphs appeared before decided upon hanging themselves, ore of Enniscortby, he found which they did in the most deliberate id layman arrayed against him, manner. A younger sister named j Chevalier o' Clary putting Nora, who resided with them was i the popular candidate. A present at these consultations, and after ge was inevitable when Father taking leave of her, they told her tb go called upon the electors to re- upstairs and wait for an hour. They j

then mounted on two chairs, adjusted thenooses of two ropeß around jiheir necks, and kicked tbe cbairs away, and died by strangulation. Their founds are Baid to have beiome' unsettled through disappointed vanity aud , ambition. Tbey are described as ladies of considerable personal attractions, moving in a good position in society, whose whole object in life had been to make wealthy marriages, and outshine their neighbors. Disappointed in tbis, they became monomaniacs. A .anguinary deed was committed recently by one Kaloghero, the chief of a robber band established for some months past in Thessaly, near mount Olympus. This ferocious outlaw had sent two of hia men into a village to purchase food and necessaries, and furnished his emissaries with a considerable sum of money wherewith to pay for the stores in question. The bandits, however, did not return to their expectant comrades at the appointed time, and search being instituted for them throughout the neighboring district, their dead bodies were discovered two days later near Rhapsani. Kaloghero soon found out that they! had been poisoned by the peasantry of the village to which he had despatched them for supplies, whereupon he at once betook himself thither, and avenged hie followers' death by stabbing with his own hand twelve of the villagers, one after the other, as he met them in the streets. Having completed these cold-blooded murders, he returned unmolested to his mountain fastnesses, where he still bids defiance to all constituted authorities. si The Supreme Court of Indiana has decided that the legal name of a person consist's of one Christian name and one surname, and that inaccuracy in a middle name does i not invalidate a deed pr other legal document.