Newspaper Notions

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 59, 17 August 1901, Page 6

Ne wspaper Noti ons

DESPITE war and hysteria, Maoriland does not lose sight of progressive and useful legislation. — Sydney "Bulletin." • • • The Government has already quite sufficient irons in the fire for present requirements. — Greytown "Standard," on State fire insurance. • • • A few years hence New Zealanders themselves will see the comic side of much that is now being done by our Parliamentarians. — Hawera "Star." • • • No oolony under the British flag is so hampered with petty perplexing laws as New Zealand is at present. — Kumara "Times." • • • A democratic Government, that claims to rule in the interests of th© majority of the peop'e, should make the chief plank of its policy the prevention of private speculation in land. — Egmont "Settler." • • • The colony is all right and the labour laws are all right. The only trouble is that the capitalistic party is making a last and determined effort to protest against the advancing wave of progress, and has found a servile press eager to back it up. — Kensington "Liberal." • • • The world's greatest comedian, BadenPowell, is seriously ill owing to the continued strain produced by acting the humorous hero. — Sydney "Truth." • • • How many of those people who howl and rave about this measure would back up their opinion with £1 towards the cost of running it? Yet after all the breeches pocket is the great touchstone of sincerity. And to adopt the Referendum would, as remarked before, be very similar to "keeping a dog, and barking yourself." — Christchurch "Spectator."

If the present state of things is permitted to continue, justice in the country will be a name only, and employers will have to go beyond the colony to seek it. — Paeroa "Gazette." • • • As to racing sweeps, the most sensible thing is for the colonial Governments, instead of trying to suppress gambling, to regulate it.— -Sydney" Sunday Times." • • • There is no question that a nominated Upper House is a blot on our demooratic form of Government. — Bruce "Herald." • • • The plain truth is that the administration of the Act so far as these precious so-called "Conciliation" Boards are concerned — "Aggravation" Boards would be a better title— has become a byeword and a public scandal. — Marlborough "Express." • * • There are 1500 soldiers' graves in Bloemfontein. Part of the price paid for the Johannesburg gold. — Hobart "Clipper." • ♦ • The life of the average man is a warfare. The life of the "pore woorukun man" is worse — it's football. And the part of the ball is generally played by the man. — Sydney "Freeman's Journal." • » ♦ Many of the greatest untruths that have ever been printed or penned have from time to time been graven on tombstones. — Onehunga "Chronicle." • ♦ • One of the disadvantages of a democracy is that the people's representatives feel that they must advertise themselves to the country — Queenstown "Mail." k • • ♦ The incendiary, and the inducement to incendiarism, are factors of enormous influence in actuarial calculations on which fire insurance operations are founded, and it may be averred without hesitation that under a State administration of insurance that factor would become dominating. — Nelson "Mail." • • • "Freetrade" is, and must always be, the watchword in the fight between liberty and slavery. The triumph of freetrade makes direct taxation inevitable, and that means justice to all men, justice to the poor, and the forcing of returns to the treasury from the rich, according to the benefits they receive from State expenditures. — Sydney "Newsletter."

It is a pity Mr. Fisher has not a wise mentor alongside of him occasionally to put in a plea for a little wholesome common sense. — Grey "Argus." • ♦ • Verily we are hurrying on to the millenium or to the new Utopia, when the servant shall rule the master and the State shall say how long we shall live. — Woodville "Examiner." • • • When the burglars have all been brought to justice the detectives can then resume their mutual bickerings. — Marlborough "Express." • ♦ • We warn the Government not to impose too much of that kind of thing upon the people. As they have driven the farmers to co-operate and act on the defensive, so they will similarly force the employers to protect themselves, and, between Farmers' and Employers' Unions, they will have cause to regret the day they indulged in experimental legislation of this idiotic class. — Waimate "Witness." • • • As long as human nature is what it is, and at its best it is selfish, no employer of labour can be expected to look kindly on a law that gets home on him with such exasperating effect as does this Arbitration Act. — Tuapeka "Times." • • • The next thing we will be told is that Mr. Seddon "created" New Zealand.— Palmerston "Standard." • • • A tree is known by its fruit, and the fruit of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act is hell-broth for employers and employees. — Master ton "Times." • • ♦ ''Damned at its birth" is surely writ large across 1 the face of the Government State Fire Insurance Bill. — Dunedin "Times." • • • We warn them that if they have to face their constituents next election with disordered finances and increased taxation they will find some difficulty in persuading the electors to renew their confidence, after it has once been abused.—Chri&tchurch 'Tress." » • • There is only one sound basis of taxation — that every man shall be taxed in proportion to his ability to pay, and the amount of protection afforded, to his property by the State. When you get away from that you become entangled in a maze of inequalities and wrongs. — Auckland "Star."

We have a shrewd suspicion that Mr. Seddon is finding some such drastic and autocratic law as this an immediate necessity. Within the next year or two, there will be such a washing of public dirty linen as will electrify the colony. — Auckland "Observer," on the Lxbel Bill. « • • The assumption that womankind is the weaker sex is unsupported by fact, and has held its ground simply because women have found their advantage in deluding their fathers and brothers and husbands into believing it. — Napier "Herald." • • • A strong union of farmers, who are in reality the backbone of the country, would by no means suit our present Dic(k)tator. — Opotiki "Guardian." • • • John McKenzies early career, even more than his political life which crowned it, preaches an admirable lesson to New Zealand. Steady, hard work is sometimes, we fear, at a discount among young colonials, who think that fortune is to be woed and won by much easier and pleasanter ways. — Auckland "Star." • • • The Opposition in the New Zealand House of Representatives, it is to be noted, has declined to choose a leader, and has, apparently, given up organised existence. Mr. Seddon may well be the happiest of all Premiers! — "Review of Reviews." • • • With gold pieces are built pompous palaces; with a penny one may buy a palace in Paradise. — Dunedin "Tablet." • • • The Arbitration and Conciliation Acts were intended to remedy real grievances and not to enable one party to steadily undermine the position of the other, as there is every prospect of them doing unless the curb is put on. — Gisborne "Times." • • • Bills like the recent Eight Hours Bill, Workers' Compensation for Accidents Bill, and Fair Rent Bill show to what extremes the Government will go urged on by an ignorant and misguided populace. — Napier "Herald." • • • For the rest, if the Premier wishes to stay industrial strife, let him recast his Conciliation Act, make industrial districts as large as possible, appoint another Judge, and, above all, clip the powers and pretensions! of the so-called "Conciliation Boards." — Napier "Telegraph."